Unless inner-city state schools are given funding, cricket will stay out of reach for many children, says Laura Matthews. Plus letters from Mike Stein, Hugh Southey, Michael Pyke, John Saxbee, Peter Hutchinson and Mike Sheaff
Mark Ramprakash made some good points about cricket reflecting the unequal society it operates within, but I think he also managed to confirm that it is almost impossible for cricket to be egalitarian (I made my way in cricket but it is clear that was against the odds, 27 June). Unless inner-city state schools are magically given playing fields, groundspeople, minibuses and the funds to pay for all of this, cricket as a game will stay out of reach for a huge number of children.
There are also other human factors at play that serve as barriers to high-level sport. When my 13-year-old daughter got into county netball last year, the girls were divided into three groups, practising at three different sports centres. My daughter was placed in the group furthest away from where we live, without any discussion about whether we could get her there. The session was an hour’s drive from our home and started at 6pm every Monday. This despite the fact that another one of the groups practises only 15 minutes away from home. No one encouraged lift-sharing or stopped to find out whether parents could facilitate these sessions.
