A whole host of top county and international cricketers went back to school this month to teach children to 'play hard, play fair, have fun', the motto of MCC Spirit of Cricket.

From Taunton to Barnsley and many schools in between, children from Chance to Shine schools were given an assembly to remember, with interactive competition and video and real-life examples from some of their heroes. After assembly, the cricketers assisted with a cricket session for a lucky class.

Chris Tremlett led the way in London, speaking of his experiences of the MCC Spirit of Cricket at international level, and he impressed youngsters at Honeywell School in Wandsworth with his bowling in the assembly 'bowl-out' competition.

Elsewhere, England T20 international Luke Wright spoke to children in Brighton, Ashes winner Geraint Jones gave youngsters in Sittingbourne, Kent, a lesson in respect; and former England international and Hampshire captain Dominic Cork shared his experiences with children in Aldershot, Hampshire. Nick Compton, Jon Lewis, Anthony McGrath and Chris Read were among other top names who went back to school to deliver an assembly.

In 2011, around 400,000 children in just under 4,000 'Chance to Shine supported by Brit Insurance' schools will be introduced to the key MCC Spirit of Cricket messages enshrined in the Laws of the game, as a result of the MCC/Chance to Shine partnership. MCC and Chance to Shine have produced a special MCC Spirit of Cricket online DVD resource for school assemblies that cover key aspects of the MCC Spirit of Cricket.

For more information on MCC Spirit of Cricket and click here and to find out about special MCC Spirit of Cricket summer camps: http://mcccamp.chancetoshine.org/