'Every ball, every shot, everywhere'

Date released: 17 June 2008

For the third consecutive summer MCC will provide all blind and partially-sighted spectators at 'The Home of Cricket' with ball-by-ball commentary.

England's Andrew Strauss listens in Lord's is the only ground in the world which provides in-ground commentaries for blind and partially-sighted spectators for every single match.

On their visit to NW8 fans can listen to the musings of BBC commentators on major international and county matches.

For those matches at Lord's not covered by the BBC, MCC's own band of volunteer commentators step into the Investec Media Centre and provide coverage both to spectators in the ground and to the wider world through live streaming on www.lords.org.

Blind and partially sighted cricket fans can borrow a headset, for free, by visiting the Head Steward's Office at Lord's. Sighted spectators can pick up the commentary on normal radios and headsets.

This season they have already commentated on the traditional season curtain raiser: MCC versus the Champion County (Sussex) and New Zealanders' first tour match, against MCC at Arundel.

Members of the commentary team brave the rain at Arundel Over the next week the commentators will turn their hand to one of the oldest fixtures in the Lord's calendar – the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity Match on 17 June.

For students who were unable to attend due to exams, revision and graduations, the live commentary on the website allows them to keep up-to-date with their fellow pupils' cricketing exploits.

Our commentators

The volunteer commentators – who come from across the country and have occupations as diverse as acting and accountancy – are bound by a mutual love of cricket.

Some see it purely as an enjoyable and philanthropic hobby, others have used the experience they have gained from providing the service to go on to professional commentary work.

For an insight into two of the commentators, click on their picture to read the case studies of:

Ian Cowdroy
Chris Mallaband

The success of the commentary for blind and partially-sighted fans is such that other county grounds are investigating the provision of it.

A service that was originally intended to bring commentary to blind and partially-sighted spectators within the confines of Lord's has now evolved to be broadcast over the web to cricket lovers around the world.