State school youngsters get set for Lord's experience at MCC Foundation Hubs finals day

Over the past year, more than 3,000 state-educated boys and girls have been competing to reach the home of cricket as a part of the MCC Foundation's (MCCF) National Hub competition

State school cricketers from Bradford, Bolton, Guildford and Reading are set to play on the main ground at Lord's this weekend.

Over the past year, more than 3,000 state-educated boys and girls have been competing to reach the home of cricket as a part of the MCC Foundation's (MCCF) National Hub competition.

Since their inception more than a decade ago, MCCF Hubs have been providing free-to-access coaching and matchplay to young cricketers right across the UK.

Each of MCCF's 77 Hubs enter a team into the boys' and girls' National Hub competitions each year in the hope of reaching the grand finals at Lord's.

^{The MCC National Hubs competition finals take place on July 29 [supplied]}

After 10 weeks of stiff competition, Bolton Girls will take on Guildford Girls Hub, while the Bradford and Reading Boys' Hubs will go for glory on Saturday (July 29).

The girls final is a repeat of last year's fixture, with Guildford vying for revenge after their narrow loss to the same team in the 2022 final: Bolton secured a last-gasp victory courtesy of a match-winning six in the final over.

The boys final, meanwhile, will see two new contenders as Reading and Bradford look to bring home some silverware at the first time of asking.

Both matches will be livestreamed on the MCC Foundation's YouTube channel. 

Elsewhere on the Lord's estate, MCCF's London Hubs competitions will see under-14 sides compete on the Nursery Ground (girls) and in the Indoor Cricket Centre (boys). 

^{More than 3,000 teenagers take part in the MCC Foundation Hubs programme [supplied]}

Ahead of the event, MCCF director Sarah Fane said: "We are incredibly grateful to Guy Lavender and MCC for providing this unique opportunity for our beneficiaries. It cannot fail to inspire them and will likely stay in their memories forever. In the wake of the ICEC report we are all more aware than ever how far we have to go before cricket can be seen as a game for all. We must all do more.

"The MCC Foundation is determined to grow our National Hub programme significantly so that thousands more children can benefit from free access to cricket and it really can be a game for all. The game  has so much to offer and we will endeavour to ensure that any young person, whatever their background or gender, can access and thrive in the game."