CRICKET, hockey and basketball were among the sports on an expansive menu during half-term in Dalton.

Onside Sports delivered four days of activities in the DASH sports hall at Dowdales School to an eager group of around 25 children each day.

The young boys and girls, with smiles on their faces and a spring in their step as they bounded around the facility, discovered new disciplines and enjoyed playing familiar ones to new friends.

Under the guidance of Onside's Tom Lawson and Tom Heywood, the four to 11-year-olds tasted four sports each day during their break from school, with many coming back having enjoyed it so much on previous occasions.

“We see the same faces – they come back every time,” said Lawson. “We've got a good mixture of younger and older ones.

“For the younger ones, they get to work in a group with some kids they have never worked with before.”

Introducing the children to new sports is one of the key elements of the multi-sports week.

While Onside also deliver football-only courses, they feel the need to spread the word on other activities.

Helped by Year 10 pupils from Dowdales, they do just that, with Lawson saying: “It gives them the chance to try new sports. With some kids, we will introduce them to hockey, dodgeball, or cricket, and they may never have played it before.

“We try and cover as many sports as we can. If they're here for the full week, they don't want to be doing the same things every day.”

Heywood added: “They might want to play football, but we play something else and they will find they have really enjoyed it. They might come in just focused on football, but try to change that so they have a go at everything.

“We do two sports each morning and two in the afternoon, so they have about 45 minutes to an hour on each.”