Earley Cricket Club introduces vegan cricket ball

Cricket has undergone a plethora of changes over the past decades or so. The cricket leather has undertaken a number of changes with Kookaburra, Duke and SG being the variants. Recently, a club named Earley Cricket Club has taken their invention to a whole new level altogether- introducing the vegan cricket ball, the concept of which sounds a bit weird, but interesting to start with.

It’s a synthetic animal products-free one covered in rubber instead of leather. Its behavior is similar to that of a leather ball but has a bit more bounce and more tough to grip. From now onwards, it will be interesting to see if the rare type of ball ever finds a place even at the first-class level, if not beyond.

The club is located in Reading, a town in southern England, 64 kilometers west of London. The club already follows the concept of veganism, having already introduced a vegan tea for its cricketers. It has also been learned that the club is looking for a better version of the leather.

The point is that everyone can, says Shacklady

“It does behave like a leather cricket ball, but it bounces more and it’s more difficult to grip. But we’re enthused by it and we’re hopeful of finding a better version. The teas have been well received as our players understand and support the reasoning behind the decision,” Gary Shacklady, the founder and chairman of the club, was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail.

Shacklady found the club 12 years ago and at the age of 33, he is the youngest cricket club chairman in England. He is now hoping for the other clubs in their Berkshire Cricket League to follow their lead. Shacklady, who’s also a school teacher, said that he didn’t face much opposition when he proposed the idea of switching the tea to a vegan menu a couple of years ago.

Moroccan tagine, lasagne and meat-free spaghetti Bolognese have replaced the likes of Ham and beef sandwiches. “When other teams come to us, they pile their plates high. And when they eat the food, nobody complains. Although you usually get one middle-aged white man who is horrified – it’s fine, he doesn’t have to eat it. But the point is that everyone can,” he added.

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