St. Patrick’s RC Primary School from Grangetown in Cardiff were yesterday (December 7th) the inaugural winners of The Turnbull Trophy held in the National Cricket Centre at the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club in Sophia Gardens.
St. Patrick’s clinched the title after going head-to-head with St. Joseph’s in their last group game, and recording a decisive fourth victory on Finals Day of The Turnbull Trophy, following other successes earlier in the morning against teams of pupils from St. Mary’s and St. Peter’s.
“The Turnbull Trophy is one of our new inter-school indoor cricket tournaments”, explained Dr. Andrew Hignell, the Club’s Heritage and Education Co-ordinator who has overseen the activities by the schools visiting Sophia Gardens and the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket over the course of the past few months.
“It is building on the success of The Riverside Challenge which has involved a cluster of primary schools in the area within walking distance of the Stadium and was won this year by Grangetown Primary School.
“With the lifting of COVID restrictions during 2022, we have looked to expand our portfolio of indoor inter-school competitions, including tournaments with groups of faith schools.
"After discussions with Father Sebastian Jones from the Cardiff Oratory, the Turnbull Trophy came into being with the pupils from a group of primary schools playing in a softball tournament as well as having a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sophia Gardens cricket ground and learning about the wonderful sporting career of Maurice Turnbull, a major figure in the life of Glamorgan Cricket during the 1920s and 1930s, as well as being a significant member of the city’s Roman Catholic community. Before giving his life to King and Country whilst serving with the Welsh Guards in Normandy during 1944.
“Maurice was a multi-talented sportsman and, at a time when the pupils have been closely following the fortunes of the Welsh football team in the FIFA World Cup, the boys and girls participating in the competition have been fascinated to find out how Maurice was able to win international honours in four sports – cricket, rugby, hockey and squash.
"With the support of Father Sebastian and other school leaders, we are looking to expand the tournament in 2023. After the success of this trial event, we look forward to welcoming more primary schools from the Roman Catholic community to Sophia Gardens next year.”
A similar competition, called the St. John’s Cup, has also started in recent weeks for a cluster of Church in Wales Primary Schools, with the support of Rev. Canon Sarah Jones. If you would like further information about these inter-schools competitions or school visits to Glamorgan Cricket, please send an email to museum@glamorgancricket.co.uk