‘I’m playing for England at 50’ - The inspirational cricketer representing Manchester at the World Blind Games

A 50-year-old cricketer from Rochdale says representing England Women at this month’s World Blind Games will continue to open doors for those who live with sight loss.

Helen Lawson went blind within four hours following a head injury and mini-stroke in 2015, something which turned her world “upside down”. But from being scared of leaving the house to travelling all around the country, sport has had an immense impact on her life since.

She will now, on debut, be the only female from Manchester - and possibly the whole North West region - to feature for England Women at the Games in Birmingham with a final at famous cricket ground Edgbaston at stake. It will be the first time England field a women’s team at the Games.

Helen - who plays for Yorkshire after a period at Lancashire - took up cricket in 2016 after taking part in British Blind Sport’s ‘Have A Go’ event in Manchester. These days offer a range of activities for those with reduced sight to undertake including tennis, climbing and water sports.

“I had a go at tennis, goal-ball and then from that I did ten-pin bowling in Rochdale, shooting in Blackburn, water sports, climbing but cricket number one all the way through due to team element,” Helen tells the Manchester Evening News.

“I started playing county cricket from there. When we played Yorkshire, their coaches are involved with England Ladies and they invited me to go to a ladies' training session with them.”

Helen says there are notably less socialising opportunities for the blind who are of working age, with most support tending to be at hand for the elderly. Sport has offered her that chance of community.

“Going blind turned my world upside down but meeting other people through blind sports has given me the confidence to start travelling again,” she added.

“For instance I had to go down to London and when I lost my sight there was no way in a million years I would have done that. But since doing cricket, other players give you confidence to start doing stuff like that. It’s opened so many doors.”

There are a number of rules within blind cricket to cater for those who have partial sight, peripheral vision or none at all. International cricket differs from domestic with a large hard plastic shell filled with noisy ball bearings replacing a small football.

Various rules include one-bounce catches and two-bounce bowling while there must be a balance of the degrees of sight loss in each team. If you think Bazball is fast and action-packed, then you need to experience blind cricket.

Helen, an all-rounder, has trained with England Women for some time but her appearance at the Games will be her first international outing. And so, she will subsequently receive her first England cap.

“We’ve got a really good team so the aim is to get to the final. We found out the final is live-streamed so we were all like ‘we better get to the final then’!” said Helen, who said she was slightly “nervous” but mostly excited.

“It’s a big competition on a big stage [The World Blind Games], and there’s the sports village - the one they used at the Commonwealth Games last year - as well, and then the opening ceremony.

“There will be over 1,000 athletes coming from about 70 countries doing 10 sports. So a lot of people there from all over so it’s going to be great to meet other athletes from around the world.”

When asked about representing her region, Helen said: “It’s going to be amazing. It’s also going to be awesome to get the England kit and I’ll get my first cap for my country so it’ll be an awesome experience.”

Helen hopes the cricket and the Games as a whole will give blind athletes a bigger platform in the sporting landscape. Furthermore, she is hoping to set up more activities closer to home.

“Everything I go to I have to travel so it can take all day to get there and get back, especially having to use public transport. One thing I want to do is get blind sports going in Rochdale.

“I also do fencing locally and I’m the only blind fencer in the area so it's a case of trying to get the word out and have more going on in the area who are of working age and visually impaired.”

Helen is keen to encourage others who are in a similar position to herself to try blind sport, pointing to the ‘Let’s Get Active’ day hosted by Greater Manchester Sight Loss Council at The Great Academy in Ashton-under-Lynne between 10.30am and 4.30pm on Saturday, August 19.

“Give it a go. It’s made a massive difference to my life. From having no confidence and not going out of the front door to travelling all over the country for cricket matches - it’s really opened up a whole range of things for me.

“I’d never thought in my wildest dreams that at 50 I’d be playing for my country. Blind sport has opened up so many doors, from a social aspect to learning skills, help with different technology.

“It’s been a massive boost for my confidence. There are some sports you don’t have to be ultra fit for, things like shooting, fencing and ten-pin bowling are things everyone can have a go at. It’s about having that community too, that support network.”

You can catch Helen featuring for the England Women Blind Cricket Team between August 19 and August 26, where the top two countries out of a group of three - which includes India and Australia - make it through to the final.

See below for dates and venues, and click to learn more about the 2023 Birmingham World Blind Games.