Sporty youngsters got moving with cricket and running, sprinting, jumping and throwing in a summer term’s worth of activities organised by the Okehampton Community Recreation Association (OCRA) for West Devon primary schools. 

OCRA, who are based in Okehampton, do a wonderful job bringing games and activities to the children at the many small schools in the towns and villages across the borough. Some of the sessions take place among one school cohort at a primary school while others see have seen children come together from a number of schools to take part in organised sessions. 

From April 18 to July 4, 1,488 children from 15 schools took part in Quad Kids athletics competitions within their schools.

Quad Kids is an event that involves sprinting, jumping, throwing and running. 

 Points are awarded for speed and distance, according to a national standard, and the West Devon children embraced the challenge of trying their best to run faster and jump further than they ever had before.

Seven gold certificates were awarded to pupils; two from Okehampton Primary School, one from St Peter’s Junior School in Tavistock, three from Meavy Primary School and one from St Andrew’s Primary School, Buckland Monachorum. 

There were six silver: St Peter’s (one); Horrabridge (one), St Andrew’s (one); Chagford (one) and Okehampton (two). And 15 bronze medals went to children from the schools in  Bere Alston (one); Whitchurch (two); St Peter’s, Tavistock (one); Horrabridge (one); St Andrew’s, Buckland Monachorum (three); South Tawton (one); Okehampton (two); Lewtrenchard (one); North Tawton (three).

Also during the summer term, OCRA put on the West Devon Primary Schools Cricket extravaganza.

Hatherleigh Cricket Club was the venue for the Okehampton Area Schools Year 4 cricket festival and Whitchurch Wayfarers hosted the Tavistock area schools.  Almost 200 children took part in these events.

Then there was the first round of the Dartmoor Cup series, an annual cricket contest. Again, Hatherleigh and Whitchurch were the hosts.  South Tawton A won the Okehampton area event with Boasley Cross A being the runners-up.  

St Peter’s beat Tavistock in the large schools round at Whitchurch.  Meavy A won the small schools competition with Meavy B coming in second place. Twenty schools took part.

And June 7 was a key date for young female cricketers at the schools. This was the girls’ festival, with the first two teams going through to the county finals in Exeter.  Lewdown Cricket Club hosted this competition.  Teams from Whitchurch, Bere Alston, Tavistock, Horrabridge (two), St Andrew’s, Meavy (two), Lewtrenchard and Mary Tavy & Brentor took part.  Winners were Meavy A and Horrabridge B joined them in qualifying for the Exeter finals.

The Dartmoor Cup finals were played at Okehampton College on June 12.  

The 20 teams who played the first round were divided into cup, shield and trophy competitions.  The cup winners and runners-up would be representing West Devon in the county finals. 

Winners were Whitchurch; 2nd Meavy A; 3rd St Peter’s A; 4th Tavistock; 5th South Tawton A; amd 6th Boasley Cross A.

The shield was won by Mary Tavy & Brentor.  Horrabridge A came second; joint third were Chagford A & Meavy B; 5th St Andrew’s, 6th South Tawton B, 7th Horrabridge C and 8th South Tawton C.

Horrabridge B won the trophy, while  Chagford came second, Meavy C & St Peter’s B were joint 3rd, South Tawton B came 5th and Boasley Cross B came 6th.

“The competition could not have been held without the excellent and hardworking Okehampton College young leaders who umpired all the games,” said OCRA coordinator Mhairi McCall, thanking them for their generosity.