On Thursday, myself and Mr R Moore took a group of 15 seniors to The Utilita Bowl (known to many as The Ageas Bowl) to spend the day with The Ruth Strauss Foundation. Ruth Strauss was the wife of the former England cricket captain, Andrew Strauss. Ruth sadly passed away in December 2018 after being diagnosed with incurable lung cancer. She was just 46 years old and a mother to two children. The Ruth Strauss Foundation was set up in her memory to help support children and their families who are going through similar circumstances. Last year Bruern raised a considerable amount of money for this charity and as a thank you, we were invited to a charity day with The Ruth Strauss Foundation and The Southern Vipers.
It was an early start on Thursday, departing Bruern at 07:45 am. Upon arrival, we were greeted by members of The Ruth Strauss Foundation as well as The Captain of The Southern Vipers, Georgia Adams. The boys enjoyed a tour, which was led by Georgia, in which we got to explore the changing rooms and the pavilion.
After the tour, the boys were treated to an indoor net and were coached by Georgia and her teammates, Emily Windsor and Nancy Harman. The boys enjoyed having the specialist coaching and also having a go at facing the bowling machines! As our net session came to a close, we were told that we were going to be allowed to have a fielding masterclass on the outfield of the ground. It was brilliant for the boys to see and feel what a professional ground is like and to take some catches on the boundary was a huge bonus!
We finished the day with some lunch and a Q&A session with the players. There were some great questions asked, such as "who was your inspiration growing up?", "Who is the most famous cricketer you have ever met?" and "How many lights are there in the stadium......!!?"
Overall, it was a brilliant day out and one that I will remember for a long time. The boys were a real credit to the school and they came away with some lovely merchandise! It was a special trip for a special charity and I'm glad the boys enjoyed themselves.
Enjoy more photos of the day below.
Mr Barrett
