As part of our partnership with Chance to Shine, we deliver junior cricket activities to schools across Cumbria.
To find out the positive impact this has on clubs, we spoke to Keith Gibson from Cleator Cricket Club.
“We have been working in partnership with Cumbria Cricket for the last six years, delivering primarily in schools within the Cleator catchment area specifically St. Patricks School, Cleator Moor, Montreal School, Cleator Moor and St Joseph’s School, Frizington (but also including Ennerdale School and Moor Row School).
“These sessions are delivered to a range of children from Reception all the way through to Year 6 and are all about getting children involved who would not normally have an opportunity to experience cricket, and we try to involve and encourage all of the youngsters (and teachers!) to enjoy their first taste of cricket and its unique combination of being both an individual and team sport.
From the classroom to the club
Keith’s presence at the school Chance to Shine sessions provides a natural gateway to encourage the pupils who are looking to play more regularly at club level.
“My presence on behalf of Cleator Cricket Club provides an ideal opportunity for those interested in taking up cricket to come to Cleator,” Keith said.
“It provides good continuity and makes the transition into club junior cricket easier to achieve. I am also the club Safeguarding Officer so this provides a natural route for contact with parents.
“The Chance to Shine programme has been very successful in helping Cleator CC attract new young players to the club in both our boys’ and girls’ sections, with many going on to play important successful roles in junior cricket.
“Our numbers in 2025 was one of our proudest moments as we had a record number of All Star participants – almost double the number of previous years.
“We have also seen a knock-on effect from young children coming to our club via Chance to Shine, with parents of those children also getting involved at the club.
“We love our time in the schools and are hopeful this partnership with Cumbria Cricket and Chance to Shine will benefit cricket in West Cumbria for years to come.”
Get Chance to Shine support at your school
We run Chance to Shine sessions across schools in Cumbria, where we see great outcomes for pupils both on and off the field of play.
If you know a school that would be interest in having chance to shine delivery in 2025-26, we would love to hear from you.
To find out more please contact Bob.Simpson@CumbriaCricket.co.uk
