State schools to play cricket at Lord's ground

State schools to play cricket at Lord's ground

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BBC Precious and Ellen are two of the pupils the MCC foundation hopes to inspire to play cricket

A new tournament, specifically for state school pupils, has been launched at Lord's cricket ground by former England captains Heather Knight and Michael Vaughan. The Knight-Stokes Cup will be a T20 competition contested next summer via a series of knockout regional qualifiers with the finals to be staged on the main ground at Lord's. The tournament will be for school pupils in the Year 10 age group with separate events for boys and girls. It is part of the game's wider efforts to increase opportunities for state school children to play cricket, following a critical report about elitism in the game.

Former England captain Heather Knight learned to play cricket at a state school

A 2023 report by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) reported "elitism and class-based discrimination" in the game was partly down to a lack of cricket in state schools and a talent pathway structurally aligned to private schools. The commission said it was "alarmed" by repeated references to "the bank of mum and dad", with respondents to their study stressing the importance of financial support from parents in determining their success. The report recommended the historic Eton versus Harrow school matches should not be played at Lord's - but objections by some members of the MCC led to a compromise in which that match - and the annual university match between Oxford and Cambridge - will remain at the ground until at least 2027, when there will be a review.

Michael Vaughan helped launch the new competition at an event on Tuesday

The Knight-Stokes Cup will be held in the summer of 2026 which schools can sign up to now. It's named after Knight and the current England captain Ben Stokes, both of whom learned to play at state schools. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Foundation will oversee the organisation of the cup in conjunction with regional cricket boards. The competition will also provide opportunities for potentially talented cricketers to be spotted at an early age. A number of independent schools have agreed to provide grounds and facilities for state schools to play matches.

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