ACTIVE
NEXT GENERATION AT THE CREASE Cricket in the Cheshire village of Tattenhall dates back more than 150 years and now the search is on for a new generation to play the game
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attenhall Cricket Club near Chester was founded in 1864, the year the legendary WG Grace hit his first century. And the future for the club looks rosy, with a crop of young cricketers about to take the field. The club is launching its All-Stars and Dynamos age groups for five- to 11-year-olds this summer, thanks to £1,000 sponsorship from law firm Swayne Johnson, which has an office on the High Street and five more across north Wales. Charlie Lawrence, 10, plays a straight bat as the fielders – including Swayne Johnson’s “We have a tradition of encouraging young Rebecca Robinson and Tattenhall club chairman Jon Beddow – close in cricketers,” says Tattenhall’s club chairman Jon Beddow. “We currently have Henry Dobson in the MCCU All-Stars and Dynamos cricket is supported by the England development squad at Leeds University, while Liverpool FC and and Wales Cricket Board and Tattenhall plans to launch the Wales striker Ben Woodburn has also played for us. series of weekly sessions on 17th May. Both age groups will use light plastic bats We want to build on this with the All-Stars for fiveand soft balls, with each to eight-year-olds and the Dynamos for eight to 11s. “We hope They can then graduate young player receiving it will start into our junior agea personalised T-shirt. a lifelong “It’s all branded in line group sides and start involvement with The Hundred, the new what we hope will be a lifelong involvement national top-level tournament, in cricket” with the game. and will run for eight weeks,” says Jon. “We’re hoping to “We have great get between 40 and 60 local children facilities here and are very grateful to Swayne Johnson involved. We have already run some for helping us to launch this sessions at the Park School, which went down really well, and we’ll be exciting project to encourage visiting other local schools too.” youngsters to start playing.”
HIKE INTO HISTORY
and skirmishes took place throughout the Welsh Marches. There are still a number of defensive sections and ancient hill forts along the path, as well as a variety of amazing landscapes and uninterrupted views over both sides of the border. The most dramatic part of the route is over the Clwydian Range, which in itself is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The high point of the northern end of the path is at the summit of the mighty Moel Famau, which gives walkers commanding views from its summit.
The achievement of a lifetime
Our resident rambler Clive Williams takes us on a tour of Offa’s Dyke Path
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ffa’s Dyke is a spectacular earthwork, consisting of a displaced high soil bank on the English side and a ditch on the Welsh side, which can be 20m wide at places. It was built on the orders of Offa, an Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia in the eighth century, and starts at Sedbury near Chepstow before running along the Welsh Marches and into north Wales, finishing at Prestatyn on the Denbighshire coast. When the structure was built, its sole purpose was as a border dividing the kingdom of Powys from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia. The border has changed over time as battles
Offa’s Dyke Path, the long-distance path that follows the structure, is a National Trail and designated ancient monument. It was developed into a proper path in 1971, so this summer we are celebrating its official 50th birthday. At 177 miles, the path “The high isn’t one that can be walked in a day, but point there are ways for everyone to tackle it. The National Trails website (www. is Moel nationaltrail.co.uk) has some brilliant Famau” guidance, breaking the path down into sensible distances that can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. You can do these over two weeks, stopping at accommodation en route, or tackle them section by section over a number of months or years. Another way to enjoy the path is with a circular route. There are a number of books covering these, or you can use Ordnance Survey maps to plan your own. The great thing is that any walk on Offa’s Dyke Path can be varied to suit the individual. To complete the path is a lifetime achievement. May/June 2021 | SHIRE MAGAZINE 87
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