Bright stars on the rise: (front, from left), Abdul Moiz, 10, brothers Amogh and Dev Karpe, both 9, Subhan Malik 5; and (back row) Andrew Strauss and Jim Carter

Published: 7 May, 2015
by STEVE BARNETT

FORMER England captain Andrew Strauss praised the work being done behind the scenes at Hampstead Cricket Club on Sunday, saying that the effort being put in by the coaches and supporters of the club could help save the future of English cricket. 

Strauss, who is being tipped to become the director of the England and Wales Cricket Board, visited the ground in Lymington Road, West Hampstead, to unveil a statue of cricketing legend Andrew Ernest Stoddart as part of the club’s 150th anniversary celebrations. 

During his speech the former Middlesex man said that the big problem in the game today was more complicated than solving the problem of replacing Kevin Pietersen.

Legend in bronze A.E. Stoddart

“It’s so fantastic to see so many kids here at the club,” said Strauss. “The biggest problem we have with cricket in England at the moment is not our inability to play one-day cricket, it’s not our inability to find a mystery spinner, it’s not our inability to solve the KP conundrum –  it’s participation. 

“Participation in cricket is going down, 90 per cent of schools are playing no cricket whatsoever. That’s why it’s so important that clubs like Hampstead have a strong and vibrant colts section.

“Many thanks to all those people at Hampstead who are helping to produce the next generation of England cricketers.” 

Hampstead chairman and actor Jim Carter, who plays butler Charles Carson in Downton Abbey, said the young colts were delighted to meet a hero of the game. 

“Strauss was very generous with his time. He signed bats and gloves for the children, who were thrilled to meet a former England captain,” he said. 

The Leg Slippers Jazz Band