North London team win the KP24 residential camp tournament
The KP24 residential camp is a project that recently saw 72 under-privileged and marginalised 16-20 year olds from six different areas take part in a fully funded 10-day residential cricket and educational camp at Wellington College.
A North London team were amongst the six teams that took part in the camp and featured eight participants from within Middlesex, from Chance to Shine Street projects in Brent, Hounslow and Tower Hamlets all of which are delivered by Middlesex Cricket. The rest of the side was made up of four players from the Chance to Shine Street programme in Essex.
The team had the privilege to stay at Wellington College for ten days with the purpose of the programme being to up-skill individuals in not only their cricket, but by challenging their lifestyle choices, as well as educating them in key areas of life and providing transferable skills to help them develop resilience, and most importantly allow them an opportunity to see all the various elements that go into the professional world of cricket - these included fitness, cricket skills, coach education, enterprise, nutrition and media insights.
At the end of the camp the teams, including our own North London side, plus sides from South London, East London, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester played a competitive twenty20 tournament over three days.
North London came out on top, winning all their games, and were presented with their winners' trophy by Kevin Peterson, who was present to encourage and motivate the players.
Pete Jones, Middlesex Cricket's Head of Community and Outreach said of the hugely successful programme...
"What an experience for all the players involved.
"When Middlesex were invited by Chance to Shine to enter a team as North London in partnership with Essex, our staff jumped at the chance.
"Its never easy putting a team together that have come from a number of different projects in one County, let alone including players from another County! So to win the competition is a fantastic achievement, especially when you think that the first time the players all met was at the start of the programme on the 17th August.
" The players got to experience the life of a professional cricketer over the 10 days of the course, as well as experiencing a number of other educational opportunities in what was a fantastic venue.
"I hope that being involved in the programme will inspire them to believe that they can achieve anything they put their minds to.
"These players will be going back to their community projects and will become community project champions, inspiring the next set of young players to be the best that they can be and maybe go on to have a similar experience to what they have had.
"Well done to all involved."
