7 SEND Schools arrived at Wokingham Cricket Club on Thursday 26th June hoping to become Berkshire Cricket’s Disability Schools champions for 2025.
On a warm but slightly windy day, the tournament saw 2 groups of 4 teams playing a round robin group stage in the morning. There were plenty of 4’s and 6’s being hit and some excellent catching on display throughout the morning. In Group A, Addington School won all their group games whilst in Group B last year’s winners The Avenue also posted a perfect record of 3 wins from 3.
In the second phase of the competition, Addington School faced off against Oak Tree School on Pitch 1 and The Avenue and Mary Hare battled it out on Pitch 2 for a spot in the final. Both games were incredibly close with all players giving it their all. With both games still in the balance going into the final 10 balls, it was eventually The Avenue and Oak Tree that got over the line to set up this year’s final.
Batting first, Oak Tree started strongly hitting numerous boundaries and running well between the wickets to set The Avenue a winning total of 41 off 30 balls. Looking to defend their title, The Avenue lost early wickets, making their task even harder. Going into the final 10 balls they still required 30 runs to win as the final pair arrived at the crease. Both batters swung hard, and 3 early sixes meant they required 10 off 2 balls. In incredible fashion, The Avenue batter held his nerve to hit 2 enormous 6’s to win a pulsating final for his team. This sparked wild scenes amongst his classmates who ran onto the field to celebrate their triumph.
A massive well done to all the participants that took part and for helping to contribute to such an amazing day of cricket. Emily Craggs, teacher at The Castle Post 16 said “Our students loved it and are so proud of their medals! I thought that all your umpires were fab. They were great with the students. They explained things well and spoke to them beautifully.”
With more and more schools engaging in our SEND Schools programme, Berkshire Cricket is already excited for the 2026 tournament. A massive thank you must also go to Wokingham Cricket Club for being such wonderful hosts on the day.