A Pandemic Inspiration

When the Covid-19 crisis hit the UK  and we went into lock down in March 2020, I was very worried about my business, Better Bowling. I am a self employed cricket bowling coach and I was no longer able to work. I had no income, and the government hadn't yet announced whether the self employed would get any help; it was a worrying time. Initially I stayed in contact with my clients by giving them cricket riddles and quizzes, but this didn't feel very sustainable. 

The idea for the game came when I was setting up for a game of Monopoly with my daughter. I noticed that the Chance Box and the Community Chest Box looked like the popping crease of a cricket pitch. I got a pencil out and drew in a cricket pitch. I drew in some stumps and then I thought it would be fun to change the Monopoly squares into fielding positions. That got the creative juices going and I created a basic cricket game based on the Monopoly board. I developed some rules which included some match-like scenarios. I then sent an email out to my clients saying that I have created a Cricket board game and if you had a Monopoly set you could play it. It was all very basic, but thought it was something the kids I coach would enjoy playing during lock down.

The response to the game was amazing, I got so much great feedback, it got me thinking that I was on to something. I did some research and found that there weren't many cricket related board games on the market - the last successful one I could find was Test Match, which was released back in the early 1980s.

I contacted Sandra, my sister in law, who is a freelance designer. I explained my concept to her and asked if she could produce a playing board for me. She did an amazing job and the game started to take shape. I now had an oval cricket field with fielding positions and in play scenarios which made the game fun.

I sent the game out to trial and got very positive feedback, but it was still just a dice game which relied on luck. I knew my game was good, but there was something missing. I realised I needed to add an element of skill to make the game great.

Inspiration came to me at two in the morning on a sleepless night. I realised that instead of relying on the dice to determine the outcome of a dismissal, players could flick the dice at some stumps or a fielder to decide the batsman's fate. I was so excited that I got out of bed, found my daughter’s domino set, drew a set of cricket stumps on the domino and began flicking the dice at it. I was hitting the domino regularly but not all of the time, which was perfect. It was giving me great satisfaction to see the stumps flying when I managed a direct hit.

I updated the in-play scenario rules to include the flick. Then I added in some more flicking opportunities, including a batsman's flick, which allowed players to add extras to their run score as they would in a real cricket match. This also gave me a solution to the question of how to play 11 players per team but only have 10 dismissals - the number 11 batsman could remain Not Out but still have an opportunity to score.  

With the flick as the focal point of the game, the name Flickit Cricket was obvious. The playing figures and target figures evolved, and the game came to life. I had a prototype made, and was extremely excited when it arrived. It looked professional, like it should be displayed in a toy and games shop. Playing the game again, I discovered a flaw with the board design and rules. The catching scenario was not working. I needed to change the design, so I got back in touch with Sandra. We added a Catching Hands target to the game to make the game simpler to play and I also added different Flickit Boxes to cater for various in play scenarios. 

The game is now perfect (at least, I think so!) It still includes elements of luck, but there is a strong skill-factor.  It replicates a real life cricket match, with opportunities to gain runs, bowl or catch your opponent out, and plenty of fun for both sides. It has been a long journey to get here, with a steep learning curve. Despite running my own coaching business for 5 years, I have never before had to deal with manufacturing, marketing or selling a product.  I am very grateful to everyone who has helped and advised me on this journey - from those coaching clients who tested out my first, Monopoly-inspired idea, to those sharing this website with their friends today, and everyone in between.  

I hope you will buy a game for your self and direct your contacts to this website.  I need your help to reach my first sales target of 1000 games, so please recommend this game to your friends who have a love of cricket. It is a fantastic game for cricket loving kids and their parents.

Thank you for your support. Enjoy the game!