Mayflower Community Academy's Theo Smith has become the seven millionth child to receive Chance to Shine coaching since 2005.

In a special session at the Plymouth school last week, led by West Devon Club & Community Coach Jack Ormsby, Theo was presented with a certificate to commemorate the milestone and Chance to Shine gifted bats, balls and stumps to all of his classmates.

Speaking to Chance to Shine on the day, Theo said:

"Playing cricket makes me feel happy as it lets you play with your friends. I like playing with my friends as it expresses my feelings and gets rid of stress.

"There was a lovely coach who inspired me to join the club that she told us about. I’m more confident now about batting – when I started playing cricket I used to use a big ball but now I use a smaller ball."

Theo became the second child from Devon to be featured as a milestone for Chance to Shine delivery, with St Thomas Primary School's Rachael Sanders becoming the one-millionth child in 2010.

"We are hugely grateful to our partners at Chance to Shine, who enable us to deliver a wide range of cricket programmes across the county," said Devon Cricket Foundation's Clubs & Programmes Manager, Alex Jopling.

"The session was a great opportunity to showcase the positive impact our programmes are having across schools in Devon. We would like to thank Mayflower Community Academy for enthusiastically welcoming us back for the occasion and congratulate Theo on the accolade."

Speaking on reaching the latest milestone, Chance to Shine Chief Executive, Laura Cordingley said: "Reaching seven million young people through our programmes is a milestone we are tremendously proud of."

Through Chance to Shine funding, the Devon Cricket Foundation delivers cricket programmes in state schools across the county. Find out more about our school offer on our website, or by getting in touch with Alex Jopling.