Leicestershire contribute to record-breaking summer of cricket

The sound of children having fun with a cricket bat and ball in their hands has echoed around the Uptonsteel County Ground for the first time in more than a year, during what has been a record-breaking summer for recreational cricket.

The final Leicestershire County Cricket Club Summer Camps were hosted at the home of the Running Foxes, with over 80 attending children across the two days, engaging in fun and interactive cricket skills and games.

This comes on the same day where the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced that this summer has been a record-breaking summer of cricket with over 100,000 kids having played All Stars and Dynamos cricket.

The Leicestershire CCC in the Community team who regularly run these schemes across the county have contributed to this huge milestone, whilst actively running sessions in schools and clubs.

The Summer Camps have proved hugely popular with various camps having taken place throughout July and August, following an extensive break from recreational cricket due to the pandemic.

The kids also were the first to experience The Batting Lab's simulator which has recently been installed at the Uptonsteel County Ground. The simulator provides a truly unique batting experience for cricketers to face both pace and spin with a player projected onto a screen to give a life-like training experience.

Indoor Centre Programmes Officer, Stephen Franklin said: “To have kids at the Uptonsteel County Ground playing cricket again is fantastic for driving engagement with the game, and to inspire the next generation of cricketers.

“It’s so welcoming to be able to provide these opportunities again after a long time out and to also give the kids a little taster of the new batting simulator at the ground as well.”

To further increase the interest and engagement with younger age groups throughout the local cricketing community, Leicestershire CCC have made the first day of their LV= County Championship clash against Kent CCC - on Monday, April 30 - their Family Fun Day, with tickets available for everybody, free of charge.

There will be a wide range of activities available for you to take part in, including a rock climbing wall and the newly installed cricket simulator. To spend your bank holiday Monday with the Running Foxes at the Uptonsteel County Ground, click HERE to secure your free tickets.