Young cricketers had a Chance to Shine in a special festival at Stevenage CC. It was organised by Steve Green (the school sports co-ordinator for Barclay) last Thursday and was supported by Stevenage CC coaching staff Trevor Davies and Gareth Berg and als

Young cricketers had a Chance to Shine in a special festival at Stevenage CC.

It was organised by Steve Green (the school sports co-ordinator for Barclay) last Thursday and was supported by Stevenage CC coaching staff Trevor Davies and Gareth Berg and also senior cricket leaders from the Barclay, Thomas Alleyne and Heathcote schools.

The Chance to Shine cricket initiative is a scheme funded by the ECB which gives state schools an opportunity to increase their participation in the game.

Berg, the Stevenage all-rounder and the club's development coach, has spent 20 hours a week along with a group of qualified leaders, coaching the basics of the game.

Schools to benefit are Barclay, Thomas Alleyne, Woolenwick, Fairlands, Trotts Hill and Almond Hill.

All the primary schools turned up to the festival with two Year Five teams with an equal number of boys and girls.

All teams played three matches throughout the afternoon and all players had to bat and bowl in each.

Mayor Simon Speller and the Stevenage sports development officer Matt Warren turned up to watch the proceedings.

The winning school was Almond Hill which tied with Fairlands but scored more runs during the day.

Most valuable player awards went to Josh McNeil (Woolenwick), Jodie Shackell (Fairlands), Harry Cooper-Tully (Trotts Hill) and Leyla Hoyle (Almond Hill).

* The sun shone for this year's annual primary schools' athletics festival at Ridlins

More than 20 schools attended to make it the biggest festival yet.

The children ran, jumped and threw their way through the events of the day, with help from the young leaders from Nobel, Marriotts, Heathcote and Barnwell.

The overall winning school was Codicote with 70 points, followed by Lodge Farm in second (62 points) and Martinswood in third (52 points).

The mayor presented the medals - complete with his mayoral tracksuit! - along with local football sensation Ashley Young who plays for Watford.

At the end of the event, there was a special relay race for primary link teachers, young leaders and school sports co-ordinators. The mayor also took part, running the first leg for the sports development team.

* Six of the best took part in the first Primary Schools' Gymnastics Festival at Marriotts Sports College in Stevenage.

Selected children, who have been doing gymnastics at lunchtime or at after school clubs, were invited to represent their school in the festival.

Three schools were presented with medals with Martinswood victorious, The Leys runners-up and Mossbury in third.

Longmeadow, Lodge Farm and Fairlands were the other schools involved.

The individual results saw Boresa Kotomah from Martinswood come first, Chloe Buchanan from Mossbury finish second and Katie Lucas from Martinswood third.

The festival is intended to be an annual event held on the first Thursday after the Whitsun holiday.

It was organised by the community gymnastics coach Tracey Royle, who has been appointed to improve and help schools in teaching gymnastics in Stevenage and Knebworth.

* World freestyle football champion John Farnworth wowed the primary schoolchildren from Stevenage in a recent Brazilian Soccer Schools session at Shephall Leisure Centre.

He displayed skills that he had used to become champion and showed them how to play the Brazilian way.

The children, with support from junior football leaders from Barnwell School, then had a chance to be taught some of the moves by qualified coaches from the Brazilian Soccer Schools.

The idea of playing the Brazilian way is to encourage more skill among young players.

More sessions are being held at Shephall Leisure Centre on the next few Wednesdays (4-5pm), costing £1.50 per session.

It is hoped that this will be a regular part of the partnership programme from September.