District under 9s Festivals kick off in Devon!

The inaugural Devon District under 9s festivals are underway with two successful events taking place in the North and the West.

The first festival was held in North Devon at Bideford CC on a scorching day which was sure to test the young players. For many of them it was their first experience of hard ball cricket in a competitive environment.

The East were drawn against the North, with the South taking on the West in two matches of 20 overs per side where each member of the fielding side must bowl at least one over. The quality on show from the cream of each district was plain to see and it was a great credit to the coaches and managers who have developed their youngsters over the winter and spring.

After 6 hours of blazing sunshine it was the East who pipped the West in the final, and an entertaining game played out between the North and South for third place was won by the South.

Andy Davies, North Devon co-ordinator was delighted with the festival: “The cricket on display today was fantastic and every single one of the players has played with a smile on their face. The spirit amongst all of the teams has been excellent and the standard has been set for the rest of the summer programme. Thanks to Bideford CC for hosting a great day.”

The second festival, held at Yelverton CC in West Devon , was played despite heavy rain the previous day. A huge pat on the back must go to the club members of Yelverton for organising a great day and preparing an excellent surface given the conditions.

The South narrowly pipped the East in their first encounter, with the North just coming second best to the West. The standard had improved immensely since the first week, with the bowling and fielding in particular showing the young players were learning incredibly quickly.

In a tense finale the West overcame the South by just 5 runs on the last ball of the game - it was an excellent advert for youth cricket in Devon . The East battled back strongly after their semi final defeat to beat the North. Ben Ayres, South District Coach was particularly impressed with the improving standard “The quality on show never ceases to amaze me, many of these young players have only just begun to pick up a bat and ball and are already showing ability beyond their years. Whilst the games are very competitive it also great to see young players from each of the districts showing great sportsmanship with their opposing teams.”

All sides now move onto East Devon where a festival will be held on Sunday 5 th July at Countess Wear CC to complete the third stage of the series.