England stars give Essex kids a Chance to Compete

England internationals Eoin Morgan, Lydia Greenway and Susie Rowe encouraged secondary school children to 'urn' their stripes at a Chance to Compete cricket tournament last week at Springfield Cricket Club near Chelmsford.

Chance to Compete is a national hard ball secondary school competition for both U13s and U15s. Schools compete in county and regional competitions with successful teams playing in the National Final at Northants County Ground on 13th September.

Slazenger ambassador Morgan also gave the youngsters a cricketing master class including how to play his famous specialist shot, the reverse sweep.

Budding cricketers from Challney High school for Boys, Bedfordshire, Neal-Wade Academy, Cambridgeshire, Hayes School, Kent, and Warden Park School in Sussex took part in the eight-a-side cricket competition, which is part of the Chance to Shine programme run by the Cricket Foundation. In an extremely close tournament, Warden Park emerged as the victors. They now progress to the national final, which will be played under lights at Northants County ground.

Speaking about the day, Morgan said, "The guys are really excited to be here. Potentially playing at a county ground under lights is a huge experience. As a kid I would have never have dreamt of anything like that, so it will be a great day, for them and their families."

"Cricket is a fantastic sport, as it brings different types of personalities within a team environment. Personally, I've taken a lot from cricket just from getting to know people. It is a great sport to be around and attracts a fantastic crowd in a family environment. Chance to Shine is a great cause, which gives huge opportunities to children around the country."

Since 2005, Chance to Shine has brought cricket and its educational benefits to 7,000 state schools and has reached over two million children. The programme costs £5million a year to run, the equivalent of £15 per child, and in 2012 alone gave 350,000 boys and girls competitive cricket opportunities.

Whilst all Investec Ashes Tests are in play, all donations to Chance to Shine are doubled.

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Chance to Shine is a national cricket charity that works in state schools and communities to spread the power of cricket. We believe that all children should be given the opportunity to play and learn through cricket. We believe that cricket teaches children valuable skills like communication, teamwork and respect that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
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Chance to Shine is an independent charity that works to spread the power of cricket in schools and communities across the country. Set up as the Cricket Foundation, the charity aims to provide opportunities in state schools and deprived communities.