By Michael Eden
Hampshire Cricket Board recently hosted an annual cricket festival, designed to bring young people from the county into the game.
On Monday, August 4, it welcomed 141 youngsters from across its urban programmes in the area for a day of cricket-based games.
These programmes are Lord’s Taverners Wicketz, based in Southampton, Chance to Shine Street, that is based in both Basingstoke and Portsmouth, and the MCC Foundation programme that runs in Southampton and Basingstoke.
Street and Wicketz are based deep in the communities of Hampshire, helping give children access to equipment and a fun, and affordable entry into the game.
The MCC Foundation is a programme that allows state school children a bridge between school and clubs to help them develop into possible club and county cricketers.
The event, held at Wellington Sports Centre in Eastleigh, is designed to celebrate the outstanding individuals, clubs and organisations who power recreational cricket across the country.
The festival featured four separate competitions for all cricketing abilities: Senior Hardball, Development Hardball, Tapeball, and Softball.
Hampshire men’s team bowlers Kyle Abbott and Keith Barker, along with Hampshire women’s all-rounder Daisy Mullan, were in attendance during the day to engage with participants.
Partner organisations Sport in Mind, Solent Mind, Pompey in the Community, and Chase Cricket, were also on hand during the festival to deliver life-skill workshops, fun activities, and specialist advice during the sessions.
Danielle Ransley, Wicketz Development Officer, said that the festival is a great way of helping kids engage in a game that they wouldn’t necessarily normally have the opportunity to.
She said: “Hawks Fest is all about bringing young people together through cricket, no matter their background or experience.
“This is our third year, and each year we have tried to make it bigger and better.
“We are getting not only kids that were here in the first year that keep returning, but also word of mouth has helped us get some new faces joining us every year which is great for the festival.
“The energy, resilience and determination we saw, even in the rain, is a testament to the positive impact sport can have on individuals and communities. It’s just great to see them out there enjoying the game.”
Danielle added that Hawks Fest has helped to showcase the work that these programmes do and increase the interest in cricket from children and young people across Hampshire.
She said: “We had 141 youngsters at the event this year, up from 120 in 2024, and 115 in 2023, across a range of ages and abilities. Hawks Fest does a great job in showing a progression pathway for the young people involved.
“For instance, if a youngster starts with the softball or tapeball cricket and then decides that they want to develop their cricket skills, then they can try the hard ball sessions and work their way through the different aspects of the programmes.
“Some of the kids who started out playing softball and tapeball when we started this are now out playing men’s club cricket. There is that progression there for them.”
Danielle is hopeful that Hawks Fest can continue to grow and provide cricket opportunities for as many young people in Hampshire as possible, alongside other events.
During March half-term, the Hampshire Cricket Board also hosted its annual 'Wicketz in the Dark' event (glow in the dark cricket). Southampton Wicketz ran four sessions across two days reaching 105 young people, including a record high of 44 in the girls only session.
March also saw the Wicketz programme celebrating its diversity and strong community connections by hosting an Iftar, the fast-breaking meal during the month of Ramadan.
This presented an opportunity to engage with the local Muslim community in the area, many of whom are already connected to the programme.
Danielle said: “We are always looking to grow to cater for as many different communities across Hampshire.
“We are always hosting tournaments during the school term and in the holidays, but we are always hoping to develop this and all our events further if we are able to.
“We’re excited to continue growing Hawks Fest in the future and making it an even bigger and better celebration of cricket for everyone.”