Pupils from Parkinson Lane Primary School in Halifax have been crowned the 2017 Drax Cup Champions.
The team lifted the trophy in the finals of the biggest under 9s cricket competition in the country after beating Driffield Junior School 150-141 at Headingley.
They were among four regional winners competing for the Drax Cup at the world famous ground in Leeds watched by their families, fellow pupils and teachers.
In the semi-finals Parkinson Lane, who made it to the finals for the first time this year, won a close game against Greenhill Primary from Sheffield, cup holders in 2015 and playing at Headingley for the third year in succession, by four runs (149-145). Driffield overcame Acklam Whin Primary from Middlesbrough 187-165.
Losing in the final meant continued heartbreak for Driffield, who have now finished runners-up three times having appeared at Headingley five times since 2012.
The Drax Cup and medals were presented on the pitch by Yorkshire all-rounder Will Rhodes, an ambassador for the competition. The teams and supporters then settled down to watch their cricketing heroes play in the Yorkshire Vikings v Nottinghamshire Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast.
Andy Koss, Drax Power CEO, said: “This was the eleventh year of the Drax Cup and we are delighted that once again thousands of children across the region have been able to enjoy the thrill of competitive cricket.
“With Yorkshire’s Joe Root leading England to victory in his first Test as captain and Katherine Brunt bowling brilliantly in the Women’s Cricket World Cup, perhaps some of the players this year will follow in their footsteps!”
The Drax Cup is sponsored by Drax and organised by The Yorkshire County Cricket Club in conjunction with The Yorkshire Cricket Board, The Yorkshire Cricket Foundation and The Yorkshire Schools’ Cricket Association. It is open to primary schools throughout Yorkshire and Teesside.
The competition began after the Easter holidays and ran throughout the summer term with a series of festival and school partnership events and area finals. Established in 2007, participation has increased year on year with 650 schools taking part in 2017.
Editor’s notes
- The Drax Cup is open to schools from across Yorkshire and Teesside, and is played by Years 3/4 (ages 7-9). The competition aims to introduce children to cricket in a fun way and each team must contain a minimum of two girls.
- 2017 finalists: Acklam Whin Primary, Middlesbrough (north area), Parkinson Lane Primary, Halifax (west area), Driffield Junior School, Driffield (east area) and Greenhill Primary, Sheffield (south area).
- Drax Cup ambassadors have included England fast bowler Katherine Brunt, former Yorkshire Captain and now First VI team coach Andrew Gale, Yorkshire and former England fast-bowler Ryan Sidebottom and Yorkshire all-rounder and former under 21s England captain, Will Rhodes
- Under 9s cricket is played with a softball and uses Kwik Cricket Equipment bats and stumps. It is an 8-a-side pairs game with each innings of 16 overs played on a wicket 17 yards long and the boundary set at a maximum 25 yards.
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Jess Gorton
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