Tower Hamlets Hawks celebrate their win
The first-ever Mayor’s Cricket Cup competition has come to an exciting end, with trophies presented in five categories.
The cricket festival which took place at Victoria Park, was played over the last two weekends in September.
The inaugural competition focused on under 11s to adults, including women and girls, bringing players of all ages, genders, and ethnic backgrounds together to celebrate recent council investments in cricket facilities across the borough.
There were over 40 matches played over three days on the three non-turf pitches at Victoria Park.
More than 220 players including 52 girls and women took part in the competition this year.
Winners of the inaugural Mayor’s Cricket Cup competition 2024 were:
Tower Hamlets Tigers - Under 11s; Tower Hamlets Lions - Under 13s; Tower Hamlets Hawks - Under 16s; Tower Hamlets Hawks – Women; and Tower Hamlets Titans - Men
The inaugural competition is a result of the council working very closely with the England & Wales Cricket Board, Middlesex Cricket, and local partners to create the first grass cricket pitch in Tower Hamlets for over 30 years.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “It has been great to see the success of the first ever Mayor’s Cricket Cup. The new grass cricket pitch at Victoria Park will now provide opportunities to play at the highest standard. Players can only develop and improve their game on a natural turf pitch, and without this facility, cricketers have missed out on reaching elite levels over the past three decades.”
The council has also been working in partnership with the London Cricket Trust to invest in additional non-turf pitches at Millwall Park, alongside cricket net practice facilities planned for Stepney Green and Millwall parks.
Cllr Kamrul Hussain, Cabinet Member for Culture and Recreation, said: “I would like to thank our delivery partners’ Capital Kids Cricket, and the VPCCL for supporting council officers in running our inaugural competition.”
In September, Tower Hamlets Council and Victoria Park won the Activation of the Year Award at the London Cricket Trust Awards 2024.
Posted on Wednesday 2nd October 2024