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We have to get young, working-class people playing cricket again

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date01 July 2022
Publication titleHuddersfield Daily Examiner
As a youngster, he played alongside Phil Neville for Lancashire's junior team: "He was a year older than me and he was a cricketing genius," Freddie later revealed during an interview with TALKSPORT. "If that lad would have carried on playing cricket he could have been England's Ricky Ponting or Sachin Tendulkar, he was that good

Freddie international action "He used to turn up, open the batting and score 100 every time and after that he'd bowl everyone out!"

Freddie went on to claim that Neville eventually had to choose between playing cricket or playing for Manchester United, and that had he taken up Lancashire's offer, Freddie might not have been offered a spot with the county.

If that had happened, we might have missed out on seeing the man regarded as one of English cricket's finest all-rounders in full flight - and that memorable Ashes victory over the Aussies in 2005 may not have taken place.

Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?

in

But Freddie is now worried that an entire generation of working-class cricketers could be missing out on opportunities, albeit for a very different reason - he believes the game he loves so much is becoming increasingly elitist.

"I made it to the highest level of cricket attending state schools on an estate in

Preston, but I can't see many others doing that now," says the former England captainturned-TV presenter.

"The vast majority of the England men's national cricket team attended private school. Cricket is more elitist per head than rugby, rowing and the House of Lords.

"We've got to do something to get young, working-class people playing our national summer sport again. I really hope this series can demonstrate that, with some time and coaching, anyone can learn to love cricket and have the opportunities that came my way."

Freddie is putting his money where his mouth is by setting up a team consisting of teenagers from some of the most under-privileged parts of his native...

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