Shenley Cricket Club to host Sun Bank Under-15 Club Championship Finals

Hertfordshire's Shenley Cricket Club will for the first time host the finals of the Sun Bank Under 15 National Club Championship - club cricket's biggest competition with a record 1,517 entries this year.

Such is the prestigious nature of the tournament, that Nasser Hussain (England Men's Team captain), Clare Connor (England Women's Team captain), former England opening bowler Angus Fraser, and Isa Guha, who this summer became the first Asian player to play for the England women's side, will all be present to lend their support on the day.

Taking place on Tuesday 27 August, just four talented sides remain to contest the finals: Fenner Cricket Club (representing the North), Cardiff CC (representing the South West), Shrewsbury CC (representing the Midlands) and Horsham CC (representing the South East). Each side has progressed to the final by winning their respective county and then regional finals, and they will gather at Shenley CC with hopes of lifting the Harry Secombe Cup.

Cardiff CC will play Horsham CC, and Fenner CC will play Shrewsbury CC in the semi-finals in the morning (10.30am start), with the two winners contesting the final in the afternoon (2.15pm start) - which will be officiated by First Class umpire, Roy Palmer. The matches will be 20 overs a side, with a maximum of four overs per bowler.

The tournament, initiated by the Lord's Taverners in 1972 and administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board, is seen as a breeding ground for aspiring cricketers, having helped develop the early talents of current England cricketers Nasser Hussain, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe. Perhaps the most extraordinary performance in the history of the competition came in 1993 when current England cricketer, Andrew Flintoff, smashed a massive 234 not out in 20 overs!

John Carr, Director of Cricket Operations at the England and Wales Cricket Board, said: "The finals of the Sun Bank Under 15 Club Championship is always a great event and in the past we have seen excellent cricket and some close finishes.

"I congratulate all the teams on getting to the final, which is a fine achievement in itself, and I wish them all the very best of luck on the day."

The ECB's fun-packed Cricket Roadshow, sponsored by Vodafone, will also be present on the day where budding young commentators will be able to create their own commentary tapes in a specially-designed BBC Radio booth or face the Australian opening bowling attack - at full speed - on the ECB's Virtual Reality Challenge staged from the AMP Oval. In addition, this ECB show piece allows youngsters to take the `Roadshow Challenge' by testing bowling, batting and fielding skills in the inflatable outdoor game zones.