Minecraft gets new cricket stadium based on children's designs for The Hundred

The virtual Minecraft stadium suspended in spaceImage source, The Hundred
Image caption,

Ethan, 7, suggested the stadium should also be a spaceship

A cricket stadium with a see-through wicket and a rollercoaster might not exist in real life, but cricket fans can now explore it virtually.

Using ideas and designs from children across the UK, The Hundred cricket competition has built a stadium like no-other - all in Minecraft!

Following a nationwide challenge for kids to create the most imaginative cricket stadium, ten children's ideas were picked from hundreds to create the virtual experience.

The top 10 designs included a see-through wicket, a rollercoaster, a rainbow arch, a sea creature moat flowing around the pitch's boundary and interactive disco lights.

The Hundred say it is the first ever sports stadium built in the gaming platform through a kids competition.

Image source, The Hundred
Image caption,

Polly,10, and 12-year-old Samuel came up with the idea of having a moat filled with sea creatures

The stadium took 150 hours to build, and used 1.3 million blocks.

The winners impressed a judging panel, including Birmingham Phoenix women's team superstar and gamer Issy Wong and Minecraft wiz and Founder of BlockWorks, James Delaney.

Image source, The Hundred
Image caption,

Thea's design featured a rainbow arch to celebrate diversity

"As soon as I read the brief, I knew that I had to do something colourful. The arch over the stadium is a rainbow to celebrate diversity," said 12-year-old winner Thea, talking about her cricket ball-shaped build with a rainbow canopy.

Rosie, 8, whose design also made it into the final stadium, said: "In Minecraft your imagination can run wild and free, and I wanted this stadium to have everything! I've gone for sea creatures swimming around the pitch as you watch the games."

Media caption,

The Hundred: Sachn's guide to what the competition is all about!

The interactive stadium has been launched to celebrate a month until The Hundred starts in August.

The men's and women's games kick off on the 3 and 11 August, with the final on 3 September 2022.

Are you a Minecraft fan? Or a cricket fan? What do you think of the stadium? Let us know in the comments.