Red Bull Four6 – an exciting new six-a-side form of cricket that rewards big hitting – came to Chester-le-Street yesterday.
Six teams from the North competed in the tournament at Emirates Riverside, home of Durham County Cricket Club, where the traditional game of cricket was turned on its head.
Forty of the region’s finest club cricketers were the first to compete in the new, dynamic short format of the game which rewards players for their nerve, encourages the attacking side of cricket and celebrates the all-round nature of the game where every player was charged with batting, bowling and fielding.
Team ‘Tip and Run’ won the inaugural competition, winning off the last ball of the match against the ‘Warriors’.
Jack Burnham, from Hetton Lyons Cricket Club, scored the most consecutive sixes in a single game, while Jaques Synman, from Benwell Hill Cricket Club, scored the most sixes of the competition with 19.
Red Bull Four6 is a six-over, six-a-side format where only boundaries count, with special value attached to hitting sixes. Every time a consecutive six is hit the value of clearing the boundary increases by six runs. Proof of the exciting and fast-paced format could be seen in the first game of the day which saw a double six, four, dot ball and tip and run all within the first over.
England cricketer Ben Stokes, one of the world’s best all-rounders, visited his club to watch the new format in play.
“Red Bull Four6 is all about hitting it out of the park and changing the game. This new format really pushes the game forward, cutting down match time and ramping up the excitement, speed and key moments that make this game great.”
Commenting on the new event format, Director of Cricket Development at Durham Cricket Graeme Weeks said: “We’ve been honoured to pilot this brand-new format of the game with Red Bull today and the idea of the Four6 competition to reward powerful hits has proved to make a competitive and explosive play.
“In the very first game we got to see everything, from fours and sixes to two ‘12s’, and this naturally brought a lot of excitement amongst the teams. Games could get turned around really quickly and hitting big is the only way to keep on top of it.
“Some of the finest club cricketers were involved and the format certainly allowed them to show their best hits. We had a few shots going over the stands and the pavilion so the players have certainly put on a show.”
For more information on Red Bull Four6, go to www.redbull.co.uk/four6