Chance to shine flourishing

A £50million campaign to regenerate competitive cricket in state schools helped more than 45,000 children in its first year, including almost 19,000 girls, bringing huge educational and social benefits.

Registered charity, Cricket Foundation, launched Chance to shine in May 2005, when fewer than 10% of state schools played regular competitive cricket.

The first end-of-year report shows that Chance to Shine has worked through 100 clubs to bring cricket to 450 primary and 150 secondary schools.

• 45,360 children took part in 2006

• 41% were girls, with 10% of the overall total from ethnic minority backgrounds and 1% being children with disabilities

• 20,652 hours of coaching were delivered (76% in curriculum time)

• 5,414 matches were played

These achievements will be celebrated at Lord's with a match between two Chance to shine primary schools and a coaching clinic with legendary former West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh, plus ex-England players Alex Tudor and Devon Malcolm and former England A player Paul Weekes.

Matthew Hoggard was one of the players involved with the launch of Chance to shine, becoming an ambassador for the initiative, and he has given it his full support.

“I had to rely on being developed by a local club because there was no cricket at my school. That's why I had no hesitation in getting involved in Chance to shine. I think it's brilliant,” he said.

The 10-year campaign aims to create sustainable cricket programmes in a third of English and Welsh state schools by 2015 through providing free equipment to two million children and initiating high-quality coaching from local clubs.

Cricket Foundation is on target to raise £25m from the private sector, which the government is committed to match. Current supporters contributing to the £10m raised to date include Allianz-Cornhill, Slazenger, the Lord's Taverners and private individuals.

England captain Andrew Flintoff is also backing the campaign, saying: "Chance to shine is a wonderful cause. Too many young people have been deprived of the chance to play cricket and to broaden their learning."

Flintoff may be England’s top cricketer, but Wasim Khan, Cricket Foundation's operations director, said Chance to Shine is not about finding the next Andrew Flintoff but what cricket can do for children.

He said: "Cricket increases children's self-esteem and self-reliance while teaching them team work and to accept the umpire's decision. It's unique as it's a team game with individual aspects - no one can help when you're under a high catch."

Khan added: "It helps in the classroom as the children have used cricket as a theme for their work, and they learn numeracy through scoring a match and literacy through writing match reports."

Through Chance to shine, many boys and girls have played as a team for the first time, and children often showed sporting ability they didn't know they had.

England spin bowler Monty Panesar is also behind the scheme, saying: “By getting them playing cricket, Chance to shine helps children to interact with each other, understand teamwork and take on responsibility.

“It also helps them develop social relationships. You don't only get to know people in your school better but it is a stepping stone to making friends from other schools.”

In 2006, one disruptive boy's behaviour improved when he found he could spin the ball, a hearing-impaired girl saw her confidence and vocabulary develop and a child with autism shone as a batsman, with his team-mates telling him when to run and when to stop.

Paul Sergison, a teacher at Front Street primary school in Gateshead is delighted with the effect playing cricket is having on the children’s behaviour.

“Learning the laws of the game and cricket's strict etiquette does them good. Unlike football, where the professional players are always questioning the referee, in cricket they obey the umpire's decision,” he said.

“The children's respect for authority grows and it teaches them that rules are to be obeyed whether in the game of life or cricket. They also learn how to win or lose and how to deal with that.

“It's so important they learn that at such an early age.”

Bob Worsell, Head teacher at Nettlebed School in Henley, added: “One boy who finds physical activity difficult due to problems with motor control took part in the competition against other schools. He was delighted to contribute to the team effort by taking a wicket.”

Chance to shine has already established an educational and cricketing links programme for English and Indian schools, and hopes to do the same with Jamaica.