First chance to give it a go

Special Olympics Whangarei is getting into the excitement surrounding the ICC Cricket World Cup by holding its first ever cricket "Have a Go Day".

The organisation for intellectually disabled athletes is inviting anyone keen to try their hand at cricket to come down to Mair Park tomorrow to help celebrate their 30th anniversary.

The organisation was formed after a successful "Have a go day" at Kensington Park on February 13, 1985, which saw about 100 athletes show up to compete in indoor bowls and athletics from as faraway as Kaitaia.

Long-time organiser Glynis Collins said they were blown away by the response at the time.

"We knew then we were on to something that people wanted," she said.

"And the following Sunday we held our first swimming "Have and Go Day" at the old open pool and blow me down if pretty much the same outfit turned up again," she said.

Chairman Andrew Langford said they weren't expecting the same kind of response for the cricket tomorrow but with a number of regular sports competitions being run by the organisation it was nice to keep offering people the chance to try new sports.

Special Olympics provides training for athletics, aquatics, indoor bowls, tenpin bowling, soccer, RDA and there is one athlete also doing powerlifting in the community. There were 70 paid-up athletes in Whangarei last year and the organisation also has a Dargaville branch. There is also a Bay of Islands Special Olympics Organisation that caters for athletes in the mid and far north.

The Whangarei organisation is fundraising by selling 30-year commemorative lanyards. The cricket "Have a Go Day" starts at 10am.