Kids lift World Cup at City of Sport launch
5 April 2017
Youngsters had the chance to bowl at Gloucestershire captain Gareth Roderick and lift the ICC Women’s World Cup at a special event to mark Bristol’s first year as European City of Sport.
The activity morning at Eastville Park also saw the official opening of one of five new cricket pitches that have recently been installed across the city.
Gloucestershire all-rounder Graeme Van Buuren and Gloucestershire Cricket Board (GCB) coaches John Peplow and Crispin Shingler were also on hand to offer young people the opportunity to try their hand at cricket.
John said: “It was a fantastic morning. The children loved having the chance to meet the professional players and have their photo taken with the World Cup. This summer there are more opportunities than ever for children to play and watch cricket in Bristol so hopefully this event will inspire them to get involved.”
For photos from the day please visit https://www.facebook.com/pg/BristolCityofSport17/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1963737910520658
All of the 80 children who took part in the coaching session received a free ball along with information about the ECB’s new All Stars programme which is aimed at getting five to eight-year-olds into cricket. Participants were also told about the Wicketz Bristol community programme and given details of the eight Women’s World Cup matches that are being staged at Gloucestershire’s Brightside Ground this year (for full details see below).
The day – which was organised by Bristol City Council – also featured a junior fun run around the park and the chance to try a wide range of sports for free including basketball, football, tennis, and rugby.
Gloucestershire Cricket chief executive Will Brown said 2017 provided a unique opportunity to get people in Bristol excited about sport and endorsed the five new artificial wickets installed by the ECB at Eastville, Blaise Castle (2), Dundridge Park and Oldbury Court.
As part of the project the ECB has also funded £9000 of cricket equipment which will be made available to community groups who want to make use of the pitches.
The new facilities can be booked by email at sports.lettings@bristol.gov.uk
Will said: “2017 is set to be a fantastic year for sport in Bristol and provides an opportunity for the city to come together in exciting people about watching, playing and volunteering around sport. Unique events like the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup play a role in showcasing world class sport to local communities but equally important is providing the opportunity for individuals and groups to play sport at a time and place that works for them.
“The new artificial wickets – like the one in Eastville Park – is there for anyone to use whether it’s a knockabout with friends or a more serious planned match. Through initiatives like this and many others across Bristol in its year as a European City of Sport we can really make a difference to the communities that live here.”
The Brightside Ground, Bristol is one of five venues for the ICC Women’s World Cup. For a list of fixtures see below:
New Zealand v Sri Lanka on Saturday 24 June
Sri Lanka v Australia on Thursday 29 June
Australia v New Zealand on Sunday 2 July
England v South Africa on Wednesday 5 July
England v Australia on Sunday 9 July
Australia v India on Wednesday 12 July
England v West Indies on Saturday 15th July
Semi-Final on Tuesday 18 July
For tickets go to https://womensworldcup.tickets.icc-cricket.com/wwc2017-ww/showProductList.html
