Perfect Preparation

Jim Hindson explains why The Cricketer is expanding into junior school coverage.

Beaudesert Park School

Papplewick School

Schools cricket has been covered by this magazine since its inception in 1921, so it is a little surprising that it was only four years ago that we decided to produce a definitive guide to the top cricket schools in the UK, initially titled The Playing Fields of England. There has been surprise and genuine interest in both the amount and quality of cricket played at this level. Readers have been delighted to be given the opportunity of an early look at potential future stars, and they have commented on the evocative photography.

Another common theme feeding back from readers has been to ask what cricket is available to young players before they reach secondary school age. Many cricket clubs do a fantastic job in running junior teams and coaching evenings and are well supported by Chance to Shine and the ECB All Stars Cricket programme, but what about prep and junior schools? Is cricket a part of the curriculum at this age and if it is, how committed are the schools to providing a credible platform for children to learn the game and improve their skills?

Buoyed by the success of our secondary schools guide and encouraged by our readers, we decided to take the next step and are delighted to share the results in our inaugural Top 50 prep and junior schools guide. Our editorial team do not do things by halves – and have invested countless hours researching the subject, talking to teachers, coaches and parents, along with county cricket boards and Chance to Shine, to produce this list.

The latest addition to our guide came with its challenges. Schools catering for this younger age group tend to provide more diverse sporting opportunities, encouraging the children to have a go at lots of sports and recreational activities, rather than focusing on two or three key disciplines as you would find at senior schools. Fixture lists tend to be shorter and matches themselves (not surprising given the age of players) are also more concise affairs.

Nevertheless, we found that cricket is alive and kicking at many younger schools across the country and are delighted with the results of this new top 50 and the interest among schools that it has already created. We hope you, the readers, will enjoy it too.