Chapel Gate set to host Under-15 Championships

Bournemouth Sports Club has been chosen to host the finals of the England & Wales Cricket Board's prestigious Under-15 club cricket championships at Chapel Gate this summer.

The choice of a local venue for the national finals co-incides with an announcement from Lord's that the competition is being sponsored for the next two seasons by the Portman Building Society, whose head offices are situated in Bournemouth.

Helen Shaw, Group Communications Manager said "We are delighted to bring this national cricket event to the Portman's home town of Bournemouth.

"We are very lucky to have a club like Bournemouth offering such excellent and spacious facilities available on our doorstep.

"The club offers two cricket pitches which are a key requirement for the Finals Day matches".

The Under-15 championships were previously sponsored by Sun Bank, who were acquired by the Portman Group in 2001.

The sponsorship is worth a six-figure sum to the cash strapped ECB, who have just axed £500,000 from this year's handouts to amateur cricket boards as part of an overall £4m budget cut - the consequence of England's withdrawal from its scheduled ICC World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Harare.

The Portman's backing of the Under-15 Championships is, therefore, a timely boost for cricket at grass roots level.

Over 1,500 clubs have entered the 2003 Portman Cup - 75 from Hampshire and another 20 from Dorset - which will involve over 20,000 young cricketers throughout the country.

The competition, which begins later this month, culminates with a host of the country's leading teenage cricketers contesting the semi-finals and final on the two grounds at Chapel Gate on August 27.

Bournemouth themselves have a fine record at Under-15 level, having been national runners-up in 1999 and south-west regional finalists on several other occasions.

The announcement is a major boost for the Bournemouth club whose Chapel Gate strips were voted a praiseworthy second - out of 35 grounds - in the ECB Southern Electric Premier League last season.

The Minor Counties Championship final was played there in 2000 and Hampshire 2nd XI play a three-day game at Chapel Gate in June.

"We were very impressed with the facilities Bournemouth boast both on and off the field at Chapel Gate and they will be ideal for the finals which naturally attract many guests and visitors from all over the country," said ECB Competitions Manager Mark Campkin.

West Indies stars Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams, along with England captain Nasser Hussain and fast bowler Darren Gough have all attended the finals, which until recently were staged at Basingstoke.

The Under-15 championship has gone from strength to strength since it was initiated by the Lord's Taverners in 1972.

It is seen as a breeding ground for aspiring cricketers, with players such as Nasser Hussain, Marcus Trescothick and James Anderson having participated in it.

Big-hitting England regular Andrew Flintoff is often remembered for his extraordinary feat in the 1993 competition when he scored 234 not out in 20 overs !