Children learn by observation and imitation. This was one of the main reasons for offering all Juniors and All Stars at Falkland the opportunity to experience first-class cricket at The Ageas Bowl last Sunday.

Having just been one of the fantastic venues at the recent ICC Cricket World Cup, The Ageas Bowl was buzzing with atmosphere. 29 Juniors boarded a bus from Falkland CC (with lucky parents) to see Hampshire take on Kent in the T20 Blast. And what a match!!

Within touching distance of the players and the hallowed turf, the Juniors were treated to displays of fine cricket skills and athletic prowess aplenty from both sides. Steepling catches taken on the boundary ropes, huge diving slides to stop fours, cracking shots and fearsome bowling - all contributed to brilliant fun and a real learning experience. The match result? Well, for most of the boys, it didn't quite go the right way. Needing 16 off the last over, Kent ran well between the creases and then bashed out two enormous 6s to win with one ball remaining. Not to worry though as lots of the Juniors took the opportunity to meet the Hampshire heroes after the game and get signatures on anything that was to hand.

A collection of images from the day can be seen in the vids and pics part of this website.

Thanks to Mr Shah, the coach driver, for being a great sport on the day, and to our friends at Hampshire Cricket and The Berkshire Cricket Foundation for helping us to have access to tickets at fantastic prices. Falkland will be back to The Ageas Bowl again next year, for sure!!