Sports Park Weetwood to Host Celebrity Cricket Match

Tilly Hall
July 26, 2017
cricket pitch at the university of leeds

The University is to host a cricket game with a difference – a celebration to mark the 60th anniversary of the Test Match Special radio programme.

The twenty20 match will be played at Sports Park Weetwood on Thursday, August 24th, and you can enter a ballot to attend.

Cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew and batsman Geoffrey Boycott are to coach the players for the match and the teams will be captained by ex-England players Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell.

Among the players taking part are cricketers Graeme Swann, Simon Hughes and Charlotte Edwards. They will be joined by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Harry Judd from McFly and Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake.

The match is being organised by the BBC using the top class cricket facilities at Sports Park Weetwood – home to the Leeds cricketing centre of excellence which is supported by the MCC.

Known as the Leeds-Bradford MCC, it offers talented undergraduates a chance to get a degree and to benefit from elite cricket coaching, to nurture students to go on and play 1st class county cricket and ultimately for England.

Suzanne Glavin, the University’s head of Sport and Physical Activity, said:

“It is fitting that Weetwood has been chosen to host the match. It provides a golden opportunity to showcase our facilities and the expertise of our staff to some of the most influential people in cricket, demonstrating how we can support the most talented athletes into the sport by providing flexibility in their studies and first class coaching standards.”

Alumni of the cricketing centre of excellence include:

  • Fast bowler Harry Gurney – Nottingham and England
  • Steve Patterson, a stalwart of Yorkshire country cricket and a member of the championship sides of 2014 and 2015;
  • Kate Cross – who has played for Lancashire women at county level and the England team.

The Test Match Special celebration match will be broadcast on BBC TV on the red button and radio commentary will be on BBC Radio 5 live Sports Extra..

Admission to the ground will be by ticket only. The tickets are free but will be allocated by a random draw organised by the BBC.

To enter the draw click here

You have until 11pm on 1 August to register and you can apply for a maximum of four tickets, admission to the ground is from 3pm onwards.

 

Strength and Conditioning Coaches Workshop

Lucy Wood
July 21, 2017
strength and conditioning room

On Thursday 20th July, the inaugural Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coaches Workshop brought together S&C Coaches from Universities across the North of England to share knowledge and ideas.

Assisted by the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS), who sent down National Network Manager Craig Williams to attend, the purpose of the workshop was to address common issues faced by these coaches, and use each other’s experiences to piece together solutions.

The day revolved around two presentations. The first by Jon Kantor form the University of Nottingham, who discussed ‘Quality in Quantity – An S&C service in Higher Education’, and the second by Tom Walton from Northumbria University who gave in insight to their Internship programme. Both talks were highly insightful, and sparked in-depth discussion on the topics.

Staff members at coaching workshop listen to presentation

 

Andy Woodward, a staff member from Barnard Castle School also attended the day, initiating interesting conversations in to bridging the gap between school and University.

 

 

Roundtables throughout the day focused on monitoring the University athlete, and addressing the issue of athletes being away from University for large portions of the year due to holidays. Discussions were fruitful, with the different experiences of coaches blending together with various ideas to put in to practice over the coming year.

Staff members sat listening to presentation

 

The day proved to be a great success for everyone involved with the plan to continue this type of workshop in years to come. For further information please contact Max Roger on M.Roger@leeds.ac.uk

Online Booking System Upgrade

Jono Bate
July 13, 2017
The Edge

Please be aware that we are upgrading our online booking system on Thursday 31st August at 09:00. This necessary work should last between 1 and 2 hours.

If you would like to book on to a class or book a court during this time, please call the Reception Team on 0113 343 5095 and they will be able to assist with your booking.

 

We hope this doesn’t cause too much disruption as we implement these essential software upgrades.

Let’s Ride at the Brownlee Cycle Circuit

Lucy Wood
July 3, 2017
Brownlee Centre

British Cycling is opening up the cycle circuit at the University of Leeds’ Brownlee Centre for the first of its free-to-attend, Let’s Ride pop-up sessions next weekend.

Whether you want to ride for fun or fitness, this free monthly pop-up event gives you the chance to ride a traffic-free cycle circuit as many times as you want, at a pace that suits you. The first of which takes place on the 9th July at 12pm – 2pm and the second on August 13th.

The event is open to all ages and abilities and the circuit is easy to ride, with volunteers on hand throughout, ensuring peace of mind and safety for all cyclists.

For those wanting to take things up a gear, British Cycling Go-Ride coaches will also be available to help you improve your cycling skills, and local Ride Leaders and Breeze Champions will be there on the day to tell you more about other cycling opportunities in Leeds with HSBC UK Guided Rides and HSBC UK Breeze.

Book Now

Tom Mutton, British Cycling’s partnership manager for Yorkshire, said:

“From complete beginners to those wanting to take things up a gear, the Lets Ride pop-up sessions will be an ideal way for people to discover or rediscover a love of cycling, or to improve their skills.

Regardless of age or ability, people will be able to come down to the circuit and build their confidence with the help of trained British Cycling coaches and volunteers.

The cycling facilities at the Brownlee Centre – which British Cycling helped to fund – have been extremely well utilised by the local public so far, and with this series of pop-up events and Leeds’ HSBC UK City Ride on the way, this is a really exciting time to get involved in cycling in the city.”

For those without their own bikes, bike hire is available from the venue on the day, including a fleet of tandems, trikes and hand-cycles.

FAQ

  • Event times: 12pm to 2pm.
  • Parking: Yes
  • Changing facilities: Yes
  • Toilets: Yes
  • Bike hire: No bike, no problem! Bike hire is available on the day, including a fleet of tandems, trikes and hand-cycles. Simply register your free place and turn up on the day

Volunteer

Can you spare a couple of hours a month to help out at Let’s Ride Pop-up Leeds? Email letsridepopup@britishcycling.org.uk to register your interest.