Three primary schools from the Bradford area will be competing next Tuesday for a place in the final of the Drax Cup 2010 – the biggest cricket competition for the under-nines age group in the country.

Lidget Green Primary School, Hothfield Junior School from Silsden and St Walburga’s Primary School, from Shipley are among 12 teams through to the area final, which is being held at Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club from 10am-4pm.

The winner goes on to the finals of the Drax Cup 2010 at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on Sunday, July 4 prior to the Yorkshire v Warwickshire Friends Provident Twenty20 match.

Now in its fourth year, some 350 schools and 3,500 boys and girls across Yorkshire have taken part in the Drax Cup.

The competition is sponsored by Drax Power Limited as part of its Cricket In The Community scheme, which provides cricket coaching to schools and is organised by The Yorkshire County Cricket Club in conjunction with Yorkshire Cricket Board and Yorkshire Schools’ Cricket Association.

The Drax Cup also supports literacy programmes of the Department for Education by encouraging team members to write match reports to be read out in school.

This year, tickets for Yorkshire’s Twenty20 matches will be awarded as prizes for the best match reports.

Yorkshire’s captain Andrew Gale is an ambassador for the Drax Cup 2010, together with BBC Look North TV presenter Harry Gration.

Other primary schools to qualify for next Tuesday are: Alwoodley (Leeds), East Ardsley (Wakefield), Holy Trinity (Halifax), Bolton Brow (Sowerby Bridge), Dalton Junior (Huddersfield), Newsome Junior (Huddersfield), Holmfirth Junior, Hove Edge Junior (Brighouse) and Horbury Bridge Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, (Wakefield).

* Bradford Schools’ Under-11 Boys’ Kwik Cricket Festival is being held next Tuesday at Thornton Grammar School (12.45pm-4.15pm).

Primary schools to qualify are: Wibsey, Sandal, Clayton Church of England, Low Ash and Steeton.

Finishing first or second will mean qualification for the West Yorkshire Youth Games at Leeds Metropolitan University.