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A major cricket event hosted in Wakefield has been hailed as a lead contributor for the rise and popularity of the game in the community within Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire Cricket Foundation’s (YCF) ‘The Hundred’, which is part of the Yorkshire Ramadan Cup, provided the opportunity for locals to pray, play cricket, and eat together.

The programme, which was hosted at Wakefield Football Centre and run by the charity, was an action-packed 100 ball cricket competition made simpler to celebrate Ramadan last year.

Teams were given 100 balls each, with the team with the most runs winning.

The Hundred, which takes place in Wakefield, has been named as a key contributer to the success of community cricket over the past year.

Now this specific programme, which took place last September and saw more than 350 participants, has been named as one of the most impactful events that has transformed YCF over the past year.

YCF’s 2022 Impact Report shows there has been a major increase in attendence to programmes, with 75,850 attendances across their events.

This has led to over 29,025 young people being supported.

The report also shines a light on the support the Foundation gives to the community through programmes such as the annual Education day, run by Northern Diamond cricketers Katie Levick and Rachel Slater, where hundreds of young people enjoy a day out at Headingley Cricket Ground and the Dream Big Desi Women initiative, which encourages South Asian women the chance to get involved in cricket.

Northern Diamond cricketers Katie Levick and Rachel Slater attend the annual Education day where hundreds of young people enjoy a day out at Headingley Cricket Ground.

There has been a positive impact across the charity’s four themes of work: Education, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, and the effect they have had on the lives of people across Yorkshire.

Caroline Darnbrook, Chair for the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, said: “Since the launch of the Foundation in 2009, it has been truly remarkable to look back on the evolution of the organisation and see the increased positive impact the Foundation has had in communities year on year.

“Over the past transformational 12 months our work - driven by strong leadership - has included supporting communities most in need, working in collaboration, continuing to create sustainable projects and bolstering the workforce.

“This whole-system approach is needed now, more than ever to help people who are most at risk of inactivity across Yorkshire.”

Find out more about YCF’s upcoming programmes on their website.

Bowled over! Bit hitting Wakefield cricket event contributes to a record-breaking year for community sport in Yorkshire