Andover Cricket Club was the sunny venue for the 2014 Andover and District Girls’ Kwik Cricket Tournament.

Organised and run by Harrow Way Community School in association with Hampshire Cricket, eight girls’ teams enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of bowling, batting and boundaries.

Portway Junior, Kimpton, Balksbury, Hurstbourne Tarrant, Wallop and Shipton Bellinger were joined by two teams from Anton Junior School and each played three games in their pools, with Anton A and Portway winning all their matches.

Every other team won a game each making the final positions in the pools so close that run difference was taken into accoun.

The Plate competition saw Hurstbourne Tarrant meeting Shipton Bellinger in the final and so close was this game that both teams ended up with 229 runs.

However medals were presented to Hurstbourne Tarrant due to the girls taking two more wickets.

In the cup competition went Portway, Anton A, Anton B and Balksbury, with the eventual finalists being Portway and Anton A. An exciting and skilful final saw Portway collect the winners’ medals and both teams were excellent representatives of Andover and District at the Girls’ County Final, played at the Ageas Bowl.

Simon Hammond, Hampshire Cricket, and Rhonda Salmon, Harrow Way Community School primary sports coordinator, congratulated all the teams and the girls were also praised for the progress they had made with their batting, bowling and team play. Simon commented: ‘It is brilliant to see the girls improve so much over the course of one afternoon and want to continue playing when they get back to school, especially since for some of them it was the first time they had played a full game.

‘I hope that all of them take up the offer from Andover Cricket Club to join their girls’ sessions on a Friday evening.”

www.andovercricketclub.co.uk