Despite the terrible weather on the 23rd June, the RSA Kwik Cricket challenge was partially completed with the girl’s finals taking place on the all weather hockey pitches at Stormont.

The four schools who qualified from the NI Kwik Cricket Finals Days had come to play in the RSA Kwik Cricket challenge. Newbuildings and Artigarvan Primary Schools were to contest the girl’s final and Inchmarlo Prep and Newbuildings Primary School were to contest the boy’s final.

Unfortunately due to the weather the RSA Kwik Cricket Challenge wasn’t able to go ahead, however, many thanks must go to Paul Shaw from Playball, for providing a hockey pitch for participating schools and a short game was completed.

Photo caption: (Back L-R) Ireland Cricketers Max Sorensen, George Dockrell and Alex Cusack with some of the participants from Newbuildings and Artigarvan Primary Schools.

Irish Cricket International and Northern Cricket Union’s Cricket Development Officer, Nigel Jones, who was instrumental in organising the event said: “The RSA Kwik Cricket Challenge is another great step forward in helping to promote grass roots Cricket here in Northern Ireland.  The kids had been looking forward to this day for some time and it would have been a great platform for them to show off their Cricketing skills.  To have the beginning (Kwik Cricket) and pinnacle (International Cricket) of a players career here on show today would have been a really great opportunity for us all to capture the spirit and journey that this great game can offer.  However, such an opportunity could not have been possible without the face to face and financial support that RSA continue to deliver, their involvement at grass roots level makes opportunities like today turn from a pipe dream into actual reality for our young future stars of Irish Cricket ”.

RSA, who sponsor Cricket Ireland, kindly provided sports kits for all the participants on the day.

Andy Clement, Vice Chairman of the Northern Cricket Union and the Director for Cricket Development said: “It would have been tremendous to see the children from the four schools take centre stage during the lunch interval at the ODI game and it was only through Nigel’s determination that we managed to offer some form of cricket on the day. From a developmental perspective the more people we can encourage to take up the game the better and Kwik Cricket is the perfect foil for this. I’d also like to add my thanks to RSA for their input into this challenge and to Nigel Jones for his organisation to making this event happen”.

For further information on how your school or club can get involved in Kwik Cricket, please contact Nigel Jones, Northern Cricket Union’s Cricket Development Officer at: nigel.jones@cricketireland.ie