Young cricketers from around the country got the opportunity of a lifetime when they travelled to the Home of Cricket for the Pinsent Masons Indoor Cricket Tournament last Thursday (27th September). The tournament was held in the MCC Indoor School at Lord's and the children were treated to a guided tour of the ground and had the opportunity to meet England woman's cricketer and Chance to Shine Coaching Ambassador Beth Morgan.

Children from six teams attended from four schools (St Andrews School in London, Windmill Primary School in Leeds, Kingsway Primary School in Manchester and Handsworth School in Birmingham) and two cricket clubs (Sale Cricket Club in Manchester and Handsworth Cricket Club in Birmingham).

Speaking about the day, Beth Morgan said: "It's been a brilliant day here at Lord's and its fantastic to see kids enjoying cricket so much. I think Pinsent Masons and Chance to Shine have done a great job getting these kids enthused. They are obviously loving cricket and its fantastic to see so many kids progressing and getting an opportunity to play at somewhere like Lord's.

The matches were highly competitive and were played in a positive spirit throughout the day with St Andrews School emerging victorious after beating Windmill Primary School to become tournament winners.

Speaking about his school's victory, Paul Cohen, teacher at St Andrews School said: "It was a brilliant day out and great to see so many kids here enjoying cricket. It has been really good for the children to come from all parts of the country, get involved and play at such a prestigious venue like Lord's.

The tournament was part of the Pinsent Masons' community relations programme known as 'Starfish'.

Speaking at the event Claire Hall, of the Cricket Foundation said: "It's been a great day at Lord's and it is fantastic to see all the kids enjoying themselves and the game of cricket. Many thanks to Pinsent Masons, Beth and all the coaches involved for making the event a success. The support we recieve from Pinsent Masons is excellent and helps the continued success of Chance to Shine. 

Tom Clough, of Pinsent Masons said: "It was a really good day, all the kids got very involved and very excited about it and they all came away more enthusiastic about cricket than they were when they arrived. I think they took some inspiration from meeting Beth Morgan which was really fun for then and I know that Pinsent Masons are really happy to sponsor such a good and worthy cause like Chance to Shine. 

Pinsent Masons have supported Chance to Shine since 2008 and have an employee volunteering programme with over 60 employees nationwide involved in Chance to Shine. Some staff volunteer on a regular basis and help out with cricket sessions in schools or the local club and others help out on a one off basis, with festivals and other events.