ESOL students come together for first Cross-College Cricket Tournament

Over 100 students from across East Kent Colleges Group recently came together in Canterbury for the Group’s first cross-college English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) cricket tournament. 

Taking place at Polo Farm Sports Club, the day celebrated teamwork and showed how learners can connect through a shared love of sport. 

The event gave learners from the Group’s Ashford, Broadstairs, Canterbury, Dover and Folkestone Colleges the chance to compete against each other in a friendly but energetic tournament. 

Before heading out onto the cricket green, students spent the morning getting stuck into a variety of activities. This included cricket drills and skills demonstrations in the sports hall, alongside creative Lego building sessions led by EKC Dover College staff, and model-making workshops run by EKC Ashford College. 

The afternoon saw the pitches come alive with competitive energy. Teams played across four pitches at once, with eight quarterfinals, two semi-finals and a gripping final match where EKC Canterbury College emerged as champions, narrowly beating EKC Dover College in a close-fought game. EKC Folkestone College took third place after a strong performance in the playoff match. 

For many of the students, it was a great opportunity. The environment encouraged teamwork, movement and mutual support and the atmosphere throughout the day was welcoming, with students from different campuses meeting one another, many for the first time. 

One of the students who took part from Canterbury was Aleksandr, who won an individual award at the end of the day for his outstanding resilience skills demonstrated during the event. He reflected on what the day meant to him, saying:

“It was lots of fun. I did some puzzles and tower building. I also have more experience with cricket, which is good. I’d like to take part in more sports in the future, such as basketball. 

“I also met a really good friend from school who I didn’t think I would see again!” 

The tournament was created to give English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students a new chance to come together outside of the classroom and participate in something active, structured and enjoyable. It also offered a valuable way to practise language skills in context, with learners following instructions, working with teammates and engaging with students from other colleges. 

Throughout the day, they were supported by learners from EKC Canterbury College who helped coach and guide the sessions. These students played a key role in making sure everything ran smoothly, from explaining drills to encouraging participation. 

Oliver, a Level 3 Sports Coaching and Development student, said: 
“Most of the students knew what they were doing, but we were there to help. I supported with coaching and setting things up, and I took the lead on part of the project. I play cricket and coach already, but I’ve never done anything like this before. I hope the students enjoyed it and had fun.” 

Amy, who studies alongside Oliver, commented on how rewarding it was to support others.  

She said: “I hope they’ve improved their skills and learnt something new, especially if they hadn’t played cricket before. I’m still working on my confidence, so this helped me grow by working with different people and seeing how they learn. It’s given me insight into different learning styles.” 

Ella, who is studying an A Level in Physical Education student, shared what she took away from the day, saying: 

“It’s about helping people get into cricket and giving them a good day doing something they wouldn’t normally do at college. I was showing people how to straighten their arms when bowling because that helps them. I hope they learnt something new. I’d love to do more events like this because you can tell the students had a great time and a better experience of college.” 

Zoe Jewitt, Group Head of Education Improvement and ESOL Subject Network Lead, was proud of how the day came together, and said: 

“This year’s ESOL cricket tournament was all about bringing students together in a spirit of friendly competition. We wanted the event to offer a great opportunity for students within the EKC Group to connect, develop new friendships and meet new peers. 

“The enthusiasm was clear to see, with many students bringing banners and singing songs to cheer each other on. The brilliant Sports students at Canterbury took the lead in organising the sessions and final tournament. They also created tutorials and videos showing key skills and vocabulary to make sure everyone was well-prepared and confident. 

“This tournament for us was about building the ESOL community, developing essential life and work skills, and creating lasting memories for everyone involved.

“We hope to run more events like this in the future for all our ESOL learners.” 

To find out more about ESOL courses at EKC Canterbury College and how we support English language learners to thrive, visit: English, ESOL and Maths.