Successful season continues for Lisburn with £1,000 KP Snacks (NI) Award
FOLLOWING unprecedented success at the youth level on the field this season, Lisburn Cricket Club continues to celebrate off the field with news that it has just been awarded a £1,000 grant in an exclusive Northern Ireland competition run by KP Snacks (NI).
The cash award is part of a campaign to mark KP Snacks’ sponsorship of the summer’s blockbuster cricket tournament, The Hundred and will go towards supporting the club’s cross-community primary schools engagement programme this winter and spring.
News of the award comes hot on the heels of a successful season that saw Lisburn’s U13, U15 and U17 boys’ and girls’ teams all reach their respective finals, six in total – the first time a club has achieved this level of success at underage level in the history of the NCU (Northern Cricket Union).
The club’s U13 boys also went on to win both their league and the All-Ireland title, while the U17 boys and U17 girls also secured provincial titles. In addition, Lisburn’s Men’s 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th XIs all won their respective leagues.
Lisburn Cricket Club Chair Jamie Mulholland said: “Winning the KP Snacks £1,000 prize is a fantastic boost for our club and our schools outreach work. It means we can purchase new equipment that will allow us to deliver fun, inclusive, and high-quality cricket sessions in schools across Lisburn.
“For many children, this will be their first experience of cricket, and this support ensures we can make it a positive and lasting one. We are incredibly grateful to KP Snacks for recognising the work being done by grassroots clubs like ours.”
Lisburn Cricket Cub Schools Programme will use the £1,000 KP Snacks (NI) award to support its upcoming cross-community primary schools programme, which launches in Term 1/2 of the 2025–26 school year. The initiative will involve schools from across Lisburn and Castlereagh, culminating in celebration blitz events designed to bring children from different backgrounds together through cricket. Schools wishing to take part are encouraged to get in touch via the club’s website or social media channels.
The KP Snacks (NI) award was part of a campaign run by the company to reach out to local communities and encourage more people to get active through cricket this summer. To win, clubs across Northern Ireland were invited to submit a 500-word entry explaining why they deserved to win £1,000 and how they would spend the money.
“Lisburn Cricket Club’s pioneering success at the underage level pays testimony to the hard work and dedication of all those associated with the club,” said Ricky Watts, Business Account Manager (NI) for KP Snacks Ltd.
“Once again, we were bowled over by the quality of this year’s entries, and there really wasn’t much to choose between the many deserving applications we received from clubs across Northern Ireland, who are all carrying out such excellent work to promote the game here and make it more inclusive for everyone.
“Unfortunately, there can only be one winner, and after much discussion, the judging panel agreed to award this year’s £1000 prize to Lisburn Cricket Club,” he added.
“Not content with their record-breaking success at the underage level, Lisburn Cricket Club continues to support and develop youth cricket in the local area with its ambitious cross-community Schools Programme.
“These are exactly the type of grassroots initiatives which The Hundred aims to help stimulate, and we wish the club every success with its development programme as it seeks to expand the appeal of the sport in the region,” concluded Ricky.
The Hundred is an action-packed televised 100-ball cricket tournament featuring world-class players and massive names from around the world, with eight women’s and men’s teams competing over four weeks.
This year’s competition saw Oval Invincibles successfully defend their men’s title and London Spirit win the ladies tournament for the first time.
As the event’s Official Team Partner, KP Snacks brands featured on the shirts of the competing teams, including Popchips, Butterkist, POM-BEAR, Tyrrells, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, McCoy’s and Skips.
