Chance2Shine pulling youngsters into game at a young age + 15-year review highlights success of schools' initiative

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

CHANCE2Shine  will be back on the timetable in Devon primary schools once the Covid-19 crisis is over.

Running cricket tasters in primary schools has been a non-starter for the DCB since the Covid-19 shutdown back in March.

Coaches John Varcoe, Damian Price and James Kemp, along with Ann-Marie Presswell in the all-girls sector, hope to be back in the playground next spring armed with their bats, balls and stumps.

Between September 2019 and closedown in March 2020, DCB Chance2Shine  coaches carried out:

[ ] More than 900 hours of sessions

[ ] Visited 79 schools

[ ] Coached 4,156 primary school youngsters and

[ ] Trained 93 teachers in how to deliver Chance2Shine  sessions

Additionally, Presswell found time in her busy cricket schedule to spend 68 hours in seven secondary schools introducing girls to cricket.

Since Chance2Shine  started in 2005 coaches have visited more than 300 school in Devon. In a full year around 1,800 hours of coaching and competition is delivered to approximately 8,000 young participants.

Alex Jopling, who overseas Chance2Shine  cricket in Devon, said the impact of the programme has been measurable.

“We are seeing children playing at school transitioning to nearby clubs,” said Jopling.

“A school cricket league for key stage two primary children was established at Manadon in Plymouth until the Covid outbreak.

“There was a substantial entry into Kwik Cricket competitions that should have taken place before Covid struck.

“And we are now seeing teachers who have been trained regularly delivering cricket in their schools.”

Devon has been at the forefront of the Chance2Shine  project to promote cricket among youngsters since it was launched 15 years ago.

Coaches who cut their teeth in Devon with the Chance2Shine  programme have gone on to jobs in the wider world of cricket with professional counties and beyond.

Locally, Scott Chappell and Andy Fairbairn now work for Somerset CB as youth development manager and cricket development manager respectively.

Chappell has fond memories of his time with the Devon CB working with around 50 schools in the South Devon area.

“My overriding memory is of the smiles on kids faces after they an opportunity they otherwise would not have had to try cricket,” said Chappell, who now runs the Somerset CB Chance2Shine  programme.

Trevor Griffin was a busy Chance2Shine  coach in Devon during the early years of the scheme and his hard work earned him the national coach of the year award in 2011.

Griffin has gone on to coach professional sides in this country, New Zealand and Australia. He is best known for his three years as coach of Kia Super League dominatrices Western Storm.

Griffin was due to coach London Spirit in this summer’s cancelled Women’s Hundred tournament. He has recently been appointed head coach of the ECB’s London and East regional women’s hub.

In the same year Griffin was named C2S  coach of the year, Torquay’s Sue Steart was named teacher of the year.

Former Exmouth and Devon cricketer David Court started out C2S  coaching at schools in East Devon before he was talent-spotted by Surrey and moved to the Oval to work.

Court was performance manager at the ECB from 2013-2016 then left to work for the Football Association, where he was talent identification, development education lead and performance education lead.

Earlier this year Court went back to the ECB as men's player identification lead. Working alongside chief selector Ed Smith and performance director Mo Bobat, Court operates with England pathway coaches, regional talent teams and a national network of scouts.

Chance2Shine  in the West of England is run by Stuart Priscott, who knows all about Devon’s enthusiasm for the scheme as he was the county’s cricket development officer when the project started.

Since leaving Devon in 2006, Priscott has worked as Chance2Shine’s  operation manager for Wales, the South West and southern England.

As far as Chance2Shine  is concerned, Devon has other friends in high places too. Heather Knight, the England women’s captain since 2016, was educated in Plymouth and in 2017 returned to her old primary school in Elburton to deliver a Chance2Shine  session with pupils.