HALE BARNS KWIK CRICKET FESTIVAL
WEDNESDAY JUNE 18th – THURSDAY JUNE 19th, 2014
Sponsored by Timpsons and Greenwood Jewellers
REPORT
Over 100 players, umpires, teachers and parents enjoyed the twelfth Hale Barns Kwik Cricket Festival on Wednesday and Thursday, June 18th and 19th. As always everyone involved made great contributions to another wonderful day at Brooks Drive.
The Festival opened on a gloriously sunny evening with the Hale Barns Cup competition for state primary schools on Wednesday June 18th. This competition was one of several taking place at clubs in South Trafford as preliminary rounds in the Trafford stage of the national Asda Kwik Cricket tournament. Four teams took part, Stamford Park Juniors, St Vincent’s RC Primary, St. Hugh’s RC Primary and Well Green Primary. The winners were Stamford Park who won all their three matches, with St Hugh’s runners up. As St Hugh’s were unable to attend the next stage in the competition, Stamford Park and St. Vincent’s went on to compete in the Trafford Final, where Stamford Park were the winners and will represent Trafford at the Cheshire Regional Finals on Friday July 5th.
The full day Hale Barns Trophy competition on Thursday June 19th was the main event of the Festival. This too was blessed with warm sunshine. The Trophy was contested by five independent primary schools – Altrincham Prep, Forest School, Hale Prep, Pownall Hall and St Ambrose. There were many close and exciting matches, with some outstanding hitting. There was an exciting finale: with two matches to be played, three teams were tied on points: Altrincham Prep and Forest School both won their matches, but it was Forest School that claimed the Hale Barns Trophy and ended five successive victories by Altrincham Prep as a result of scoring the most runs during the competition.
As always, thanks are due to all the voluntary contributors to the success of the Festival. Many have been doing this throughout the history of the Festival. This includes our six umpires who ensured that the games were played in the spirit of cricket, Steve Goron who organised all the paperwork and ensured that the schedules ran smoothly, Cynthia Grinter who planned the match schedules and supplied excellent refreshments for the umpires and organisers, the teachers who have brought teams each year, and John Petch and Ian Scorer who prepared the pitches to the usual high standard.
Finally, we are grateful to our sponsors: Timpsons who continue to provide medallions for winners and runners up, and especially our Club President Mike Gittins and his son’s firm Greenwood Jewellers who have generously covered all other expenses.
I’d like to thank everyone in the club who has supported me in initiating and running the Festival for the last 12 years, and know that it will continue to prosper in years to come in the safe hands of Stuart Collins.