Kids scheme a shining example

English cricket’s Chance to Shine campaign has involved more than 33,000 youngsters in its first six weeks this summer.

The scheme, set up by the Cricket Foundation to promote competitive participation in the sport in state schools, is designed to address a decrease in playing numbers throughout England and Wales.

Six hundred schools are involved in the first year of Chance to Shine and former England captain Michael Atherton, one of the foundation trustees, said: “We must help more youngsters take up cricket for their own good, for the good of their communities but also to help the national cause.

“Cricket in this country needs to move further up the sporting ‘food chain’.

“The game needs to be more widely available and to reach many more young people from all backgrounds.

“Chance to Shine is creating wider and more diverse pools of talent from which ultimately the national team will also benefit.”