More schoolchildren than ever before picked up a bat and ball to take part in Schools Cricket Day, the largest single-day cricket participation event in UK history.

Over 236,000 children across 1,350 schools took part in the event on April 23 that marked the 50-day countdown to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup that begins when England take on Sri Lanka at Edgbaston on June 12.

Headlining the day was ex-England skipper Heather Knight, who joined over 200 girls and boys at a cricket festival hosted by Raynes Park Sports Ground where she met aspiring players and took part in drills and activities to help get children involved in the game
ahead of the showpiece tournament.

Knight was joined in south-west London by Michael Atherton and Ebony Rainford-Brent, as well as Surrey player Emily Burke, while the likes of Lydia Greenway, Jess Jonassen and Georgia Adams joined Schools Cricket Day events across various World Cup host cities.

Knight said of the importance of the day: “Cricket gave me opportunities I could never have imagined growing up, and days like today are where it all starts. For so many young people, this will be their first experience of cricket and hopefully the beginning of a lifelong connection with the game.

“I hope the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup inspires many more girls and boys to pick up a bat and ball and follow in our footsteps – it’s important for the next generation to see that cricket is a sport for everyone.”

Schools Cricket Day is part of the ECB’s drive to use the World Cup to inspire the next generation of girls to get into cricket. Through numerous programmes and initiatives, they are aiming to see 500,000 women and girls playing cricket this year, as well as 300 women taking up key leadership roles within the game’s administration, and 500 Champions of Change, created as part of the Young Cricket Collective, to empower young girls to volunteer at their local clubs.

Along with the ICC’s global charity partner, UNICEF, and its ‘Rights in Play’ programme, the day included games focusing on increasing understanding of child rights through play and participation in cricket.

“Moments like this show how the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup is shaping the future of the game,” said ECB head of strategic growth, Gemma Barton. “Every girl and boy inspired to pick up a bat and ball today can see how inclusive, welcoming and fun cricket is. It’s not just about the summer ahead, it’s about what comes next: more girls playing, more teams growing, and more people feeling like they belong in the game.”

In Gloucestershire, more than 7,500 children from across the county took part in Schools Cricket Day ahead of Bristol hosting six fixtures over the course of the upcoming tournament. The chance to host World Cup cricket is a big opportunity for the county to get more girls involved in the sport, something that Gloucestershire county cricketer Melissa Story is keenly aware of.

She told GloucestershireLive: “Initiatives like today are so important to inspire the next generation of cricketers to take their first steps into playing the game that’s given me so much. Major tournaments can have such a powerful legacy and today’s Schools Cricket Day is a pivotal step towards encouraging more girls and boys, across Bristol and Gloucestershire and the entire country, to pick up a bat and ball and fall in love with the sport.”

Deputy leader of Bristol City Council, Heather Mack, added: “Sport can be a great leveller, no matter your background, you have the chance to excel. That’s why days like this can build confidence, even beyond the sport itself.

“In Bristol, women are less physically active than men. However, the gap is gradually decreasing. Events like last year’s Rugby World Cup are helping to accelerate the process. Almost 70% of people who went to the Women’s Rugby World Cup with girls under 18 say that those girls now feel more motivated to be physically active. This summer’s T20 World Cup can have the same effect for young girls in our city. I hope that they’ll leave the County Ground feeling more confident, capable, and motivated to try cricket.” Up in Lancashire, where Old Trafford is preparing to host five World Cup matches, 130 children from Kings Road Primary School headed to Lancashire’s indoor cricket centre for a dedicated cricket session with ex-England spinner Alex Hartley.

“There was a huge shift after the 2017 World Cup, we all felt it,” said Hartley, who was a key member of the triumphant England side. “Having the T20 tournament in England and Wales this summer presents another huge opportunity to continue building a legacy that can be felt by all future generations of cricketers from Lancashire and across the nation.”