A league of their own: Stars of the Disability Premier League talk to Merseyside Cricket Online

The fourth season of the Disability Premier League is under way, with the second round of fixtures taking place at Neston on Sunday.

Four squads are drawn together from three areas of disability – physical disability, learning disability and hearing impairment.

Several Merseyside-based players are taking part in the competition this year.

Four of them spoke to Merseyside Cricket Online about the tournament and its role in providing a platform for disability cricket.

Jimmy Dixon celebrates a wicket for Sefton Park
Picture by ROB PAISLEY

Jimmy Dixon

The Sefton Park seamer and former captain is an England deaf international who plays for the Black Cats. They started their campaign with a win over the Tridents, followed by a defeat to the Pirates.

The first couple of games went very well, we had good battles against the Tridents and the Pirates. The Black Cats are much better compared to last year because this year’s batting team have been stronger. And this year the team environment is really good, we’re enjoying each other’s company.

This competition is really important as a whole for the extra publicity it gives disability cricket. It increases awareness for everyone in the mainstream, and proves to them that we have great skills. Everyone is impressed.

It’s important for this tournament to help raise awareness for families, friends and parents who have a child with a disability who loves to play cricket – they can be the next James Dixon in the future, when I am too old.

The DPL is really helpful for pitting people with all different kinds of disability against one another, as it’s really challenging and more competitive to play against each other. I feel that the standard of DPL is getting higher and closer to elite cricket level.

It brings people together who share the experiences of living with a disability, it boosts our social lifestyle, and improves our mental well-being. Sometimes we can feel isolated or let down by mainstream people who don’t want to have our company because they are uncomfortable with a player’s disability. 

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Formby’s Luke James

Luke James

The wicketkeeper/batter, who returned to Formby from Firwood Bootle this season, plays for the Tridents and has a learning disability. Tridents began with a defeat to the Black Cats and a win over the Hawks.

It’s my first couple of years in disability cricket so this tournament has been really good for me. But I’ve been really shocked with the amount of talent which you probably wouldn’t see without the DPL. The top players would get into most 1st XIs in the Comp pretty easily if they had the opportunity. Will Flynn, who got 80-odd against the Hawks, was born with one leg, but you wouldn’t know it watching him bat.

With this being a pan-disability tournament, it’s really inclusive. Everyone has their own disability and their own difficulties, but there’s no stigma like you’d get in the club game. Everyone is in the same boat and has a laugh with each other, and you just feel really included. For the first couple of hours I struggled to get involved with everybody, because I’m like that with new experiences. But we’re all going through the same things. We’ve all been through similar things and similar hardships in the past, it brings us all together.

I batted with Umesh Valjee, who is deaf, and that was a lot harder than batting with Will. The communication, knowing when to run, is quite difficult. It gives you an insight and makes you think ‘how can I communicate with them, and them with me?’ I don’t know sign language at all but one thing I took away from it is that I’d like to.

I can stay at home this weekend, which is nice, and Neston is a really good pitch. I think we need to win three out of our last four games to get to the final, which is before an England v Australia T20 at Cardiff – so that gives disability sport a good profile. 

We’re the best disability cricketers in the country, and a lot of us play at a very good standard, we just have something that stops us from taking it to the next level – it’s good to get the chance to show what we can do.

Click here for the latest Love Lane Liverpool Competition tables

New Brighton’s Danny Hamm

Danny Hamm

The left-arm spinner plays for New Brighton, having retired from England’s physical disability side earlier this year after a tour of India. He represents the Pirates, who were the only side to start with two wins, over the Hawks and the Black Cats.

It was a great start. We’ve kept the nucleus from last year and strengthened with a couple of lads. And it was a fabulous start, great to get two wins on the board – it’s the first time we’ve done that in the whole tournament.

I retired from international cricket in February but I wanted to remain involved with the DPL, to give something back really and help a few of the younger lads. Some of them, especially the learning disability lads, do find it hard coming into a new environment, so it’s great to help out and contribute with the ball where I can.

It’s the only tournament of its kind anywhere, and the ECB are leading from the front in getting the three kinds of impairments playing together. It’s just great to be playing alongside my old friends, and getting to know some new players. 

Wirral and Merseyside are very well-represented in the tournament – that’s hats off to the Comp and the Cheshire league and wherever these lads play. Disability shouldn’t factor into whether you can play cricket or not – it’s cricketer first, disability second, as I always see it. I don’t get any easier in the DPL, if I bowl a bad ball, it’s going to the boundary – but mainstream cricket has always been a big part of how we improve. Our leagues and our clubs have to take a lot of credit for making sure we are involved.

It’s always nice to play at Neston and we’ll get a few family and friends down to watch. And it’s a lovely place to play. And we can go and grab an ice cream and some fish and chips afterwards.

Click here for the latest Love Lane Liverpool Competition statistics

Chris Edwards in action for Cheshire
Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images

Chris Edwards

The all-rounder, who captains England’s learning disability side, moved from Caldy to Neston ahead of the start of this season. He received a British Empire Medal for his services to the game in 2021, and plays for the Tridents in the DPL.

We pulled it back really well against the Hawks, having been 20 short against the Black Cats – they just managed the game better. But it was a really positive end for that first round of fixtures. And since I’ve moved to Neston to play my club cricket, it’ll be a good second round of fixtures.

I think we’ve got as good a chance as anyone. Hawks, on paper, are the strongest – but they’ve lost their first two games. On the day, it’s which team gets their tactics right to be able to get results. The Pirates are strong and we’ve got them first on Sunday, so it should be a good game. 

It’s always really good to see the rising stars come through in the DPL, but also to see the experienced players who’ve played international cricket as well. There’s a good variety of players and for disability cricket, it’s a good platform to push the game further.

It’s great that people from all three impairment groups are given the opportunity to compete and to get good outcomes. 

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