29/07/2026
It was a real family affair for Stonehaven Thistle Cricket Club recently when three sets of fathers and sons and a mother and daughter played in the same team.
The milestone match was on July 4 when the club’s second team hosted Granite City in a North East Grades Division Four match at Mineralwell Park.
Granite City - with a full complement of 11 - won the contest comfortably, but that did not take away from the pride that the nine players from Stonehaven Thistle – the dads and sons, mum and daughter and the club’s junior coach Clive Hinchcliffe - took from getting together on the day and playing as a team.
“As the club’s junior coach, it was great for me to see parents playing alongside their children in this match,” Hinchcliffe said.
“Although the teams in this grade can be pretty strong, our seconds is all about player development and give the youngsters some senior match experience.
“My personal cricketing days started when I was nine and I played for Michelin Tyres in the Evening League. Back then, my dad was captain and the team was often short so myself and brothers were taken along to bolster the numbers.
“Having played for 49 years now, I feel the chance to give something back to the sport is important and seeing four parents playing with their children in the same side is exactly what we as a club at Stonehaven Thistle are trying to achieve.
“Although the result was tough, the kids and parents will have memories from that day that can't be taken away.”
Richard Jackson, who was in the team with his 11-year-old son Alfie, said: “Playing together on the same team is something we cannot do with other sports like rugby so it was a special day.
“Now Alfie is recognised as capable of playing senior hardball cricket in the second team, it allows me to support him with his passion for bowling and his passion for cricket in general. It’s good fun, there’s a great team atmosphere and it was nice playing with the other fathers and sons and a mother and daughter.
“Playing together allows me to show that I am there to support him and he always comes first. I look forward to many more games with him and the team in the years to come.”
Matt Sinar and his eight-year-old son Finn were involved and Matt stated: “The club is a great community to be a part of and it's been brilliant to have the juniors coming through to play for the second team and the adults in and around the club are always supportive of them.
“There aren't many sports where myself and Finn could be on the pitch at the same time playing something competitive so it was great to be out there and we were able to bat together.
“Finn did outscore me though which I don't think he'll let me forget for a while! We've played a few games together this season, and other teams are usually very good at welcoming the juniors too, for example, in this game Finn got applause from the other team whenever he scored a run.”
Theunis Jordaan and his son Joshua, 10, opened the batting together.
“It was a privilege to play with my son in his first ever senior cricket match, to be a part of it was remarkable,” Theunis said.
“I think it was about the 10th over of the match when I was looking at my son and he looked so happy and I was thinking what a great day and what a great opportunity.
“Josh was very excited about the match, but, as I say, it was his first one. He had an opportunity to bowl and bat. We opened the batting and the bowler was fast, but I was proud of how Josh handled the situation.”
Sonia Sharma and her 11-year-old daughter Siona played in the match.
Young Siona said: “Previously my brother Devom and I both played Stonehaven Thistle, but when he progressed to a higher grade my mum Sonia joined the club to boost my confidence.
“At the same time, she also started enjoying her childhood dream of being a sportsperson by playing matches for the club. Playing in a cricket match for my club is an exciting experience and before this match, I feel a little nervous, but also happy.
“During the game, I worked together with my team mates and supported them. I feel proud to represent my club and from each match I play in, including this one, I learn important things like teamwork, patience, staying calm under pressure and improving my skills.”
* A version of this article first appeared in The Press and Journal on Tuesday *
Article by gh-media.co.uk
