12th August 2023
| Matt Thompson
Aberystwyth Cricket Club and University are set to celebrate the 37th year of hosting Cricket Wales junior festivals this August.
Records originally showed 2023 might have been the 30th year, but a dive into the club archives showed that this year's edition will be the 37th of its kind as its welcomes cricketers from across the Cricket Wales pathway to compete in a series of matches.
This summer comes with exciting new additions, with the Cricket Wales regional U10 boys set to convene on 16th - 18th August, following our inaugural Girls only festival which takes place between 13th - 15th August. The rapid growth of the girls game has seen more teams emerge across recreational cricket, and the regional programme as a result. A mixture of U11s and U13s teams across the four regions (North, South, East and West) will play a series of T20 matches across the three days with Aberystwyth University being utilised as the second ground alongside Aberystwyth Cricket Club. The U10 boys will follow a similar format, with both events sponsored by cryptocurrency safety experts CoinCover.
CAPTION: The 2022 U10 boys festival saw a closely contested final between Cricket Wales North (CWN) & Cricket Wales East (CWE) with the East running over vicotrs in the final over.
Given the additional three days of cricket this year, Cricket Wales in partnership with Aberystwyth Cricket Club have invested in a non-turf wicket on its second junior pitch to ensure that the playing surface remains as good as possible across the week.
Festival organiser Sam Painter shared some of his thoughts recently about the festival He said:
"The festival at Aberystwyth is a special event, with a unique feel for our junior cricketers at the start of their cricketing journey in Welsh pathway cricket. The seaside location and beauty of Mid Wales makes the event very memorable for the players, parents and coaches involved. The addition of the Girls' festival this year makes it even more special and adds value to the legacy for current and past players who’ve participated or been involved with the event down the years. We as Cricket Wales are passionate about the promotion of cricket in Mid Wales and the Aberystwyth festival quite rightly remains one of the highlights of the summer calendar."
CAPTION: 2023 will see the Girls hold their very first three day event with U11 & U13s teams invovled. In 2022, the girls fielded two teams in the boys festival. The team pictured comprised of a mixture of South & West girls.
More about CoinCover - sponsors of the 2023 Aberystwyth Festival:
Since its forming in 2018, South Wales based company CoinCover has quickly established itself as one of the world leaders where it comes to setting standards for cryptocurrency where security is concerned. They have worked extensively with the UK Government, businesses listed across the NASDAQ stock exchange, law enforcement and armed forces to develop sector leading solutions within the ever evolving world of digital technology. Last year alone they checked and validated more than $10 billion worth of crypto transactions.
CoinCover remain the front of shirt sponsor for Cricket Wales South for the 2022 & 2023 seasons - https://www.coincover.com/
CAPTION: The coaches of the Aberyswyth Festival in 1993 featuring Aberystwyth CC's very own Robin Varley (middle left).