Essex Launch InsureandGo Strike20 Cricket Competition

Essex Launch InsureandGo Strike20 Cricket Competition

Action from the launch day at Chelmsford

©NICK WOOD – www.unshaken-photography.co.uk

Essex Cricket launched the first ever ‘InsureandGo Strike20 Community Cricket Competition’ this summer, which saw a total of 16 teams enter.

Strike20 is similar to Street20 Cricket, which is a 6-a-side version of Cricket, designed for urban areas, using a tennis ball wrapped in electrical tape, which makes the ball behave in the same way as hard-ball cricket ball, but without the sting! So no need to pad up or wear a helmet, it is just easy to pick up a bat and start playing in any environment. The game is fast and funky and is being developed in Essex by the Essex Cricket Development Team thanks to sponsorship by Southend Based Insurance Company InsureandGo, and a Sport England Sports Match grant.

This year’s Essex Cricket ran two InsureandGo Strike20 Community Cricket Competition’s, one at the Essex Cricket, Ford County Ground in Chelmsford, where youngsters took part in the competition during the intervals of CB 40 cricket matches, playing on the out-field, and being watched by thousands of spectators. The other tournament took place at the Colchester Cricket Festival, Lower Castle Park, Colchester, during the intervals of Essex matches. The teams fought it out to be put through to a semi-final, and then through to the grand final, which was under floodlights.

All the teams that took part really enjoyed Strike20, and are keen to get involved in more Street20 activities that are being delivered by Essex Cricket, which are all sponsored by InsureandGo

The winners of the Colchester Festival were the AET Lions, and winners of the Chelmsford Competition were Roding Raiders, and the Daggers. All teams were presented with medals, throphies and a free set of cricket equipment, courtesy of InsureandGo, Essex Cricket players Graham Napier and Maurice Chambers presented the teams with their awards.