Youngsters treated to memorable day with primary schools set to benefit from coaching

Warwickshire Cricket Foundation welcomed 450 schoolchildren to the first day of the England v Pakistan Test at Edgbaston, thanks to the generosity of the Club

Joe Chapman

2026-09-16T08:00+01:00

More than 450 children from local schools were in attendance on day one of the third Test between England and Pakistan at Edgbaston last week - and most of those youngsters were visiting a sporting stadium for the very first time.

Local schools were invited as part of Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (WCF) Day, with a number from Heath Mount Primary in Balsall Heath also asked to join both sets of players on the pitch prior to the start of play to join in with the anthems.

WCF works with a number of schools based in areas of deprivation around the county of Warwickshire and the city of Birmingham to deliver introductory cricket sessions.

Children in schools across the region which either score in accordance with the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), or are above the national average when it comes to free school meals, are the beneficiaries of the Foundation staff’s coaching and expertise.

“Our interaction is their introduction to cricket, before they even get to the schools with most of the children we work with,” Luke Miley, WCF’s Primary School Development Officer, explained.

“We work in areas of mass deprivation, or with schools which exceed the national average for free school meals. The schools have to have a score of between one and three on the IMD or at least 24% of children have free school meals.

“We are the children’s first basic interaction with cricket, but we also work with the teachers to help upskill them.”

Those partnerships led to involvements and invitations on days like Wednesday, when the cricketing world had eyes on Edgbaston - and that meant exposure aplenty for WCF, who also had the Access team showcasing their talents on the outfield at the lunch interval and who also operated a highly successful Bowlathon with healthy participation and funds raised.

While selected pupils from nearby Heath Mount were joining the likes of Joe Root, Harry Brook and Babar Azam out on the pitch before the Test commenced, a team of coaches which Luke oversees were delivering a cricket session for their classmates back at the school.

“A lot of children hadn’t been to a stadium before, so it was their first time at Edgbaston and their first time watching a game of professional cricket,” Luke said. “All you could hear in the stand was the kids screaming, which the players love.

“Hopefully being at Edgbaston on Wednesday will inspire them to go and potentially join a club.”

Being September, sessions are just beginning to ramp up again for Luke and his team; nine coaches make up the unit which visits 20 schools across the region between them each week during term-time, with seven full-time staff and two apprentices.

While everyone else is slowing down, we’re getting started,” Luke added. “The coaches are already delivering sessions at five schools each, Monday to Friday. We are around the whole county of Warwickshire, but anywhere with the IMD score - parts of Birmingham, Nuneaton, Bedworth and a number of other places.

“We try to promote the street venues as well. Cricket is an expensive game, so if we can get these kids to these street venues, which is free cricket for them, it is another way for them to get involved.”