"A brilliant day" - Pride in Cricket festival report

On Sunday 17^th August four teams gathered at Court Hey Park for the Pride in Cricket festival.

This was a cricket festival like no other. It had three main purposes: to celebrate diversity and inclusion, to give disabled people an opportunity to play cricket and to encourage playing the game for the game’s sake.

With the emphasis on inclusion and participation, it was important that the games were friendless rather than part of a tournament. That said, some of the matches were very closely fought and there Each team played three 8 a-side softball games throughout the day. These were short games – just eight overs per side with pairs batting for two overs each – which we hoped would encourage some bish-bash-bosh. We weren’t disappointed!

The teams taking part were Old Xaverians, Whitefield, Mersey Rose and Lord Rockingham’s XI. Lord Rockingham’s XI was made up of Mersey Rose players Andi Page and Aaron McKenna, plus a number of players from a local disability charity.

Whitefield’s team was a real mix of ability and included the club professional, 1^st and 2^nd team players, juniors and some parents who had not previously played much cricket. it was great to see the club professional being part of – and seemingly enjoy – an event like this.

Game 1:  Lord Rockingham’x XI v Old Xaverians

Lord Rockingham’s XI 61/1 (Net score 256)

Old Xaverians 69/4 (Net score 249)

Lord Rockingham’s XI won by 7 runs

In a very close contest Lord Rockingham’s XI came out on top – just! – thanks to taking more wickets. There were two for Amelia Short and one apiece for Andi Page and Aaron McKenna. Everyone playing made positive contributions for their respective teams and this was a great opening game.

Game 2: Whitefield v Mersey Rose

Whitefield 53/4 (Net Score 233)

Mersey Rose 48/3 (Net score 233)

Match tied

Mersey Rose got off to a great start in the field, with Martin Snape taking a wicket with the first ball of the game. They  took three further wickets including a truly sensational run out from Heidi Page, who made a direct hit from midwicket. Whitefield rallied, however – taking the score to 53 for 4 from their eight overs.

Mersey Rose put themselves in a strong position with some purposeful batting from Gail Rose, Martin Snape and Amelia Short. In the final over, Rose moved ahead of the target net score. Unfortunately they lost a wicket and, with one ball to spare, were two runs behind the target. A single from the final ball would tie, two or more would win, while a dot ball or a wicket would give Whitefield the victory. Ian Mosquito found a gap in the field and ran one, resulting in a tie.

Game 3: Mersey Rose v Lord Rockingham's XI Mersey Rose 57/1 (Net score 252) Lord Rockingham's XI 56/2 (Net score 246) Mersey Rose won by 6 runs Another close game that could easily have gone either way. Some uncharacteristically aggressive batting from Anna Page was joyous to watch, while Steve Fowle and Gail Rose both hit a couple of boundaries each en route to posting a total of 57 for 1. Lord Rockingham’s XI worked hard to chase down the target but were pegged back by wickets from Anna Page and Gail Rose. The wickets proved the difference in the final analysis, with Mersey Rose winning by 6 runs. Game 4: Whitefield v Old Xaverians Whitefield 68/1 (Net score 263) Old Xaverians 50/3 (Net score 235) Whitefield won by 18 runs Whitefield batted first and made a positive start with Dan Barrowcliffe and Joey Harrison making an opening stand on 19. Old Xaverians bowled well (especially Carla) but couldn’t find a wicket until a run-out in the sixth over. The last pair of Cronje van Greunen (11) and Tyler Blackhall (14) took the score to an impressive 68 for 1 – Tyler was particularly impressive hitting a huge six into the hedge.

Some good running between the wickets from the Old Xavs’ team kept them in contention but the final pair of Hesh and Helen lost two wickets (a run out and a great wicket for Felicity) and despite their best efforts it was Whitefield who ran out winners. Game 5: Old Xaverians  v Mersey Rose Mersey Rose 57/4 (Net score 237) Old Xaverians 75/1 (Net score 270) Old Xaverians won by 33 runs The game with Old Xaverians was Mersey Rose's designated Her Game Too fixture for 2025. Mersey Rose batted well but were unfortunate to lose four wickets. Gail Rose continued to show her attacking instincts while Amelia Short managed to lose the ball with a spectacular six. The total of 57 for 4 wasn’t enough against an inspired Old Xaverians team who played some of the best cricket of the afternoon in racing to 75 for 1 from their eight overs.

Game 6: Lord Rockingham’s XI v Whitefield Lord Rockingham’s XI 53/4 (Net score 233) Whitefield 105/2 (Net score 295) Whitefield won by 62 runs Lord Rockingham’s steadily built their innings with some help from Charlie Nelson who hit a couple of sixes. Everyone scored runs and it was especially good to see some of the new players already playing some sensible shots on the way to posting a total of 53 for 4. In their response Whitefield were determined to show what they were capable of and, although John picked up his first ever wicket, there was never any doubt about the outcome. Every team won at least one game and there were some very close matches. It was a great advertisement for inclusion and for friendly cricket. The event inspired some people to play cricket for the first time – and in some cases the first time in many years – and we hope that they will want to play again in the future. The festival underlined the importance of collaboration with local organisations to support disability inclusion and the value of being intentionally welcoming. As one player said, "it was a brilliant day".

From a Mersey Rose perspective, there were several good performances. Heidi Page’s run-out was the outstanding moment of the afternoon, but it was also pleasing to see Gail Rose and Steve Fowle make impressive contributions with the bat. Clare Payne also made a promising debut.

We are grateful to the Googly Fund for supporting this event and to Whitefield CC for their help in making it a reality. Special thanks go to Zak Harrison and Xanthe Page who ran the raffle and helped raise over £200 for Mersey Rose. Thanks also to Joey Harrison for umpiring and Connor from Sahir for attending the event. Images of the day's action can be found below.