Built by demand — and a draft. After last summer’s Red v Blue series, players asked for something that blended intensity with belonging. We answered with a third team and a live player draft at the Community Stadium. Captains managed a playful £200k cap, debated selections and shaped 15‑player squads plus a small “freelancer” pool. That first night set the tone: youth‑led, competitive and welcoming.

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Fast Thursdays, faster learning. Across August the rhythm never changed—music at the boundary, families on deckchairs, and games that moved at Hundred speed. Retire-at‑50 meant more batters had time in the middle; bowlers had to nail new‑ball lines and death overs; fielders learnt angles on a quick outfield. The format turned each spell or cameo into a lesson.

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Momentum swings. Netheredge Knights landed the first blow, defending 96 with a gritty all‑round display from Rehan Khan (17 off 13 and 3–11). That sharpened everyone. A week later Pitsmoor Avengers announced themselves with a statement chase—156/0 in 66 balls—as Bilal Imtiaz (50*) and Subhaan Hussain (54*) cleared ropes and doubts in equal measure. From there, Pitsmoor kept raising the ceiling: a commanding 184/5 against Firth Park underlined their batting depth and fielding intensity.

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Finals Day nerve. The last Thursday brought proper scoreboard pressure. Pitsmoor posted 110/9 from their 100 balls—nothing easy, everything to play for. When it mattered, off‑spinner Hamza Hussain ripped through the Knights’ top order with 3–9, and the Avengers closed out a 22‑run win to lift the trophy. The best bit wasn’t the medals; it was the look between friends who’d just gone toe‑to‑toe for bragging rights.

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Why it matters (and who made it possible). The Youth Hundred gave 15–21s a safe, structured, positive space in the school holidays: leadership for captains, real responsibility for scorers and umpires, and a platform to test skills under pressure. Our thanks to the South Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), whose support and presence across the summer helped us deliver consistent, visible activity for young people in Sheffield.