IAPS Cricket Report 2019
IAPS organises an U13 boys cricket tournament annually and more recently has started to offer U11 girls and boys cricket festivals.
The U13 tournament is a popular event, last year over 40 teams entered. Teams play local matches in the first, second and third rounds. The winners keep progressing until there are only 4 teams left. The top 4 teams are invited to the national finals. The finals were held at Hall Grove school who have been fantastic hosts for many years. Due to the great British weather, the event was almost sabotaged when one of the pitches was so flooded in the morning, it was unplayable. But thankfully a local club to Hall Grove school came to the rescue and allowed us to play 2 matches there in the morning and afternoon!
The semi’s are played in the morning before breaking for lunch. Hall Grove put on a fantastic BBQ for all parents, staff and boys for lunch before the boys roll out onto the pitches for the finals and 3/4th match.
The finals got underway and were a great spectacle for all. Many parents brought down their picnic chairs to support the boys.
These were the results from the day
1st St Olave’s
2nd Millfield Prep
3rd St Andrew’s Prep
4th St Paul’s Prep
IAPS launched the U11 girls’ cricket festivals in 2017 and the boys’ festivals in 2018 and since then, they have dramatically increased in popularity every year. In 2017, 28 schools entered a girls’ cricket festival, in 2018, 61 schools entered and in 2019, 81 schools entered a festival! In 2018 the boys’ cricket festivals were launched and 43 schools entered a festival and in 2019 this shot up to 97 schools! Last year there were 8 U11 girls’ cricket festivals that took place across the country and 7 U11 boys’ festivals.
Festivals have a very different feel to tournaments. They are more relaxed. The focus is on participation and improving your skills, rather than just being in it to win it. Our festivals are typically smaller events allowing every team to play everyone throughout the day. This means that schools get a huge amount of play and every team is involved right until the end of the day. Instead of presenting medals to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed teams, everyone receives a participation medal. All of the boys events were hardball last year and the girls were a mix of hard and softball to cater for different abilities.
We really like the atmosphere at festivals and it is even better if the sun shines! Schools break at lunch to enjoy their picnic between play on the outfields. Teams are often in good spirits and give it their all throughout the day. At some events, skills and drills were set up for schools to practice whilst they weren’t playing.
Next summer IAPS will be organising even more festivals for schools to take part in.