Sir Iain Duncan Smith and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) hosted more than 25 families, charities and distinguished guests at the second annual Family Cricket Day at the Kia Oval on 21 July 2022.
There was a chance to go down onto the hallowed pitch to practice batting and bowling. And enjoy the BatFast cricket simulator, a face painter and two entertainers, as well as lunch and delicious cake baked by the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
The serious purpose behind the day’s cricket was to highlight the importance of family: this is where children learn values, rules and self-expression, and establish the foundation for positive future relationships. Family is popular, too: a recent survey by the CSJ found that the overwhelming majority of respondents (74%) believe that reducing rates of family breakdown would help to tackle Britain’s long-term problems and over half want the new Prime Minister to invest in strengthening the family. Yet Britain leads the world in family breakdown and its consequences – substance misuse, domestic abuse, homelessness, debt, worklessness.
Strengthening relationships between parents and children is a rewarding investment, then – but it is one many parents with limited resources and limited free time can ill afford. Family time is a social justice issue.
Thanks to our Patron Gautam Saraogi, however, the CSJ is trying to address this issue with our Family Cricket Day: a fun and free event, that offers plenty of opportunities for young people and their parents to venture beyond their usual environment.
It is also a chance to raise children’s aspirations – as was the case with 9-year-old Ayah Fellague Chebra, from Hillbrook Primary School in Tooting. Together with her mother and brother Eamon, Ayah went on the pitch during the lunch break.
“The minute I held the bat I was happy” she said. “When we got on the cricket pitch, and I did the bowling, the lady from the Oval asked ‘how did you know how to bowl like that?’ I had never learned properly how to bowl but in the morning I watched a YouTube video on how to play cricket so that’s how I learned.”
Chris Coleman, Director of Cricket Participation at the Kia Oval, was truly impressed: “We have put Ayah in touch with her local club, Spencer CC, which we hope she will join to continue playing the game she has such a natural flair for.”
Gautam Saraogi hailed the event as a “day-long celebration of “Family”, reminding us how precious and fragile the institution is, and that we ought to think harder on how best to strengthen it.”
As for Ayah, she now has a dream: “I asked my mum – is there any girl cricket player? Because I would like to become a really good player. The best girl in cricket.”