{"id":10397,"date":"2026-05-20T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/?p=10397"},"modified":"2026-05-18T17:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:15:10","slug":"warwickshire-access-ready-for-the-new-d40-season-under-kearan-gibbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/2026\/05\/20\/warwickshire-access-ready-for-the-new-d40-season-under-kearan-gibbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Warwickshire Access Ready for the New D40 Season Under Kearan Gibbs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The start of the new D40 season marks another important chapter in Warwickshire\u2019s growing disability cricket programme.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>D40 cricket is the highest level of disability cricket across England and Wales, featuring players with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and hearing loss competing in hardball 40 over cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following the transition from the Super 9s format into the more structured and competitive D40 competition in 2024, the squad enters the new season with a clear sense of ambition under the leadership of captain Kearan Gibbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The move to D40 has provided players with the opportunity to experience hardball cricket in a format that more closely reflects the professional game, while also creating a pathway towards the ECB\u2019s top tier disability competition, the Disability Premier League (DPL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gibbs, who has been part of the Warwickshire setup from a young age, believes the introduction of D40 has been a defining moment for the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt was a bit of a shock to everyone at first,\u201d Gibbs said. \u201cWe\u2019d come from doing really well in Super 9s to suddenly playing a much higher standard of cricket. It made us realise that if we want to push on, we\u2019ve got to raise our levels.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite early challenges, including a difficult first season in the competition, the experience has helped reset expectations and drive improvement across the squad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The progression into D40 has also strengthened the disability cricket pathway within Warwickshire. Each year, players are identified for potential progression opportunities, with trials for the DPL providing extra motivation throughout the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a team, we\u2019re all pushing each other to improve,\u201d Gibbs added. \u201cEveryone has that aspiration to go further, and D40 gives us that platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking on the captaincy role, Gibbs has embraced the responsibility both on and off the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOn the field, it\u2019s about trusting your gut and backing your decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cOff the field, there are always challenges, but it\u2019s about keeping things together and making sure everyone is enjoying their cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That sense of enjoyment remains central to Warwickshire\u2019s disability cricket programme. While D40 represents the highest level of disability cricket within the county, Super 9s and Super 1s continue to play an important role in providing inclusive and welcoming environments for people to get involved in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programme also remains committed to growing the game and welcoming new players into disability cricket at every level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an open environment,\u201d Gibbs added. \u201cIf anyone wants to get involved, there\u2019s a place for them. Even if it encourages just one person to give it a go, that\u2019s a positive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a> to learn more about Warwickshire\u2019s disability cricket pathway, from softball through to hardball cricket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The start of the new D40 season marks another important chapter in Warwickshire\u2019s growing disability cricket programme. D40 cricket is the highest level of disability cricket across England and Wales, featuring players with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and hearing loss competing in hardball 40 over cricket. Following the transition from the Super 9s format into [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71867,"featured_media":119991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,28],"tags":[53,122,124],"class_list":["post-10397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-access","category-d40","tag-warwickshire-cricket-foundation","tag-warwickshire-access-cricket","tag-disability-cricket"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Warwickshire Access Ready for the New D40 Season Under Kearan Gibbs - Edgbaston Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/edgbaston.com\/foundation\/2026\/05\/20\/warwickshire-access-ready-for-the-new-d40-season-under-kearan-gibbs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Warwickshire Access Ready for the New D40 Season Under Kearan Gibbs - Edgbaston Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The start of the new D40 season marks another important chapter in Warwickshire\u2019s growing disability cricket programme. 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