Newmarket Welcomes Queen's Baton

9 June 2014, 06:00 | Updated: 9 June 2014, 12:22

With 44 days until the Commonwealth Games, the Queen's Baton travels to Newmarket for a day of free sports events.

Starting at breakfast time in Lowestoft seafront, the baton - which has travelled around the Commonwealth - will be given a grand farewell from the seaside by the town's boxing hero, Olympic bronze medallist Anthony Ogogo.

The baton will make it's way to Bury St Edmunds mid afternoon, but not before stopping off mid-morning at Newmarket.

The Newmarket Community Sports Festival is a free day of street games, cricket, hockey, dodgeball and circus skills to celebrate the up coming Commonwealth Games.

The public event at Newmarket Racecourse from 10am to 1pm is being held to encourage people to become more active helping to make Suffolk England's Most Active County.

Visitors will be able to try tennis on mini tennis courts, cricket, hockey, circus skills, and street games including football speed shooting. Local clubs represented include Newmarket Hockey Club, Newmarket Tennis Club, Newmarket and District Swimming Club.

500 pupils from 22 local schools (17 from the Forest Heath Schools Sports Partnership and 5 from East Cambridgeshire) will take part in a schools relay before the Baton departs.

Jockey Ryan Moore, wearing Her Majesty The Queen's colours, will then ride with the Baton down the Rowley Mile. Moore rode the Queen's horse 'Estimate' to victory at Royal Ascot in 2013.

Warren Smyth, Chief Executive of Anglia Community Leisure, said: "The Sports Festival is a great chance to try some new sports and find out more about where you can take part in Forest Heath.

We hope it will inspire people to get active, help clubs find new members and celebrate the best of sport in the district at the home of racing, where many magical sports moments have been creat-ed."

The XX Commonwealth Games takes place in Glasgow from 23rd July to 3rd August.

Getting There

Free car parking is available at the Newmarket Rowley Mile Racecourse but organisers encourage attendees to use active transport if possible and walking or cycle to the event.