After several weeks of discussion and planning this weekend there will be cricket in the streets of Torrevieja. The local cricket club have liaised with the local ayuntamiento and have been given the all clear to run the event this Saturday, the 7th of July. Four or five of the local Junior teams will take part in this inuagural event that is incorporated in the local councils “Torrevieja – Open Saturdays shopping campaign”. Local councillor Graham Knight sent out the following press release earlier this week.
CRICKET IN THE STREET!!!!
This coming Saturday, 7th July, the “Torrevieja – Open Saturdays” shopping campaign, which coincides with the summer sales, has a unique event which should be of interest to all, especially the British community – cricket in the street!!.
Instead of a typical, English village green and the sound of ‘willow on leather’, the Torrevieja Cricket Club have organised a four-way knock out tournament of specially adapted “STREET CRICKET”. This fast and furious version of the game will see teams from San Fulgencio, San Miguel de Salinas, La Manga and hosts Torrevieja, competing for honours. The game starts at 18.30h and will continue until around 21.00h. The ‘town centre oval’ is situated in the pedestrianised street Calle Concepción.
The run up to the event has seen Torrevieja star Jon Algar and his team mates work tirelessly behind the scene to make the event a success. Algar, last year walked from Madrid to Torrevieja (a total of 470 km) over the space of ten days and nights to raise funds for the clubs Junior section. The town council have provided equipment and helped deal with health and safety issues and the Torrevieja secretary, Graham Shelton has also been drumming up support with numerous forms of publicity and he sent out the following press release earlier this week.
Hello cricketers
You may remember that we are participating in “Cricket in the street” next Saturday 7th July in Torrevieja.
A memo confirming our requirements and the format to the Town hall is below. Jon Alger is organising the day and has been very busy getting teams together etc.
The involvement of the adult players is entirely voluntary, but this is a great opportunity to showcase cricket and hopefully recruit new players of all ages. I would hope that as many of you as possible will turn up to give vocal support to the teams, answer questions from the public and hand out the flyers
Whites should be worn so that we are conspicuous and I will carry my bat and a ball so that people can see what real equipment looks like as the lads will be using Kwik cricket equipment and soft balls
The event is from 18.30-21.00 and if you cannot make the whole event, at least try and show your face
Setting up starts at 17.00
The event takes place on the street that runs directly from the main plaza and church towards the sea. We are at the sea end next to the exhibition centre. Parking is one euro only in the car park at the marina (NOT the port)
Look forward to seeing you there
Over but not out
Graham Shelton
Time Span
18.30-21.00
Format
Round Robin of 4 teams of 5 playing each other in a 10 overs per game format; duration of each game approx 20 minutes, so it is fast and furious
There will be a break at a suitable time for the fire-eater to get his indigestion
Play will then resume until we have 2 finalists. We will then have another break for the entertainer to eat his dessert, immediately followed by the final
Equipment requested from the town council
Public address for the running commentary in Spanish (and English if appropriate) by one of the players
Blackboard, chalk and easel as a scoreboard
Tape to cordon off the area
Suitable protection from the street furniture to prevent players and spectators hurting themselves
We will provide flyers in Spanish and English to hand out to the public plus all of the cricketing equipment necessary
The players
The players will be supplied by the following teams and/or areas and will be aged between 9-16 years old
Torrevieja
San Fulgencio
La Manga
San Miguel (de Salinas)
Some of us older players will be on hand also to chat to the public and maintain discipline with our big bats
We are really looking forward to this!!
GRAHAM SHELTON