On the 14th July, the Downham Village Games Team represented our town at the County Finals at the UEA in Norwich competing in a range of sports such as rounders and archery.
In the end, the team finished in 3rd place after working extremely hard against the tough competition. Frances Rayner, the Village Games Sports-Coordinator for Downham Market, said “This is a huge achievement. Third best town in the county, I am very proud of everyone who got involved”.
According to Frances, the majority of under 16 year olds in the team are actually under the age of ten. She believes that as they grow older the team will keep improving. The team also remembered that winning was not the most important thing.
A participator in the games said “It’s more about getting people from the community involved and growing the team than coming first.”. We certainly agree with this statement.
Throughout 2013, The Village Games, organised by Active Norfolk, saw 18,000 people participate in the games all over the county. Unfortunately, the funding provided by Sport England is due to end soon. Therefore, to continue the project, new sponsorship is needed. All donations are appreciated so if local business’s would like to get involved contact Ella Vanlit, the Sports Development Project Officer of Active Norfolk at 01603 731566 (Tel) or 07879 844884 (Mobile).
Furthermore, after playing excellently for all three games and proving to be fantastic role models for the younger competitors, some members of the Short Mat Bowls Team are now retiring. Frances is looking for a new team, for more information call 07802 448836.
