Cricket for Kids in Phuket

Junior cricket in Phuket has experienced a surge over the past year and a half, now involving several schools, and more to come on board.

Phuket Cricket Union (PCU) ran a Sawasdee Cricket League last season (using a soft ball in games that last about 45 minutes) for the first time, and will run it again from December 2009 to March 2010. By doing this the PCU are reaching a cross section of the community, including government, Thai private and international private schools. Some of the players only speak Thai, some only speak English, and some are bi- or multi-lingual.

For kids aged 7 up looking to play cricket in Phuket, PCU runs Sunday morning coaching sessions at Ban Sapam School. It is open to anybody, and many of the boys and girls who do come along do not have the opportunity to play cricket at school at this stage. The older players (about 13+) with some experience practice using a hard ball. With the younger players a soft ball is used. Many of the coaches are bilingual, and it is good to see some of the parents get involved.

The objectives are to get the older players ready for national events, and to introduce the younger players to cricket to get ready for the Sawasdee League.

Sunday cricket at Ban Sapam School starts about 9am and finishes around 11-11.30am. It is held rain (in the gym behind the school buildings) or fine (on the field in front of the school). Ban Sapam School is on the west side of Thepkrasatri Road, a couple of kilometres north of Supercheap. It is at the bottom of a slope, opposite a temple. There is a pedestrian over-bridge from the temple side to the school gate. Go to www.phuketcricket.com for more information.