‘Brit Insurance National Cricket Day’ – Tuesday 22 May
Life’s a beach for Lottie, KP and King Viv as Chance to Shineschools gear up for a Caribbean carnival of cricket!
Three of the most formidable cricketers the game has ever seen are going back to school for a Caribbean cricket day...and some ‘beach’cricket.
Charlotte Edwards, Kevin Pietersen and Sir Vivian Richards will help celebrate the fifth anniversary of Chance to Shine’s ‘Brit Insurance National Cricket Day’ on 22 May at an inner-city London school; a cricket ball’s throw away from Waterloo station.
Like many of Chance to Shine’s 4,000 schools, Johanna Primary is turning its timetable over to a day of Caribbean and cricket-themed lessons to tie in with the West Indies’ tour of England. From pin-pointing Caribbean islands in Geography to creating cricket poems with celebrated, Guyanese poet John Agard in English, pupils will learn about the rich culture in an imaginative and interactive way.The England Women’s captain will help get the ball rolling with an MCC Spirit of Cricket assembly, teaching children how to ‘play hard, but fair’.
Away from the classroom, a tropical beach scene will spring up in the playground, complete with palm trees, sand and a steel pan band; helping to bring a taste of the Caribbean to this corner of London. And no West Indian island would be complete without a game of beach cricket: Charlotte, Kevin and Sir Viv will help teach youngsters to sweep, switch-hit and swagger their way to victory against the paradisiacal backdrop.
Elsewhere in the country, schoolchildren nearer to the coast will compete in inter-school beach cricket tournaments in Brighton and Cornwall; while girls take over Sefton Park Cricket Club in Liverpool and Porthcawl Cricket Club in Cardiff at girls-only Kwik cricket competitions. County cricket boards are organising a raft of National Cricket Day activities in their local area and county players like Lancashire captain Glenn Chapple,Sussex’s Chris Nash,former Leicestershire skipper Paul Nixon and ex-England Chris Broadare getting behind the day.
“It’ll be fantastic to see cricket once again uniting hundreds of schools and children all over the country on 22 May,” says Wasim Khan, Chief Executive of Chance to Shine, “Brit Insurance National Cricket Day is a celebration of the game and the work that Chance to Shine is doing to try and inspire the next generation of players; and what better than way to celebrate than with a Caribbean carnival of cricket?”
Chance to Shine launched National Cricket Day in 2008 to help raise awareness of the campaign and its aim to bring the educational benefits of cricket to two million children by 2015. Since then, England players Ravi Bopara, Katherine Brunt, Alastair Cook, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Matt Prior and Chris Tremlett have all supported the day, through the help of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Professional Cricketers’ Association.
Last year the Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, and cricket broadcaster Mark Nicholas took part in a ‘Dream Cricket School’, teaching cricket-based cross-curricular lessons.
To view a video of last year’s Brit Insurance National Cricket Day, read about ideas on how to celebrate the day in your school or to download Caribbean cricket lesson plans,visit
- Ends –
For more information please contact:
Fabian Devlin, Head of Communications, the Cricket Foundation
T. 07920 502 152 E.
Notes to editor
About ‘Chance to Shine supported by Brit Insurance’
Chance to Shine is bringing cricket back to schools. Before it launched in 2005, fewer than 10% of state schools played competitive cricket. Chance to Shine is now running in 4,000 schoolsand 1.5million children have enjoyed cricketing opportunities as a result. Chance to Shine is not just about cricket. Young people involved in the programme are developing essential life skills and values, such as leadership, discipline, teamwork and understanding how to win and lose. £15 pays for a child to benefit from Chance to Shine for a year.Donate now at chancetoshine.org and join us at facebook.com/cricketinschools
1