Music, food, art, literature and beach cricket were on the menu for cricketing stars from around the country as they headed back to school in glorious sunshine for Brit Insurance National Cricket Day this week (22nd May).

Brighton and Cornwall were the venues for schoolchildren to compete in inter-school beach cricket tournaments with Sussex star Chris Nash and Worcestershire bowler Jack Shantry on hand to offer advice and tips.

Girls took over Sefton Park Cricket Club in Liverpool at a girls-only Kwik cricket competition with Lancashire captain Glenn Chapple in attendance. The tournament also had added Caribbean flavour with a steel band providing the soundtrack to the day.

Schools from Hartlepool to Bristol also welcomed cricketers, such as former Australia international Ian Harvey, into their classrooms.

County cricket boards organised a raft of National Cricket Day activities in their local area and county players like Ex-Leicestershire and England keeper Paul Nixon and Glamorgan and England fast bowler Simon Jones got behind the day alongside England Women's stars Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn and Beth Morgan.

StreetChance also got involved in National Cricket Day with a Caribbean themed inner-city tournament in Birmingham with six teams playing with tape balls made up as the West Indian islands flags!

Speaking at the Brighton beach event, Chris Nash said, "The kids have had a great day and we were all delighted the sun came out. It is fantastic to see such a good turnout today and see so many children playing this amazing game. It's a great game to meet people and it teaches you a lot of important things about life."

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 Kevin Pietersen, Charlotte Edwards, Ravi Bopara, Alastair Cook, Katherine Brunt, Matt Prior and Chris Tremlett have all supported the day, through the help of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Professional Cricketers' Association.