England and Wales Cricket Board launches a new National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition as an effort to show inclusivity in the sport.
The inaugural National Core Cities Tape Ball Competition is ECB’s Program designed to engage diverse communities in urban areas, break down barriers and drive grassroots participation.
English spinner, Adil Rashid, said: “I used to play tape ball in the street with my brothers and it would get really competitive. It’s such a great format of the game, can be played anywhere by anyone and that’s what cricket should be about. It’s brilliant that there’s now a national tape ball competition. It’s really important to give people across the country the opportunity to play.”
Pakistan pacer, Haris Rauf, is one of the most renowned success stories, who used to play professional tape ball cricket a few years ago, but his selection by the PSL franchise, Lahore Qalandars, resulted in him making it to international cricket.
Tape ball is a variation of the game which originated in Pakistan and is now played across the country and all over the world, often within South Asian communities. A tennis ball is physically taped up to create swing and bounce variations in play. No protective equipment – such as helmets or pads – is needed as the ball remains soft and the game can be played on any surface, in any area, making it widely accessible and popular.
Each of the Core Cities – Birmingham, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, Leicester, London (Middlesex, Essex and Surrey), Luton, Manchester, Sandwell, Slough and Nottingham – can have a women’s and a men’s team in what will be two separate competitions.
The inaugural competition will be held at Bradford Park Avenue on the third weekend of April.
