Pupils from Broughton Primary School made their own little bit of Edinburgh history on Thursday 24 June, with a special game of cricket on the Mound Precinct.
Yorkshire Tea National Cricket Week came north of the border for the very first time, thanks to children’s charity Chance to Shine’s new partnership with Cricket Scotland.
The charity aims to give all children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket, teaching key life skills and supporting their physical, social and mental wellbeing.
Schools in Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire have been receiving coaching over the last few weeks, whilst community ‘Street Projects’ will also be set up in Peterhead after the summer holidays.
The Chance to Shine Street programme is engaging thousands of young people in inner city areas affected by youth crime with a lack of access to traditional cricket clubs.
Scotland international Mark Watt, who joined pupils for the activity on Princes Street, said: “The work Chance to Shine do is massively important. It’s something I wish that we had during my time at school and it’s great to give that opportunity to state school kids. It’s a great sport for children’s development, especially around working well as a team.”
Broughton Primary School pupil Alfie, aged 9, said: “I had fun and I enjoyed running about trying to get the ball. I was also very happy to meet Mark as he’s someone famous!”
National Cricket Week is a celebration of the game and aims to inspire children to take part in cricketing activities. It is also a chance to showcase the work that Chance to Shine does in bringing the game to hundreds of thousands of children every year. For more information or to get involved, visit chancetoshine.org/ncw21.
