A special ticket offer and match-day activities organised by the Community Department of Glamorgan County Cricket Club at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy provided school-children from throughout Wales with a fantastic opportunity to see in action some of the world’s finest cricketers.
In all, 4200 youngsters from over 100 schools and colleges from South, West and Mid Wales took advantage of a free ticket offer for two of the group games, whilst 225 others took part in the opening ceremonies at the start of each of the four games held at the Club’s headquarters.
Boys and girls from Herbert Thompson PS, Moorland PS, St Mary Immaculate HS, Albany Road PS, Hawthorn PS, Millbank PS. St. Paul's PS, Rumney PS and St. Monica's PS acted as player mascots when the teams stood for the national anthems, whilst pupils from Cardiff HS, YGG Ystalyfera, Willows HS and Fitzalan HS were flag bearers as the opening ceremony began with the parade onto the playing area of the national flags.
All of these youngsters also watched the games whilst sat in the Family Stand, before getting a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play kwik cricket on the outfield and in front of the thousands of spectators watching the games. 2,396 youngsters were sat in the Grandstand with their teachers and adult supervisors for the group game between New Zealand and Bangladesh whilst 1819 were present for the group game between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the eventual Trophy.
On the lawn at the rear of the Pavilion, staff from the Community Department ran a series of fun activities, whilst there was a sweet shop and other facilities for the youngsters - who will be the cricket players and supporters of the future. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves as evidenced by this selection below of the comments from the teachers who brought them to Cardiff to take part in this global celebration of cricket:
“Our children had a fantastic time, what an experience. That was all they could talk about on the way home. The atmosphere was brilliant and I only wish it was an annual event.”
“An amazing experience for all! They were truly inspired. Many thanks for providing our school with this opportunity!”
“A massive thank you from our pupils and staff who had a thoroughly enjoyable time. What an excellent opportunity for our pupils who receive free school meals and wouldn’t normally be able to afford to attend such an occasion. For many of them, it was their first experience of a live sporting event in a stadium and they were blown away by the atmosphere and entertainment.”
“Our children and teachers had an absolutely wonderful time. The seats we had were fantastic as we were surrounded by the Pakistan drum players and dancers and so the atmosphere was electric. Some of the children also had a go at some of the activities in the Fanzone. The weather was great too so all in all a perfect day.”
“Our pupils really enjoyed the experience – most had never attended a match before. The following day in school, they talked about nothing else. I am sure it will keep them enthusiastic for the game and will inspire them for their upcoming matches. “
“For pupils from a rural, Welsh school to mix with fans from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in such a positive and fun environment the day has opened their eyes to the different cultures that enjoy the game. To see our pupils cheering on both teams was wonderful to see. Please pass on our thanks to everyone involved, including the stewards who gave us a very warm welcome. It was a safe environment to take pupils to, and I hope we can attend other games in the future.”