Three youngsters from the same family selected for Norfolk teams

Young or old, being selected to represent your county is a real honour for any sportsman or woman.

The Broad family, however, will have much to celebrate this coming cricket season as they have three children representing Norfolk Cricket teams at various age groups.

Martha has been selected for the under-13 girls and William for the under-11 boys, while Esther has been picked to represent the under-11 girls.

At the end of the last cricket season, promising young cricketers from all over the county were nominated by their clubs to trial for the county teams.

In this case the Broads were put forward by Stow Cricket Club, near Downham, and undertook a very rigorous selection process which involved five two-hour sessions to assess all aspects of the game.

They came through with flying colours.

Pace bowler Martha, 13, who only started playing last July, is a real find.

Esther, a good all-rounder, has been playing for two years is very excited at being part of a really talented Norfolk squad.

William, Esther’s twin and a talented batsman, who played for the under-10 county boys last year, is delighted to have been re selected for this season.

William and Esther are pupils at Downham Preparatory School, where their older sister, Martha, attended until this year.

The school has a close relationship with Stow Cricket Club.

Pupils attend the club for cricket training during their sports lessons and matches against other schools are played there.

Many pupils are also members of the cricket club out of school while their father, Mike, also helps to coach the school cricket team.

The school has a very strong sports department with netball, rugby, and swimming and athletics teams celebrating a very successful season.

William represented the school in the County Sportshall indoor athletics and is a county champion.

The school is now offering sports scholarships for children entering the school in Years 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Please contact the school for more information.

Stow CC, who the children play for, is also a hotbed of talent for county players.

The club is the envy of many much larger clubs, boasting six county players in its roster, ranging from U11 to U15 age groups.

Junior Training sessions at Stow are held every Friday evening from 6 -8pm for age groups from 5 to 13 years-old.

n Turn to pages 71 and 72 for more cricket and Norfolk Alliance Premier Division previews.