The Cherwell School in North Oxford have played an active role in Chance to Shine for the past two
years. This engagement has enabled them to develop cricket in a momentous way.
Sixth form student, Cricket Activator and Local player Nick Pinhol sums up their programme:
“At the Cherwell School, Chance to Shine’s input has coincided with our own efforts to raise the profile
of cricket within the school community. The expertise offered by visiting coaches, as well as the
equipment provided, has resulted in a noticeable increase in the number of people taking up the sport.
The Chance to Compete competition has also offered these newer players the perfect environment in
which to enjoy the sport, with the right balance of competitiveness and enjoyment. The positive impact
it has had is measurable by the medals and trophies we have won at Chance to Shine-organised
competitions, and in the number of new players. We have also created a new, linked youth team at a
nearby club (Wolvercote CC), which further evidences the knock-on effects of this surge in enthusiasm
for cricket.”
Nick himself took the Activators course at the Cherwell School in Spring 2014. The course was run in
the Easter Holidays to fit into their busy schedule and still attracted a full quota of participants. Since
then Nick has taken his level two Certificate in coaching young people and adults which required several
early bus journeys on Sunday mornings to attend the course. Nick and English Teacher Neil Sadler, are
both playing members of the North Oxford Cricket team, Wolvercote, who play in the Oxfordshire
Cricket Association LEague Division 4. Their passion for coaching led Nick to front a proposal to the
committee to start a junior section. With almost unanimous approval, their Winter was spent ensuring
enough coaches and welfare officers were qualified to lead the venture from June 2015.
The Cherwell School is a National Teaching School; meaning they take a lead role in the professional
development of teachers and support staff and work with other schools to contribute to the raising of
standards. It is Neil Sadler, English Teacher and passionate Cricketer, who is the mastermind behind
the cricket programme ensuring Nick is in a position to deliver the cricket. Neil sees the additional
benefits to the cricket programme:
“I’ve noticed improved working relationships with students who have been on the Chance to Shine
programme. This shows how the impact is also felt in the classroom, as well as on the cricket pitch.”
Neil continues to notice the benefits of the Activator programme from 2014 with improved confidence
of those who took part.
Nick continues to explain how much of a success the Wolvercote youth section has been, currently the
only club youth section within the Oxford Ring Road:
With the involvement of CTS, turnout figures have undoubtedly increased. As a result I and fellow
teacher Neil Sadler have set up a brand new youth set up at our local club Wolvercote. This has benefited
cricketers at Cherwell, due to it being located in North Oxford. Furthermore, it has also meant that
young cricketers get more exposure to cricket due to playing club cricket for the first time. This can be
seen with the majority of our club’s current players being from Cherwell. In turn this has benefited the
school as it has meant the students are effectively doubling the amount of practice and number of
matches they partake in. Already, a number of these players are getting involved in adult cricket at the
club.
Nick very modestly fails to mention that their first friendly which was organised against local side,
Kidlington, ended in Wolvercote win with a boundary off the final ball. The school coaching has
enabled performance level players in the Oxfordshire Cricket programme to take part and act as role
models to their newer counterparts. We look forward to Wolvercote’s first nominations into the
streaming process in years to come as they continue to nurture cricket talent in North Oxford.
Andy has been involved with Chance to Shine since 2014. His cricket CV is an impressive one having
captained Great and Little Tew Cricket Club to two promotions in three years to reach the Home
Counties Premier League, as well as guiding the club to the final of the National Village Knock Out
Final at Lord’s in 2014. This year he made his debut for Oxfordshire in the Minor Counties
Championship. He tells us the impact working in Chance to Shine has had on his coaching and his
career.
“I have been involved in delivering the Chance to Shine project over the last two years and I can
honestly say that I wouldn’t be on the career path that I’m currently on without this involvement. I have
wanted to pursue a career in teaching since the age of about 14, however I always saw myself as a
secondary PE teacher. Over the last couple of years, after my initial scepticism about working with the
primary age range, I have predominantly worked in primary schools. I must say I’ve loved it! Yes
primary schools can be a bit hectic and at times even chaotic but I have found the children and teachers
so enthusiastic about playing cricket, it has made my job a real pleasure!
It was the first training session, knowing very little about the programme or what was expected of me
before starting to deliver coaching through Chance to Shine, which was one of the most valuable in my
coaching career. I learnt the value of teaching games for understanding and was reminded of a very
simple game that I played at school. This time, seeing the game with ‘new eyes’ allowed me to
appreciate the value it had for cricket coaching and I could suddenly see how it could be adapted and
progressed every week to turn a class of 30 children, where maybe 10% had ever played cricket before,
into cricketers while having fun every week and without all the ‘boring bits’ that cricket can sometimes
be labelled with.
I have planned and organised a schedule of sessions and have learnt to differentiate activities in a lesson
while ensuring children are active very quickly. I have also tried to tie in some national curriculum
themes about health and fitness. This has given me a much greater understanding of the development
stages of primary school children as well as the workings of various primary schools from small rural
village schools to large inner city schools. All of these skills have proved vital in my application and
interview for the teacher training course I am now on with the Buckingham Partnership and standing
me in good stead for my future teaching career.”
In recent years Horley Cricket Club have moved from Strength to Strength, graduating their senior sides
out of the Oxfordshire Cricket Association Leagues into the Cherwell Leagues, gaining Clubmark
Accreditation and hosting international England Disability matches. The latest string to their bow was
the management of a Club Based Chance to Shine programme with local primary school, Bishop
Carpenter School.
Project Manager and Club Coach David Beck is rekindling old community ties with the primary school
that his daughters attended and they were more than happy to welcome him back but the Children’s
feedback implies he had his work cut out…
‘When I was told we were doing cricket I really wasn’t sure I wanted to...’
David’s sessions worked hard to emphasise the spirit of the game alongside the technical, tactical and
competitive aspects. At the conclusion of the outdoor programme David returned to test what they had
learned with a quiz style classroom activity. The evidence would suggest they had absorbed quite a lot:
And he managed to convert the sceptics among the class:
“...but now I am happy I did because every week we learnt something new and it was made
really fun.”
David himself thoroughly enjoyed his time in the school and will be more than happy to return
next summer as Bishop Carpenter have already confirmed their intent to receive another
programme. As for Horley Cricket Club, they are waiting to reap the reward when youth night
registration comes around next Spring.