Honours even at Hiscox fundraiser

The Hiscox Celebrity Cricket Festival raised more than $4,000 this year to support youth cricket. 

The event was held on Saturday at the National Sports Centre with the largest attendance to date. 

It was a beautiful day for cricket as children and adults alike lined up around the pitch to watch the game. 

The match got under way with one third of the celebrity team fielding as the kids batted. 

Celebrities included Governor George Fergusson, National Security Minister Michael Dunkley, Power Girl, Nadanja Bailey, Tyler Butterfield, this reporter and many more. 

There was also a large representation from the insurance and reinsurance field. 

While the game was going on, there was free food, fun castles, face painting and music to entertain the crowd. 

The fun thing about this event is that everyone was at a different level of athletic ability. 

So you had some celebrities who wacked the ball around the pitch and others who could barely hit it! 

The kids loved the fact they were able to bowl out adults and make catches. It was great to see them having so much fun. 

The score ended in a tie — with both teams scoring 107 runs. The top 11 and under scorer was Iyaun Smith, with 16, followed closely by De-nyi Thomas with 14. 

David Roache was the top celebrity scorer followed by Graham Ward. 

The celebrity Play of the Game was awarded to Chris Hayward for a one-handed catch and the under-11 Play of the Game went to Alex Withers-Clarke for another excellent catch. 

The Celebrity Player of the Game went to Nikita Robinson from Hott 1075 for taking two wickets. Iyaun Smith was the 11-and-Under Player of the Game for being the top run and wicket-taker.

Selange Gitschnet, marketing and event coordinator for Hiscox said: “What a fantastic day, we couldn’t have asked for better weather or a better crowd. 

“A big thanks to all of the families that came out to support youth cricket and enjoy the Hiscox 11-and-Under Cricket Festival. 

“This event is focused on bringing the community together and that’s exactly what it did.

“Many thanks to the sponsors, volunteers, celebrities, and local community for making this day such a success. Hiscox looks forward to planning this event for years to come.”