Michael Carberry named as London Schools head coach

London Schools, who feature youngsters from schools across the capital and are renewing their focus on state-educated cricketers, have also partnered with Northamptonshire to provide county pathway opportunities

Michael Carberry has been named as head coach of the London Schools Cricket Association.

Scott Newman, the former Surrey and Middlesex batter, arrives alongside Carberry as lead coach for the under-11 to under-15 age groups.

The additions of Newman and ex-England opener Carberry come with the organisation renewing its focus on supporting young state-educated cricketers. 

The news follows the recent appointment of Kent vice-captain Daniel Bell-Drummond as president.

London Schools' website states its aim as making "London the biggest and most diverse academy of cricket in the world".

"Ultimately, we hope some of our youngsters could go on to play professionally," it adds.

A recent study by researcher Tom Brown calculated that youngsters are 34 times more likely to play professional cricket if they are white British and privately educated.

^{Former Surrey and Middlesex batter Scott Newman will lead the U11 to U15 age-groups (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

Those with a higher relative access to wealth are 22.3 times more likely to make it than their lower access-to-wealth equivalents.

As part of the push to improve those numbers, London Schools – who conduct trials and train during the winter, before playing against county sides through the summer – have entered into a partnership with Northamptonshire, which will see the organisation's best young players offered pathway opportunities at Wantage Road.

Previously, they have not acted as a formal feeder into the county system.

The arrangement will include "integrated talent identification systems" across the London Schools and Northamptonshire pathways, as well as regular age-group matches. The deal also allows London Schools players to represent Northamptonshire in age-group fixtures on a dual-registration basis.

Several professional cricketers have represented London Schools in their youth, however, including Eoin Morgan, Alastair Cook and Graham Gooch.

Paul Weekes, who scored more than 18,000 runs and claimed more than 600 wickets across all formats for Middlesex, is another graduate and also acts as an ambassador.