Cross Border Cricket Blitz

On Thursday 4th December the NICA in partnership with Laureus Sport for Good Project held a cross border schools cricket blitz in the newly opened Bready CC Centre of Excellence.

This day was a culmination of a six week schools programme based in schools in Donegal and Tyrone including Robinson NS, Glenmaquin NS, Raphoe NS in Donegal and Ardstraw, St Annes and Strabane Primary in Tyrone.

Each school received six on site school session delivered by Brian Allen (North West Cricket Development Officer). This programme also aimed to empower the teachers and educate them in ways which they can include cricket into their P.E Curriculum.

This being the first NICA indoor tournament hosted in Bready’s Centre of Excellence saw the hall fill with 16 school teams totalling 120+ school children from Donegal and Tyrone. Each school was given to opportunity to enter an 8 a-side all girls team and a 8 a-side all boys team.

Due to the high numbers in attendance most schools entered more than one of each team, such as St Annes (Strabane) who had 4 all girls’ teams, highlighting the ever-growing popularity of cricket amongst girls in Strabane and Donegal.

This tournament highlighted how a short term initiatives can generate great levels of enthusiasm for sport and have a lasting impression on the youth involved, an encouraging position to boost grass roots development and participation numbers within Tyrone, Donegal and North West Region.

This partnership with the Laurues Sport for Good Project has been a positive step forward in providing grass roots development in bordering areas and with the success of this initiative future festivals are sure to follow.

Cricket being popular in these parts has allowed the sport to provide much more than just sporting experience to the youth involved.

Michael Black, Cross Border Sport Coordinator for Donegal, Derry, and Tyrone said: “The Laurues Sport for Good Project aim to bring schools and young people together through the medium of sport which will give the pupils and young people from different areas, backgrounds, beliefs and religion an opportunity to engage and interact”

The Laureus Sport for Good Project will be exploring ways in which sport can bring people together throughout Donegal, Derry and Tyrone. A busy timetable has already been drawn up for 2009 which will see schools and young people along the border towns benefit from coaching, sporting activities, residentials, school sports programmes and other educational and training opportunities aimed at promoting integration, communication and fun sporting activities.