Playing cricket for HDP was something I was very excited about. The experience was full of challenges and competition, with many of my teammates having different levels of experience than I did. During the experience, my teammates and coaches provided me with direction, encouragement, and continuing assistance as I developed my skill set. Cricket requires a strong commitment to work hard consistently; I learned this lesson from my experiences playing cricket because if I could not put forth my best effort each day, I may never be able to take advantage of the opportunities presented to me or be part of a winning team. In addition to the technical skills I developed while playing cricket, I learned a valuable lesson on discipline and commitment from my experiences playing the sport.

LO1:Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

When I started to play cricket, I realised I am a strong aggressive batsman and I had good focus on my line and length while bowling. I also realised I have a lot of room to improve my accuracy while bowling and fielding. Therefore, I focused on mastering the basics and on maintaining a consistent line and length when bowling and improving my fielding techniques instead of trying advanced variations that are likely to cause disruption to my rhythm.

LO 2:Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken,developing new skills.

Playing Cricket has its challenges, such as taking high catches, identifying the right shot and bowling accurately. I practiced regularly and did many drills, used advice from my Coaches and evaluated my performance after each training session. An example of improvement would be that I developed my Catching Technique, which reduced my chance of getting injured and made me more confident, and improved my Shot Selection by focusing on specific aspects that I wanted to refine.

LO 4: Show perseverance and commitment in CAS experience

I attended all of the Training Sessions consistently, even during times when my level of performance was not what I expected from myself; I had doubts about my abilities at times, but I was able to overcome them through encouragement from my friends and teammates, and I was able to continue to work toward improving my performance. Because of my Training and Practice with Cricket, I learned about the value of Resilience and Focus; I learned how to commit myself to goals, even in the face of difficulties and temporary failures.

LO 6:Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

By participating in this sport, I became more involved with other Sporting Communities and aided in the expansion of the growth of Cricket; I also earned an appreciation for Cricket’s role as a Global Sport and how it encourages Teamwork, Discipline and Cross Cultural Interaction/Engagement.

Conclusion:

I participated in an HDP activity which was more than just a game; it also helped with my personal and athletic growth. Cricket improved my health and allowed me to focus on developing my fitness levels, as well as the specific skills of batting, bowling and fielding through practice drills. Identifying the specific strengths and weaknesses that I had, along with consistent practice using these drills, helped me build my skills to become technically competent at all three position techniques, as well as developing a number of key life skills, such as perseverance, commitment and self-reflection.