JUBILANT teacher Steve Chadwick hailed the huge impact of Chance to Shine after guiding his Kingsway School pupils to double success in the Stockport Inter (Indoor) Cricket Championships.

The Cheadle-based secondary won both the Boys Under 13 and Boys Under 15 events in the borough, including a dramatic final ball victory over rivals Bramhall in the U15 event, and will go on to represent Stockport at the Cheshire County Finals later this month.

After receiving several weeks of specialist coaching from ECB Level 3 professionals Rick Halkon and Gavin Colebourn, Mr Chadwick wanted to place on record his thanks for the high quality work carried by the Cheshire Cricket Board staff.

He said, "In light of our recent success, The Kingsway School would like to acknowledge the huge impact the Chance to Shine Project has had on the pupils' development and increasing interest in the sport."

"This is the third year that we have worked alongside the Cheshire Cricket Board through Chance to Shine and I feel that their commitment to provide opportunities for all students has been key to the school's recent sporting success in cricket."

"Last year, our Under 13s won the Stockport Championship and went on to represent the borough at the Cheshire County Finals, and we have managed to repeat that feat this year after another successful winter campaign."

"Gavin Colebourn and Rick Halkon have been the key drivers in this development, working collaboratively with the PE Department to deliver high quality coaching sessions to a large number of students who are keen to develop and learn."

Through the Chance to Shine project, students have had the opportunity to develop their skills, go to watch a live game and become more aware of how to become involved in cricket outside of school, making links with local clubs in the surrounding areas.

With a full outdoor cricket programme in Stockport to look forward to after the Easter break, Mr Chadwick is keen to maintain strong links with the Cheshire coaches to ensure sustainability of the project within the school.

He added,"The project and work with the Kingsway School has gone from strength to strength. Offering indoor cricket for all students from January was an excellent idea and we were consistently getting numbers of 50 plus students."

"We look forward to further developments in the future and hopefully more success will follow."