THE Wicketz programme, a national community cricket initiative led by the Lord’s Taverners, brought 70 children aged 8-12 together from both sides of the Pennines for the first time today for a ‘Unity of the Roses’ event in Bradford.

No blood was shed between the houses of York and Lancaster and nobody left with a hard-fought victory.

Instead, teams from Wicketz hubs in Bradford, Salford and Manchester united to celebrate all that is good about playing cricket together.

A series of round robin fixtures brought excitement throughout the afternoon and children took time out from playing to go beyond the boundary and explore how cricket and Wicketz has changed their lives.

Founder of the scheme, Dan Wilson, now manages 19 projects across the United Kingdom and was keen to bring the scheme to this part of West Yorkshire.

He said: "It's no secret that Bradford has its social issues and when we start a new project, we consult the community to get an understanding of what they perceive the issues to be.

"Because of that, you can see the buy in we've had today. This is only a small section of the Bradford community taking part in the project, with other stuff going on across the city."

Wilson was delighted to welcome former Yorkshire pace bowler Ajmal Shahzad along to the Karmand Community Centre for the event, and he stressed the importance of professionals getting involved in these community projects.

He said: "It's important for the young people to see someone from their community that has gone on to do really great things.

"Ajmal is a great role model for the youngsters here, as he lives five minutes up the road. We want these young people to have aspirations to be as great as they can be."

Omar and Sahil were just two of the pupils involved on the day, playing for Bradford 11 and 12s, and the pair were delighted to have a rare opportunity to play one of their favourite sports.

Cricket is not necessarily high priority on the school curriculum, and Feversham Primary pupil Omar admitted: "I don't get to practice it anywhere else."

Sahil, who attends Carlton Bolling College, was more positive, saying: "We didn't have a cricket team at my school but we are making one right now so we get to play there on Tuesdays."

The delivery of the Wicketz project has been aided by support from players of the People's Postcode Lottery (PPL).

Players of PPL play with their postcodes to win cash prizes while raising money for charities and good causes across Great Britain and internationally. 

Their support of the Lord's Taverners has helped to ensure that Wicketz can be delivered in Bradford.