Nearly three hundred and fifty local school children took part in a pairs cricket tournament last week (22nd June) as part of Devon's Chance To Shine cricket project. Year 5 and Year 6 children from eight different primary schools across Exeter took part in the event that was organised by project manager coach Trevor Griffin and hosted by Topsham St James Cricket Club.

The children were split across forty four teams and played a total of one hundred and thirty two pairs matches making it one of the biggest cricket events that Chance to Shine supported by Brit Insurance has ever been involved in.

Speaking about the day, Trevor said, "I organised this competition to celebrate the benefits that competitive cricket can bring and for the children to demonstrate how much they've learned about the game. As coaches, Paul Diamond, Simon Ashplant & I, along with the teachers, work hard throughout the summer term so it's great to bring everyone together to play in a festival like this. I've been coaching and managing Chance to Shine in Exeter for the past three years, so it's great to see the progress the children have made."

Matt Theedom, Devon's Cricket Development Manager, added, "This has to be one of the largest Kwik Cricket Festival ever held for schools! Thanks to the support provided from the Cricket Foundation through the Chance to Shine scheme and the hard work from Trevor, hundreds of children now have the opportunity to enjoy our great game."

Teachers and Young Leaders also took part on the day, helping to score and umpire whilst the matches were taking place. One teacher summed up the day, saying, "seeing so many children playing matches at the same time and having fun playing cricket in the right spirit is what Chance to Shine is all about, it was a terrific occasion."