Bunbury Festival (cricket)

Last updated

The Bunbury Festival, formally known as the ECB David English Bunbury Festival, is an annual cricket tournament for the best under-15 boys players in England.

History

The tournament was founded as a successor to the England Schools Under-15s Festival. Without funds and facing cancellation, David English, a former manager of the Bee Gees and Eric Clapton, was asked to finance the tournament and agreed to on the condition he could name the tournament after his Bunbury Tales children's books. [1] [2] [3]

The festival was first held in 1987, remaining under the management of the English Schools Cricket Association. The England and Wales Cricket Board took over the running of the tournament in 2018, renaming the festival to include the name of its founder. The event also became the first stage in the ECB's Player Pathway to the England cricket team. [3] [4]

The current format sees 56 players divided into four squads based on their county of origin: London & East, South & West, Midlands and North. The squads compete in 50-over and Twenty20 competitions. [4]

As of 2018, 91 of the cricketers who have played at the tournament have gone on to play for England, including national team captains Michael Vaughan, Andrew Flintoff and Joe Root, while 10 of 11 England players in 2019 Cricket World Cup final played at the event. [3] [4] England football internationals Joe Hart and Phil Neville have also played at the festival. [2] [5]

The tournament was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]

Related Research Articles

England and Wales Cricket Board England cricket governing body

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was formed on 1 January 1997 as a single governing body to combine the roles formerly fulfilled by the Test and County Cricket Board, the National Cricket Association and the Cricket Council. In April 1998 the Women's Cricket Association was integrated into the organisation. The ECB's head offices are at Lord's Cricket Ground in north-west London.

Katherine Brunt England cricketer

Katherine Helen Brunt is an English cricketer who currently plays for Yorkshire, Northern Diamonds, Trent Rockets and England. She plays as a right-arm fast bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She has won two World Cups and one T20 World Cup with England, and has been named England women's Cricketer of the Year four times.

England under-19 cricket team National cricket team

The England Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 Test matches since 1974. Prior to 1991/92 they were known as England Young Cricketers.

Anya Shrubsole England cricketer

Anya Shrubsole is an English cricketer who currently plays for Berkshire, Southern Vipers and the Southern Brave. She played for England between 2008 and 2022, and has previously played domestic cricket for Somerset, Western Storm and Perth Scorchers. She plays as a right-arm medium pace bowler and right-handed lower-order batter. She made her England debut in 2008, and was Player of the Match in the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup Final. In 2018, she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. In April 2022, Shrubsole announced her retirement from international cricket.

Danni Wyatt English cricketer

Danielle Nicole Wyatt is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers, Southern Brave and England. She plays as an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling right-arm off break. She made her England debut against India in Mumbai on 1 March 2010.

Heather Knight (cricketer) England cricketer

Heather Clare Knight is an English cricketer who is captain of the England women's cricket team. She is a right-handed batter and right arm off spin bowler. Knight played in her 100th Women's One Day International match for England in December 2019.

Lewis Gregory English cricketer

Lewis Gregory is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset County Cricket Club. A right-handed batsman and right-arm seam bowler, Gregory made his senior cricket debut in 2010, representing Somerset against the touring Pakistanis. He made his international debut for the England cricket team in November 2019.

Lauren Winfield-Hill English cricketer

Lauren Winfield-Hill is an English cricketer who currently plays for Yorkshire, Northern Diamonds and England. She plays as a right-handed batter and occasional wicket-keeper. She made her international debut in 2013, and was part of the England team that won the 2017 World Cup. She has previously played for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash.

Nat Sciver English cricketer

Natalie Ruth Sciver is an English cricketer. She was the first cricketer for England to take a hat-trick in a Women's Twenty20 International match. The "Natmeg" shot is named after Sciver, from when she has hit a cricket ball through her legs during a game.

Liam Stephen Livingstone is an English cricketer who plays for Lancashire and the England cricket team. Livingstone is a right-handed opening batsman and occasional spin bowler, capable of bowling both right-arm leg and off spin. He made his Twenty20 debut for Lancashire against Leicestershire in May 2015. He was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the ECB's inaugural The Hundred competition.

Sophie Ecclestone England cricketer

Sophie Ecclestone is an English cricketer who plays for the England women's cricket team and Manchester Originals. In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the Emerging Player of the Year. At the end of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in March 2020, she became the world's number one bowler in Women's Twenty20 International (WT20I) cricket. In July 2021, Ecclestone was named the ICC Women's Player of the Month for June 2021.

Jofra Archer English cricketer

Jofra Chioke Archer is a Barbadian-born English cricketer representing England and Sussex. He is a right-arm fast bowler. In April 2019, Archer was selected to play for the England team in limited overs fixtures against Ireland and Pakistan. He made his international debut for England in May 2019, and was part of the England squad that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He then made his Test debut later that summer, against Australia in the 2019 Ashes series. In April 2020, Archer was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

The Hundred is a professional franchise 100-ball cricket tournament involving eight men's and eight women's teams located in major cities across England and Wales. The tournament is run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and took place for the first time in July and August 2021.

Jordan Matthew Cox is an English professional cricketer. He signed his first professional contract with Kent County Cricket Club in October 2018, having joined the county club at age 10, played for them at age-group levels and been a member of the club's academy programme, winning the John Aitken Gray award as the best academy scholar in 2018.

The West Indies cricket team toured England to play three Test matches. The team were originally scheduled to tour the country in May and June 2020. However, the series was initially postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cricket West Indies stated that they would do everything they can to help accommodate the fixtures, including moving the fixtures back or even hosting them in the West Indies. A revised tour schedule, with the first Test starting in July, was proposed at the end of May 2020. The fixtures were confirmed the following month, with the matches all played behind closed doors. The Test series formed part of the inaugural 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship.

Georgia Louise Adams is an English cricketer who is the captain of Sussex and Southern Vipers. Adams has previously played for Loughborough Lightning in the Women's Cricket Super League and Oval Invincibles in The Hundred. Adams is an opening batter.

The 2020 Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was the first edition of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, an English women's cricket domestic competition, which took place between 29 August and 27 September 2020. It featured eight teams in two groups, and had a final. The tournament was named after former England captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint, Baroness Heyhoe-Flint, who died in 2017.

The England cricket team toured Sri Lanka in January 2021 to play two Test matches. The Test series formed part of the inaugural 2019–2021 ICC World Test Championship. Originally, the tour was scheduled to take place in March 2020, but the series was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2020, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the dates for the tour, with both Test matches played in Galle.

The India cricket team toured England in August and September 2021 to play five Test matches. Prior to their matches against England, India played New Zealand in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final at the Rose Bowl in Southampton in June 2021. The Test series were the first matches of the 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship.

Katie Ann Levick is an English cricketer who has played for Yorkshire, Yorkshire Diamonds, Northern Diamonds and Northern Superchargers. She is a leg spin bowler, and is the leading wicket taker in Women's County Championship cricket.

References

  1. "Bunbury Festival 2016". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Bunbury Festival 2017". Sky Sports. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bunbury Festival cancelled due to impact of Covid-19". Cricinfo. 19 June 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bunbury Festival becomes part of ECB Player Pathway". ECB. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  5. "Worcestershire, Bunbury and England's No.1: The story of Joe Hart, who could have been a cricketer". The Cricketer. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.