The London Youth Games indoor cricket tournament came to an end over the weekend, with Hounslow boys and Ealing girls taking gold in their relevant competitions.
After four days of Borough qualifiers, with 32 Boroughs taking part throughout the winter, last weekend saw the U13 Boys and Girls come to Finals Day at the University of East London.
Once again there was a team of Young Cricket Officials umpiring alongside experienced ACO umpires. Feedback from all the Boroughs was very positive, with the young umpires being described with words like ‘professional’, ‘role models’ and ‘committed’. The five days has been a great opportunity for young people to umpire in competitive matches, congratulations to you all at the start of your umpiring journey.
The Boys finals took place in the morning, with Harrow and Hounslow as the two Middlesex boroughs to have progressed to Finals Day. They both went through the group stages unbeaten, before facing each other in the semi-final. It was a fantastic game and Hounslow just pipped Harrow to the final which meant Harrow would be in the bronze medal match.
Naturally, Harrow were disappointed to lose out, but managed to pick themselves up and won their game to take third place in London. The final was a great game which went right to the last ball, before some incredible fielding from Hounslow saw them lift the trophy for the first time ever in their history.
Middlesex all-rounder Luke Hollman was there to make the presentations, revealing that he has fond memories of playing in the London Youth Games from when he was younger, representing Islington and winning a bronze medal which he still has.
The afternoon saw the turn of the Girls tournament, with four Boroughs representing Middlesex qualified. Richmond, Haringey, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Ealing had all progressed through their local pools to make it to Finals Day.
This time the draw saw two Middlesex sides in each side of the draw, with some incredible cricket on show. After the group stages, Ealing and Haringey had progressed to meet each other in the final, whilst Hammersmith & Fulham had qualified for the third place play-off.
Congratulations to Hammersmith & Fulham overcame their opponents to claim the bronze medal, and complete a Middlesex top three. The final between Ealing and Haringey was a tight affair and could have gone either way, but with a ball to spare Ealing were victorious and won the gold.
Sunrisers and Middlesex wicketkeeper Amara Carr was there to present the trophy and medals, and was very impressed with the standard of cricket on show. The time that she spent talking to the girls will hopefully inspire them on to the next level of the game as they continue to grow their development.
Thanks to Luke and Amara for giving up their time, well done to all the young officials who officiated throughout the tournament, and congratulations to all the players from the Middlesex boroughs who took part in an exciting day!
