While the ECB is best known for the England team, the organisation's commitment stretches from international cricket down to the grassroots of the game.

Just as it's important to have a winning England side, of parallel significance is ensuring that cricket is made available to everyone, regardless of age, gender, race or ability.

In 2007 the ECB extended its commitment to further enhance equality and inclusiveness at every level in cricket when it launched One Game, an ambitious project aimed at widening the appeal of the sport and ensuring as many people as possible could get involved.

The scheme has been met with enthusiasm and a 27 per cent increase in participation in club and school cricket was recorded during 2006-7.

An ECB survey, which sampled 424 Focus Clubs nationally, showed a 22 per cent rise in black and ethnic minority groups playing cricket, a 16 per cent increase in volunteers and a 37 per cent increase in years five, six and seven school participation. ECB competitions reflected this surge with increased entries in many events.

The Cockspur Cup followed up an impressive increase in the number of clubs entered in the competition in 2006 with a further 41 clubs joining the 2007 event, bringing about a 22 per cent increase in two years.

The Portman Building Society’s U15 National Club Championship attracted another record entry with 1,704 teams entering the competition, an increase of 45 on the previous year. Rachel Scholes of Mansfield Hosiery Mills from Nottinghamshire became the first girl to take part in the National Finals.

The MCC Spirit of Cricket U13 National Club Championship also saw an expanded entry level with 74 more teams competing in 2007.

In the County Age Group competitions 12 counties were represented in the 18 different age group teams that reached the national finals which, with the exception of the U17 Championship, took place at Oundle School over the month of August.

In the U17 County Championship Division One (South) winners Hampshire completed a comprehensive victory over Division One (North) winners Durham by 334 runs at Hove to take the title. Hampshire’s total of 470-8 was the highest score in the history of this final.

Bromley won the 2007 Cockspur Cup © Sarah Williams

Wales took part in three Finals Festivals, winning two titles - the U15 County Championship, after topping the table with three points more than runners up Cheshire, and the U13 County Cup after a 111 run victory over Kent.

In the U14 County Cup Wales reached the semi finals but lost to the eventual winners, Lancashire, who took the title with victory over Middlesex in the final. Cheshire were also runners up in the U15 County Cup after defeat by Essex in the final. Honourable mention should also be made of Warwickshire who reached four Finals (U13, U14 and both U15 competitions) but failed to take the trophy on each occasion.

Forty teams took part in the ECB 50+ competition with Kent defeating Surrey by eight wickets in the final played at Horsham.

Woodhouse Grange from Yorkshire took the 2007 npower Village Cup after a tense final at Lord’s. They chased down Sussex side Findon’s 220 in the penultimate over to win by six wickets.

A new Twenty20 club competition was introduced in 2007 – the North Gear Premier League 2020. The finals day, held at Canterbury, was televised by Sky and the inaugural winners were the Totton & Eling Eels from Hampshire who defeated Ockbrook and Borrowash Devils from Derbyshire.

Earlier in the season the National Indoor Club Championship National Finals took place at Lord’s. Four regional finalists, Blaydon (Durham), Sarisbury Athletic (Hampshire), Broadstairs (Kent) and Lutterworth (Leicestershire) competed in front of a nosily enthusiastic crowd with Blaydon defeating Broadstairs by five wickets in the final.