Leicestershire Schoolchildren Enjoy Unforgettable Schools Day

Leicestershire CCC welcomed more than 500 schoolchildren as part of the Club’s annual Schools Day event during the opening day of the County Championship fixture against Gloucestershire on Friday.

The day of fun activities was hosted by the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Foundation, opening the young minds of primary school students to the wonders of cricket and sporting values.

Eight schools from across the county got the chance to watch the Foxes in action, as well as partake in the popular ‘Glow in The Dark Cricket’ and ‘Table Cricket’ forms of the game before quizzing several of Leicestershire’s stars on their careers.

Liam Trevaskis, Sol Budinger, Roman Walker, Sophie Bennett, Sam Evans, and Sam Wood were all on hand to field questions on topics spanning their cricketing heroes to their favourite chocolate bars.

There may have been fears that the weather could dampen the mood given the conditions so far this season, but the sun was shining at Grace Road, which also saw Lesta the Lion take home the mascot race trophy for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue during the luncheon interval.

One of the main attractions of the day was the ‘Glow in the Dark Cricket’ event ran in the indoor nets by the Foundation coaches and Leicestershire Women star Aimee Colquhoun, who bowled light up balls for the joyful kids to hit into a crowd of classmates.

The version of hit and run street cricket, combined with UV reactive equipment and bibs that create a glow in the dark effect, proved an absolute hit, with Trevaskis playing his part as makeshift wicketkeeper behind the stumps.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue also attended to teach the kids about fire safety - giving a tour of their mighty engines - while Leicester Tigers Foundation brought further fun with a giant inflatable dart board for the children to throw soft rugby balls at.

Harry Scoble, Interim Schools Development Officer for the Foundation spoke about the importance of the educational aspects of the day.

He said: “We’re always striving for ways to bring cricket and education to our communities, and days like this give kids that extra bit of fun learning they might not get on a day-to-day basis.

“It was very difficult to organise, but it all becomes worth it when you receive such positive feedback from the kids and teachers. They loved picking up a bat and ball, and that’s all we can ask for.”

To find out more about the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Foundation’s work, click HERE.