Oxford cricket club players discuss mental health benefits

Cricket players from an Oxfordshire club have shared their experiences of how the sport has helped their mental health.

Members of Oxenford Cricket Club in Oxford opened up about the “sense of belonging” that being part of the team has given them.

Feedback to a survey asking members about their mental health included answers such as “cricket makes me smile” and “Oxenford helps me make sense of the world”.

Rishab Vudathu, 1st XI vice captain, said it provided “a strong sense of community” which “gives you hope that you are not alone”.

Oxenford CC, which is part of the Cherwell League, has male and female players of all backgrounds and abilities, who play on the grounds of the University of Oxford’s Jesus College.

Daisy O’Connor, women’s captain and community and outreach officer, said she had played cricket all her life, after being encouraged by her dad.

She said what appealed to her about Oxenford was “how community-focused it was and how all of the men and the women’s teams were all kind of mixed together – it just felt like one club”.

Her anonymous survey among members found one benefit of cricket on mental health was “focusing on the here and now”.

She said: “It was mindfulness that they were describing – that feeling of not thinking about what you’re doing later.

“It gives your mind a bit of calm and peace for the time that you’re playing.”

Mr Vudathu, who was born and raised in India, said he had not been in “the greatest physical fitness” after completing his studies at Oxford Brookes University in 2021.

“I used to smoke 10 cigarettes a day, I could not run more than one kilometre nonstop,” he said.

“That’s when I decided to join a sports club again and cricket was something close to me.”

He described Oxenford as “one of the nicest places that I’ve been a part of” and said it helped him through depression, which he had been diagnosed for.

“It gives a sense of belonging and… hope that you are not alone.

“I know that someone else would be there no matter what, even if you know them just through cricket.

“A strong sense of community is really important.”

Richard Rowley, 2nd XI Captain, said training children was the most rewarding thing about being part of the club.

“I only spend an hour a week with them but everyone chips in,” he said.

“You get up early on a Saturday morning to do it because these kids rely on you.”

Mr Rowley also said that as the games lasted “hours and hours”, there was a lot of time for the players to talk to each other.

He said: “There is a social and cultural aspect to it – I find that it gives back more than it takes from you.”