On Wednesday 26th August 2026, we travelled to Peterlee Cricket Club, located in County Durham to run a 3-team R66T2 Hardball day, which is a tournament that the R66T Academy created to help encourage hardball cricket within schools.
Peterlee is in an area of high social and economic deprivation, where the club plays a vital role in engaging both young players and adults from the local area. As well as players from their own club, they invited players from 6 other local clubs, and it was incredible to see the young cricketers bonding so well!
The players played in matches using our inclusive R66T 2 Hardball rules and received coaching from R66T and local coaches. Food and refreshments were provided, and there were numerous adult helpers around to support the players. In total, we had 30 cricketers aged 11-14 attend, who all received a free R66T Academy team shirt. It was also outstanding to see the cricket ground create such an enthusiastic environment during the summer holidays.
Nick Gaywood, R66T Academy Project Manager, said, “Peterlee Cricket Club deserves great credit for what they have created here. A family club with men's, women's and junior cricket teams, serving a community that really benefits from its work. You could tell how proud the local players were of the club and how comfortable they felt in their surroundings. A community club from bottom to top!”
The R66T2 Hardball initiative focuses on providing more opportunities for young players to play hardball cricket, by keeping players engaged in the game with dedicated sessions led by our expert coaches.
The R66T Academy looks forward to returning to Peterlee Cricket Club next summer, and we hope to achieve an even bigger and better event!