There will be a host of success stories when it comes to cricket in Bradford given the city’s love affair with our wonderful game. Although they missed out on winning this season’s title to New Farnley, Woodlands spring to mind given their recent dominance in the Bradford Premier League.
Well, Bradford and District Visually Impaired Community Club certainly fall into the ‘success stories’ category.
Here is a team who have only been in existence for four years, but they have won three successive titles in the Blind Cricket England and Wales Northern Development League.
Last Wednesday, their founder and lead coach, Arif Malik and Yasser Butt were joint winners of the Services to Diverse Communities prize at the 2024 Yorkshire Cricket Board and ECB Cricket Collective Awards.
Yorkshire stars James Wharton and Grace Hall were on hand at Headingley to present the award to Butt, who was without his close mate on the evening. Anthony McGrath, Gavin Hamilton and Rich Pyrah were also in the audience.
Unfortunately, Malik, a visually impaired cricketer who captains the Bradford side, was unable to attend as he recovers from hip surgery.
“Myself and Arif have known each other for the past 10 years and have been close friends on and off the field,” said Butt.
Picture by Caught Light Photography/YCB. Yasser Butt picks up the Services to Diverse Communities award he won alongside his friend Arif Malik at last week’s Cricket Collective awards at Headingley.
“In the past three or four years, we’ve established what is more of a district club rather than a cricket club because of the variety of sports that we are involved in.
“But cricket is our top success, I would say.
“The season just gone was our third successive Development League trophy.
“Forming the club was Arif’s brain child.
“Arif is a visually impaired player who has been in and out of the visually impaired game for a number of years and was, himself, struggling to find a local club to play at.
“He was someone who was having to travel to find a place to play. Because there was nothing like this in Bradford, he and other players were having to travel to places like Wakefield and Huddersfield to play visually impaired cricket.
“So he said, ‘I’ve had enough of this travelling, I want us to put a mark down in Bradford, create something and compete’.”
Picture courtesy of BDVICC. Yasser Butt alongside his close friend and BDVICC colleague Arif Malik (left).
As Butt alluded to earlier, their district club runs other sports for blind and visually impaired sports lovers to get involved in. They run Goalball sessions, Tennis and Baseball, and are open to any other suggestions.
“We’re always looking to develop and move forward and are open to getting involved in anything that involves visually impaired sport,” said Butt.
BDVICC have more than 50 people involved; players, coaches and volunteers. They have a committee who look after crucial areas such as funding.
As things stand, they have 24 cricketers registered to play in the Northern Development League, which is the third tier of the England and Wales Blind Cricket Competitions structure. Four years ago, they started out with eight players. All of their registered players are men, though they three women tennis players.
A Yorkshire team currently sits in the second tier alongside Surrey, Kent and Lancashire, while there are Northern, Southern and Midlands competitions at the third tier.
And Bradford have had continued success against other county teams from Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham.
“There are some big names in there who are representing their own regions, Durham, West Yorkshire and Lancashire,” said Butt. “We’ve had some top games against them all.
Picture courtesy of BDVICC. Captain Arif Malik holds the 2024 Northern Development League trophy as he celebrates with his team-mates.
“The first year was just sort of trial and error, seeing what funding was out there and what aid we could get.
“We needed a few friendly games under our belts to let the league see what we were about. Thankfully, it all went really well and worked out. Now, three titles in a row shows that.
Butt is a cricket mad 31-year-old who has given up a playing career for coaching. He also coaches some junior cricket at Great Horton Church Cricket Club, where BDVICC are based.
“We’re looking to play there next year,” he said.
“We’ve had our struggles in finding a ground to play at on a Sunday with all the different leagues around Bradford. It’s an amazing city for cricket. There’s so much love for the game.
“We don’t have a solid base yet, but Great Horton Church are working alongside us. Hopefully we can say, ‘This is our home ground’.
“Last year, we used Bowling Old Lane and the year before that we were in talks with Jer Lane.
Picture courtesy of BDVICC. Members of the BDIVCC squad at a club presentation evening host by Great Horton Church Cricket Club.
“We were always shifting from A to B to C, but we’re hoping Great Horton Church can be our base because that’s where we practice and meet up for our AGMs. It’s our hub.
“Fingers crossed, we can get that sorted.”
Butt continued: “I’ve been in the game all my life. My dad got me into cricket from a very early age, about six-years-old. I don’t play anymore. It’s coaching and organising for me now, and I love it.
“Getting involved with this alongside Arif has been amazing. It’s been one of the best things I’ve done in cricket, and in my life. It’s been so inspiring.
“The best thing I’ve taken from this is that your sight is a very precious thing.
“I have been around visually impaired and blind people for a very long time now.
“These guys aren’t just my team-mates and players who I coach, they’re my friends. I see them on a daily basis and go to their houses. How they live their lives, what they’re able to do is massively inspiring. I’m like, ‘Wow’.
Picture courtesy of BDVICC. Bradford and District Visually Impaired Community Club take part in a Goalball tournament in Sheffield.
“It’s a very challenging sport. If you came and watched, you’d be blown away by the quality on show. It’s top drawer.”
Both fully blind and partially sighted cricketers are pitted together in the same team.
Matches are played at a length of 48 overs in total.
“The rules are quite complicated,” said Butt.
“The team that’s batting first gets 28 overs. If they bat their full overs, the team batting second has 20. But if you bowl them out in 23, for example, you have the extra five overs to play with.
“I think that’s been done to encourage more attacking cricket.
“We’re playing with the equivalent of a size three football which has a different texture to it. Inside are beads which rattle when the ball bounces and moves. If you’re completely blind or have very little sight, you have the opportunity of two bounces before hitting the ball. If you have less of an impairment, you have one bounce.”
Picture by Caught Light Photography. The award which Yasser Butt picked up at Headingley last week.
There is also a T20 competition, but BVIDCC are still chasing a first title in that.
Butt described his pride at picking up the award at Headingley last week, where he was surrounded by many an inspiring story from within the league cricket structure across this great county.
“This is something Arif has been dreaming of for a long time, that recognition,” he said. “To get that in the last couple of years, and the support we’ve had, it’s been massive. The award sums up the hard work which has gone into it, and we’re all very proud.”
Malik’s surgery which meant he wasn’t present at Headingley means he will also miss the start of next season when his side will go for four in a row.
“He was gutted he couldn’t make it last week, and I really wanted him there alongside me,” said Butt.
“We’re without our key player, so it’s going to be a challenge. But we have other players who can step in and do the job. We’re hoping we can develop some more stars. He has a four-month recovery period, so we’re hoping mid-season he can join us. But he’s still going to be around the group. Even if he was on his death bed, I don’t think he’d miss out! He’ll be there supporting.”
For more information on, or to get involved with, Bradford and District Visually Impaired Community Club, visit https://www.facebook.com/BDVICC
