On a day full of action and keenly-fought games of software cricket in the National Cricket Centre at Sophia Gardens, Grangetown Primary School won the Riverside Challenge Trophy.
Over the course of the past two months, pupils from primary schools in the Riverside, Canton and Grangetown areas of Cardiff have all been taking part in the indoor competition held at the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, with a series of competitions and other activities and talks in the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket specific to pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6.
Ninian Park Primary School won the Year 4 competition whilst Severn Primary and Kitchener won the Year 5 and Year 6 competitions respectively, but it was Grangetown Primary who won Finals Day as Monday, 22 November saw 100 pupils drawn from the best players at each of the schools going head-to-head in the final held in the National Cricket Centre at the Sophia Gardens ground.
After a series of well-contested group games and semi-finals, the final saw a team from Grangetown Primary meet a side from Severn Primary with the former winning the contest. The presentation ceremony which followed the Final saw Mark Wallace, Glamorgan’s Director of Cricket, present the ‘Spirit of Riverside’ Trophy to pupils and staff from Grangetown.
“It’s been a fantastic competition over the course of the past few weeks,” said Andrew Hignell, the Club’s Heritage and Education Co-ordinator, who has overseen the competition.
“Having not been able to stage the Riverside Challenge during 2020 and 2021, it has been great to see the enthusiasm once again from the local children and, once again, it has shown how cricket can bring communities together. Our congratulations to the winning side from Grangetown Primary School, as well as all of the pupils who took part in the competition, and we look forward to welcoming the schools back to Sophia Gardens on match-days next summer.”