Record attendance at youth tournament

Over 160 children, aged 8 - 12, participated in the Succot tournament held at Hadar Yosef on Sunday. Teams from Ramat Aviv Gimmel, Al Charizi, the American School, Ra'anana and Bet Shemesh were joined by two buses loaded with kids from Be'er Sheva, giving a record attendance to an event that has become an integral part of the youth development program.

The achievements of Israel youth teams at the international level have been well documented in recent seasons. However the foundations for these successes are laid at the grass roots level, playing with plastic bats and soft orange balls. Youth Coordinator George Sheader is active each day of the week, visiting schools and running afternoon activities in Be'er Sheva. Yonni Sidelsky is coaching in Ramat Aviv. Exactly how enthusiastic the kids are about the game was clearly evident on Sunday, and there was plenty of talent on display as well. Perhaps even more importantly, children from different social and economic backgrounds, Israeli-born or immigrants, boys and girls, were all given the opportunity to enjoy a day of sport together in the true spirit of cricket.