£1,000 prize from KP Snacks caps off historic season for North West cricket club Ballyspallen

Ballyspallen Cricket Club in Limavady is celebrating a unique ‘quadruple’ after a record-breaking season saw the club lift both cups and cash!

Not only did Ballyspallen’s First XI become the first ever club from the North West Cricket Union (NWCU) to lift the prestigious Irish National Cup, its newly-formed Third XI achieved a remarkable league and cup double in its inaugural season – with a squad made up predominantly of young players who have progressed through the club's own youth development system.

Ricky Watts (left) from KP Snacks (NI) joined Ballyspallen’s Alex Kennedy (groundsman), Nicola Marshall (committee member) and Brian Martin (senior club official) to congratulate them and hand over the all-important cheque for £1,000 which will go towards new equipment and the continued development of the club’s youth system.

placeholder image — Ricky Watts (left) from KP Snacks (NI) joined Ballyspallen’s Alex Kennedy (groundsman), Nicola Marshall (committee member) and Brian Martin (senior club official) to congratulate them and hand over the all-important cheque for £1,000 which will go towards new equipment and the continued development of the club’s youth system.

And now Ballyspallen has completed an incredible ‘quadruple’, winning a £1,000 grant towards equipment in an exclusive Northern Ireland competition, run by KP Snacks (NI) as part of a campaign to mark its partnership with this summer’s blockbuster cricket tournament The Hundred.

Not bad for a club with no clubhouse, no bar and very limited facilities to generate income, as Ballyspallen Cricket Club Committee Member Tim Martin explained.

Ricky Watts (second left) and John Baxter (second right) from KP Snacks (NI) joined Ballyspallen’s First XI Captain Stuart Kennedy, committee members Mervyn Martin and Nicola Marshall, and First XI player Graham Kennedy to congratulate them and hand over the all-important cheque for £1,000 which will go towards new equipment and the continued development of the club’s youth system.

"Winning the £1,000 prize from KP Snacks is a fantastic recognition of what has been an incredibly special season for Ballyspallen Cricket Club,” said Tim.

"For a small, community-based club, these achievements mean an enormous amount to everyone involved. They are the result of the commitment of our players, coaches, volunteers, parents, supporters and sponsors and, importantly, the pathway we have worked hard to create for young cricketers within our club.

"We are extremely grateful to KP Snacks for recognising our club and for supporting grassroots sport. To receive this award after such a memorable season makes it even more special, and we hope it will help us build on everything we have achieved and make the future even brighter for Ballyspallen Cricket Club.

"We plan to reinvest the £1,000 award into our next generation of young players to help us continue providing opportunities, equipment and experiences for future generations of Ballyspallen cricketers," he added.

Ricky Watts, Business Account Manager (NI) for KP Snacks Ltd, said: "Not only did we receive a record number on entries this year, but the standard was also the highest that we’ve see with lots of clubs carrying out fantastic work in communities across Northern Ireland.

"However, Ballyspallen Cricket Club's application really captured everything that this competition is designed to celebrate. For a small rural club, their achievements on the pitch this season have been outstanding - but equally impressive is the strength of their youth development programme and the clear pathway they have created for young people to progress through the club.

"The fact that so many of their players have come through their own youth system demonstrates the long-term vision and commitment that exists within the club.”

Ballyspallen's commitment to developing young cricketers is underlined by the fact that the club’s U-13 side reached the semi-finals of the U-13 Cricket World Cup, while talented youngster Jacob Blair earned selection to the Ireland U-16 squad and finished as Ireland's leading wicket-taker in both the Barnard Castle County Cricket Festival and the Celtic Cup.

Furthermore, six Ballyspallen youth players were selected to represent North West age-grade teams across U-14, U-16 and U-18 levels.

The club also celebrated a historic milestone when Kate Martin became the first female player from Ballyspallen to be selected for North West representative squads at both U-14 and U-16 levels.