THIRTY-six schools converged on Crosfields School last Thursday to compete in the under-9 years primary schools football festival.

This hugely-popular annual event, first held in 1996, is based on fun and enjoyment and there are no overall winners.

Instead, each school went home with a souvenir football, which they received at the end of the afternoon from Ady Williams, the former Reading FC star and Wales international.

"It was good to see all the boys enjoying their football," he said.

The schools were split into six leagues, each playing five matches for the duration of eight minutes with nine pitches being used in the Crosfields grounds in Shinfield Road, Reading.

No team managed to win all of their five games, but Springfield (Tilehurst) boys won five and drew the other game without letting in a goal.

Crosfield's director of sport, Gareth Edwards, commented: "This was the 20th time we have run this festival and once again I was thrilled with the interest shown from local primary schools."

Headmaster Craig Watson added: "Each festival is a celebration of sport, providing an opportunity for children of all abilities to enjoy playing in a team against other schools. It was a highly enjoyable and very successful afternoon."

Mr Watson congratulated the players on the skills and sportsmanship they displayed during the afternoon.

He also thanked members of his school's PE department who had organised last Thursday's festival and Bradfield College for providing the the match referees, with their director of sport, Matt Ruxton, being joined by students James Gibson, Tom Ettridge, Henry Despard, James Glasgow, Freddie Cordle, Matthew Graves, Aidan Benger and Thomas Wynne.

Reading Football Club's community department supported the festival by bringing along their bus and club mascot, Kingsley.

Due to work going on in the grounds at Crosfields, including the installation of an artificial turf pitch, it was not possible to run the usual girls festival at the same time, but they will have their own event on November 6 with 36 schools expected to take part.

In addition to the football, Crosfields host mini tag-rugby and cross country events for other schools with the three annual festivals each year catering for more than 1,500 Years 3 and 4 children.

Schools represented last Thursday were All Saints (Wokingham), Birch Copse (Tilehurst) , Burghfield St Mary's, Calcot, Caversham Primary, Churchend (Tilehurst), Christ the King (Reading), Downsway (Tilehurst), Earley St Peter's, Farley Hill, Hawkedon (Lower Earley), Highwood (Woodley), Keep Hatch (Wokingham), Long Lane (Tilehurst), Meadow Park (Tilehurst), Moorlands (Tilehurst), Palmer Academy (Reading), Pangbourne Primary, Park Lane (Tilehurst), Robert Piggott (Wargrave), Ranikhet Academy (Tilehurst), Rivermead (Woodley), Sonning CoE, South Lake (Woodley), St Mary and All Saints (Coley), St Mary's (Henley), Shiplake CoE, Springfield (Tilehurst), Theale CoE, The Colleton (Twyford), The Hill (Caversham), Westende (Wokingham), Westwood Farm (Tilehurst), Whiteknights (Wokingham), Willow Bank (Woodley) and Winnersh Primary.