The blossoming partnership between Durham Cricket and Young Asian Voices will produce a flurry of cricket stars in the near future, says the executive manager of the organisation, Kumareswaradas Ramanathas.
Young Asian Voices was launched in Sunderland in 1996 to offer young people from ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to participate in a number of sports, including football and sport, as well as offering support with employment, skills, training, volunteering and education.
As part of a community outreach programme, Durham began a partnership with YAV in 2016 providing both equipment and coaching support, which enabled the launch of a local club in Wearmouth.
The club has now expanded to seven teams, starting at Under-9s level all the way up to the senior ranks. But, perhaps most significantly is the recently-established YAV-Durham Cricket Performance Pathway, allowing youngsters aged nine to 15 the prospect of breaking into the illustrious Durham Academy system.
Although, there have been few players of South Asian backgrounds to have represented Durham in the first-class game, ‘Ram’ is optimistic that will change in the near future due to the impact of the pathway programme and support provided by Durham and the ECB.
“There have only been a few players that have come through the ranks at Durham from ethic minority backgrounds. But, the talent is out there,” he said.
“Some of the young players did tend to move out of the region in search of opportunities. Now, with the South Asian Action Plan that we have developed with Durham has enabled us to identify talent at an earlier age and provide that platform to progress towards the professional game.
“Our future is very bright and I’m sure one of these players coming through the ranks will represent Durham. As an organisation nothing would make us more proud. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
“We’ve got a great management committee, volunteers and staff, while the support we receive from Durham for our training is fantastic. We’re continuing to develop our cricket academy. Thanks to Durham we’ve got the platform in place and we’re hopeful of growing and strengthening the club giving more opportunities for ethnic minorities in Sunderland.”
Durham Cricket Development & Foundation Manager, Liam Simpson, has been delighted with the uptake, having initially provided support for Street Cricket and Chance To Shine sessions in the Sunderland area.
The YAV-Durham Cricket Performance Pathway was launched in the winter of 2022 and was open for both boys and girls to attend. Durham are hopeful that the pathway will grow to mirror their programmes elsewhere in the county.
“We’re proud of the outreach programme and the development of the Durham Cricket Pathway, allowing YAV to use their influence to promote around the community as well as the children that come through Wearmouth Cricket Club,” he said.
“After providing initial support, we’re hopeful that it can become a self-sustainable pathway and that players begin to emerge in the future in line with our other programmes. We’ve been working on this for a number of years and have been pleased to get it off the ground.
“Young Asian Voices provide a reach into local communities that was not possible in the past. Hearing the message from someone of the same ethnicity and social background has been crucial as a conduit to spread the word about cricket.
“They’re a trusted organisation in the region due to the work they’ve carried out over the last 20 years in the community, and it has been reflected in the participation numbers at the start of the programme.”
Young Asian Voices and Durham showcased their partnership during Durham’s Vitality Blast match against Derbyshire in June, which included a celebration of South Asian culture before the start of the contest.
Ram is confident that this is just the start of a widespread initiative between YAV and Durham, allowing the organisation to spread its message beyond Sunderland further into County Durham.
“The evening against Derbyshire was one of the best nights in the history of our organisation,” he added.
“It was the first time in 27 years that we were on the pitch of a major sport team promoting our organisation. So we were very grateful to Durham for the opportunity. Over 100 people from our community were there, including Wearmouth Cricket Club as well as number of other people from YAV.
“We’ve got a number of initiatives planned and I hope the T20 event with Durham will become a yearly fixture. We’ve got a number of family fun days, the Young Asian Voices Cup. We’ve also got Black History Month involving further integration activities. So we’re looking to promote diversity in Sunderland and the region at every opportunity.”