Our annual SEND Schools County Final took place on Thursday at Wokingham Cricket Club with The Avenue, Addington, Bishopswood and Oak Tree battling it out to be crowned champions for 2026.
The day began with a group stage which saw each school play three fixtures against different opponents. Despite this being the first time many of the students had competed in the tournament, the standard of cricket was extremely high from the off. Every student tried their hardest whilst batting, bowling and fielding and were encouraging of their team and their opponents.
Following the group stage, calculations were made to see who would be playing in the grand final. Meanwhile, students enjoyed some lunch before using their free time to fine tune their skills in the nets ahead of the final round of fixtures.
After an impressive showing from both schools in the group stage, the final would be between The Avenue and Addington to see who would lift the trophy. Batting first, Addington did extremely well to hit 56 runs off their 30 balls. A couple of fantastic catches and a run out meant The Avenue’s target would be 37 off 30. With the game in the balance, The Avenue’s innings didn’t start too well with Addington completing 4 run outs in the first 15 balls. Needing 35 off 10 balls the final pair came to the crease looking to pull off something remarkable. Despite their best bowling efforts, there was nothing Addington could do to prevent The Avenue batters from sending the ball over the boundary each delivery. This sparked wild celebrations amongst The Avenue students who have now managed to complete the three-peat.
A massive thank you to Wokingham Cricket Club for their hospitality throughout the day and for allowing us to host the event at the club for another year. Finally, a huge thank you to all students, support staff and the students themselves for contributing to an amazing and inspiring day.