Cricket makes its mark on students in East Preston

Driven by PE teachers Erin Wyatt and Joel Dwyer, a six-week cricket program run by Cricket Victoria found a lot of success at the school.

With the school’s strong focus on soccer, Ms. Wyatt and Mr. Dwyer decided to introduce another sport during the summer terms, selecting cricket.

The duo elected to start with introducing the game to Grade 3 girls to give them a different sporting opportunity.

Over the six-week period, students focussed on developing skills as well as being exposed to game play.

The girls took an immediate liking to the program and were especially enthused when they received a MILO in2CRICKET pack.

“We had to tell the girls to stop bringing their packs to school and wearing them around because they would bring them in every single day,” Wyatt said.

“They all really enjoyed the program.”

Ms. Wyatt and Mr. Dwyer also decided to run a cricket program for Year 8 boys and girls which was also well-received.

“During the cricket program, we started to see a change in the yard with the students coming to borrow cricket bats and balls to play with at lunch rather than playing soccer,” Wyatt said.

“The kids loved it and would always ask if we were having a cricket session each week.”

With around 600 students, the East Preston Islamic College encompasses students from varying backgrounds including Pakistani, Somalian and Middle Eastern with more than 20 languages spoken at the school.

After the success of the programs, the East Preston Islamic College will look to run cricket sessions again and are also investigating the possibility of coordinating a cricket competition with neighbouring Islamic school, Al Siraat College.