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u3a features on BBC's The One Show

Published : 21 July 2023 Views: 6388

A woman (Angela Rippon) wearing a blue sports bib, standing on a cricket pitch. She is holding a bat and is moving - she is smiling broadly. In the background, you can see another smiling woman in an orange bib.

A host of stars joined Barnsley u3a member Mac McKechnie when he appeared on BBC’s The One Show to promote walking cricket, the sport he created with his u3a.

Barnsley u3a battled it out against the Wakefield u3a's 'Wakefield Warriors' for a pre-season friendly in front of broadcaster Angela Rippon and legendary umpire Dickie Bird OBE.

Mac could be seen showing Angela how to play, and she admitted she’d never picked up a cricket bat before. He explained how Walking Cricket is played with a plastic bat and a soft ball, and at a much gentler pace than standard cricket.

There were interviews with several of the female players who had wanted to join a cricket team their whole lives, but this had been their first opportunity. They praised the camaraderie, friendliness and banter that comes with Walking Cricket.

You can watch the show on BBC iPlayer, from 23 minutes 30 seconds.

Mac is the Walking Cricket subject adviser and is helping to roll out the sport at u3as across the UK. If you would like to set up Walking Cricket at your u3a, visit the Walking Cricket Subject page.

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