A group of budding cricketers students went to visit the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at the Lords Cricket Ground in London and were left astounded.
Bishop Luffa is one of very few state secondary schools in the country to host an annual cricket match against the MCC which was the first cricket club formed back in 1787 and to this day are the custodians of the laws of cricket. This year the match is being played on Thursday 8th June at Chichester Priory Park where some students from the trip will be representing the school.
On the trip we learnt about the history behind the forming of the MCC. Our students challenged the decisions that had been made by the MCC to our historian leader, John, and the club’s very slow movement towards equality. We learnt of the near 19,000 members only 890 were female, there has only been one female president in the 234 year history, Kumar Sangakkara has been the only black president and only since 1999 were ladies allowed in the famous pavilion which holds the greatest amount of cricketing artwork in the world at over 3,000 pieces.
We were all shocked at the of inequality within cricket and the MCC and to this point there have still not been a female test match at Lords. We were left inspired by the history of the club, the famous traditions, triumphs or men and women world cup wins and famous failures and scandals. The day was finished with a masterclass coaching session led by an MCC coach and use of the outstanding facilities where students confidence grew as they struck the ball with greater venom.
This trip has not only demonstrated that cricket is a great game but that we all must play our part in striving for equality within the game. In years to come many of the students on this trip will represent Bishop Luffa in its prestigious match against the MCC and those that already have, have a developed understanding of the magnitude of what they have been involved in. A special mention to Jeremy Goode who helped make this trip possible for all students and continues to significantly support cricket at Bishop Luffa for which we are most grateful for.
Girls’ cricket club runs on a Wednesday in the Sports Hall with Miss Unitt and boys’ cricket runs on a Wednesday on the field with Mr Hill and Mr Godfray.
Mr T Godfray, Team Leader of PE