Street Cricket is financed by the Lords Taverners Fund, a cricket charity, in which qualified coaches take bat, ball and basic equipment to innercity areas, inviting young people to take part. The initiative started nationally five years ago in nine cities.

Farid Karolia, of Mount CC in Batley, is one of the leading lights of the YCB`s
Black and Ethnic Forum, and a leading member of the Mount CC, where the Yorkshire CCC ran a very successful “Enjoy Cricket” programme last Summer.

The Street Cricket initiative encourages youngsters from ethnic minorities to take up cricket.

Sessions have been held in Batley/Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Hull and Rotherham. The Hull sessions have been particularly successful with youngsters joining local Clubs, which is the whole purpose of the Scheme in a nutshell.

Tony Bowry, YCB`s Development Officer for BEM matters and West Yorkshire has Street Cricket as part of his remit. "The idea is for kids to come off the streets and get involved in cricket. The game is good for their health, a way of socialising and mixing with other communities. We also run sessions for parents and other volunteers to become coaches, which is very important."

Kirklees Council have been closely involved with the Batley, Dewsbury and Huddersfield schemes 

Umar Rafiq, Kirklees council's manager responsible for young people's sport and recreation, explains the pressure on available time for young people at whom the Scheme is aimed. "We have to fit sessions around the hours when youngsters are not at the Mosque or Madrassa”

Street Cricket began life in schools, including work with disabled children, and then moved on to parks and other open spaces and, in August, held a festival in Huddersfield, which opened with a parade, featured cricket practice for 500 and served Asian and AfroCaribbean food.