Children from an Oldham Primary School have been featured with top cricket stars as part of a new campaign to get kids playing the sport.

Pupils at Mayfield Primary School were included in a video alongside Jimmy Anderson, Ben Stokes and Heather Knight for a campaign launched by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

ECB hope the campaign will encourage more kids to engage in the sport, with the board saying that 2024 is set to be the biggest year for children’s cricket.

In the video, Elliot, nine, from Mayfield, said: “I play cricket at my cricket club, with my team mates, because they are motivational.

“On my street, we play on the road, and the ball can just go anywhere. In my garden the ball can go over the fence at any point. But, at my cricket club I can hit it as hard as I want because it is a big area.

“My favourite place to play is my garden because I get to play with my family and my brother.”

Olivia, age 10 (Image: ECB)

Another pupil, 10-year-old Olivia, explained that she loves playing the sport with her best friend Abigail, with Olivia being a ‘really good bowler’ and Abigail a ‘really good batter’.

While fellow Mayfield student Omari said: “What we like to do at my school, if it’s raining outside, is play quick cricket in the hall.

 

"If one of our best batters has been playing for ages, our sports teacher does his best to get him out. Then when it’s the teacher’s turn to play and we manage to get him out it makes us all scream!” 

In 2023, 1.1 million children were supported by ECB and partner programs to play cricket, with the board hoping to surpass the number this year in an effort to inspire the next generation of cricketers.

 

Jimmy Anderson (Image: ECB) Jimmy Anderson, former England Men’s international player, said: “Like every other kid in the country, I started playing at home by picking up a bat and a ball and giving it a go.

“I was lucky that my dad played and I went to watch him at the local club but now there are way more opportunities to give cricket a try, whether that is at school, or at home or out with your mates.

“I’d encourage any young boy or girl to give it a try and you never know where it can lead.” 

Ahead of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the 2030 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, more investment will be going into grassroots cricket, with the ECB already investing £4 million each year to support cricket in schools.

This will only increase as in April 2024, the government announced a £35 million investment into grassroots cricket facilities and allowing more state school access to the sport.