When Farouk Hussain first played cricket at the age of six he could only keep one eye on the game – he used the other one to watch out for trouble.
Hussain and his friends would walk to a nearby factory, chalk a wicket on to its big wall, and play street cricket with a tennis ball.
They had such fun, but the neighbours weren’t so keen. “We’d play for a few minutes, but then someone would come out to complain, so we’d have to leg it and wait for them to go back into their house,” he says.
“We had to have one eye on the game and one eye on the doors of the local houses, so we could get away when they came out with their dogs. Quite frankly, we were petrified of those dogs.”
However, during these sessions a seed was planted – and, ever since, the self-confessed “cricket anorak” has kept both eyes fixed on the sport.
The 49-year-old was named 2018 Street Coach of the Year at the Chance to Shine awards ceremony at Lord’s cricket ground. It capped an inspiring journey for the man whose passion for the sport began with those impromptu games of street cricket, and who wants to ensure more children get involved in the game.
The backing from partners such as NatWest is “massively important” to Chance to Shine, he says, because the children who come to his programme would be “lost” without it. “It’s given them so many experiences, and it keeps them occupied and healthy.”
Hussain played in his primary school’s team and, during a local tournament, a coach spotted his talent and asked him to join Clitheroe Cricket Club.
There, Hussain, a bowler, and his wicketkeeper friend formed a formidable axis. “We were like the Shane Warne and Ian Healy of the team,” smiles Hussain, remembering how the scorecards seemed to forever feature the legend: “Caught Amin, bowled Hussain.”
He was the captain of the junior team, the under-11s, under-13s, the under-15s and onwards. The side he led won the County Championships and went to the north-west finals at Old Trafford in 1984.
He says his coach’s impact was profound. “He was a church-goer and he instilled in us a sense of fair play and the importance of respecting the umpire’s decision.
“These values went beyond cricket – they were instrumental to my development as a human being. Cricket taught me to have compassion, tolerance and a sense of fair play and respect. I try to replicate that in my Chance to Shine sessions.”
He first became interested in coaching around the age of 18. Within a year he was coaching the under-18 side, while continuing to play. He renamed the youth section Clitheroe Cobras and injected energy into the venture, even creating branded clothing for the kids.
He took the players on tours and launched a girls’ team in the Lancashire league. Sky Sports made a documentary about the team and awards followed. The Lancashire cricket board also noticed the buzz and introduced Hussain to Chance to Shine, the national cricket charity that works in state schools and communities across England and Wales.
The charity invited Hussain to launch a programme in Blackburn, which proved to be an eye-opening experience for him. “Up until then I’d worked with white, middle-class, privileged children for 20 years,” he says.
“But with Chance to Shine I began to work with kids who came from poorer backgrounds, who had less parental support, and very few opportunities. Their needs were far greater. It seemed the ideal thing for me to get my teeth into.”
He now runs four projects in the Blackburn area. The main project is at Audley junior school, where he takes a “fast and furious” approach to keep the children involved and avoid them becoming bored by the “static” element of the game.
There’s little chance of anyone being bored by Hussain, however – he is an electrifying man. At the Audley sessions, he dishes out high fives to the kids and celebrates successes as if the team has won the World Cup.
“I try to meet them at their level and keep them enthusiastic,” he says. “I treat every child as if they are my own, and my dream is that one day they will pass their experiences with me on to their own children.”
Hussain says he wants to avoid the “elitism you sometimes find in club environments” and instead aims for the guiding principle of Chance to Shine: inclusivity.
“Chance to Shine has been an absolute godsend for these children,” he smiles. “I get a great buzz out of it too. When a kid catches the ball or hits the ball, and I see the look of satisfaction on their faces, it’s just priceless.”
Looking ahead, he says he is dreaming up new projects and is “bubbling” with ideas. “I’m not one to sit still,” he says. We can all be thankful for that.
For almost four decades, NatWest has supported cricket, with a mission to make the game easier for everyone to play and enjoy.
A proud partner of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the charity Chance to Shine, NatWest champions cricket at all levels – from grassroots support for local clubs and getting more people involved in the game to supporting current and future England stars and helping fans cheer on their teams, however and wherever they choose.
With NatWest, cricket is a game that has #NoBoundaries. It’s cricket for all.
Follow @NatWest_Cricket and #NoBoundaries to find out more.
