Memorial cricket festival promotes sportmanship
The Inaugural Matthew Prior Cricket Festival is an annual event hosted by Uplands Prep in memory of Matthew John Prior, who sadly passed away while opening the batting for the school's 1st XI in Lydenburg on September 16, 2010.
In celebration of his life and the spirit in which Matthew played the game, it is hosted to reinforce passion for the game, the spirit and sportsmanship with which it should be played, and the bond it creates between teammates and opponents.
In the Lowveld, primary school cricket is limited to a short term, usually the third and this creates a heightened sense of importance to win rather than to develop the players and enjoy the great game. The event allows boys to play against several schools from around the country and will most certainly continue to grow in stature and support.
This year’s festival was played between Uplands Prep, St David’s (Johannesburg),
St Dunstan’s (Johannesburg) and Penryn Prep. It included both u/11 and u/13 teams. Friday was a 30-overs match, Saturday a 50- overs and Sunday ended with a 20/20 match.
The players thoroughly enjoyed their time on the field and played competitively.
Some standout individual performances from local sides were:
Uplands Prep
• Nic Brotherton – 81 runs vs St Dunstan’s
• Dean van Zyl – 63 runs vs St David’s
• Dylan Howe-Dreyer – 83 runs vs
St Dunstan’s
• Beon Pienaar – 52 runs vs St David’s.
Penryn Prep
• Callen Stephen – 48 runs vs St Dunstan’s
• Ryan Hood – 56 runs
• Jason Taylor – 58 runs.
