Jim asks BTL if any state schools play cricket. Not many, is my guess, especially in urban settings, but earlier this this year I did come across the The Fred Trueman & R66T Academy State Schools Cricket League, the brainchild of Fred Trueman and his friend Geoff Hastings.

The germ of an idea came when Trueman and Hastings were admiring the work of Chance to Shine but wishing that there was something similar for state secondary schools. They had got as far as negotiating some financial backing when Trueman was diagnosed with lung cancer and died quite soon afterwards in 2006. Nevertheless, the Trueman state school cricket league was established after his death and grew slowly and organically, when money was available, until Covid closed down schools.

Post pandemic, it was relaunched, with the help of money from the Cricket Society Trust, and joined forces with the Root academy to become the Trueman R66T Academy State School Cricket League – Trueman had been insistent that it should be a league not a cup so that children were not knocked out of the competition after one game. The League has provided playing equipment and match balls and coaches, and helped find locations for schools to play at – many don’t have pitches of their own - including area finals in the beautiful grounds of Kimbolton school.

This summer, over 2,500 secondary-school children spread over seven counties will be playing hard ball cricket in the league, who otherwise might never have picked up a bat.