Michael Vaughan Announces Youth Cricket Programme

England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has launched a new nationwide initiative designed to encourage more young people to start playing cricket.

The Yorkshire star wants cricket to become a children's leisure activity once again and is at the forefront of the Michael Vaughan Cricket (MVC) programme.

As he prepares to jet off to the cricket World Cup in the West Indies, Michael launched MVC with the help of more than 30 local primary school pupils.

The initiative will start with a series of cricket camps in 10 cities across the UK, providing a full week of cricket coaching, fun, games and activities for children aged five and upwards.

Michael Vaughan said: "I'm desperate to see cricket, once again, played for enjoyment and leisure in the parks, gardens and streets of Britain, and I hope this programme will be an essential part of that revival.

"To continue to be a strong cricketing nation in world cricket, its essential that we build a broad base of children not only playing cricket, but excited about it as well. I hope that this new programme will see an influx of young players from all parts of our society go on to make cricket the national sport is should be."

The five day camps are designed to introduce boys and girls from all communities to the game by using age-specific programmes that enable children as young as five to start playing cricket, and more importantly, continue to play cricket afterwards.

Michael Vaughan Cricket is being backed by the King's Foundation, a national children's sports charity whose programmes have already been enjoyed by over half a million children, both in the UK and overseas.

Richard Holmes, Chief Executive of The King's Foundation, said: "We've developed a creative, enjoyable and exciting programme for Michael Vaughan Cricket that were confident will see a new generation of children playing cricket for enjoyment and leisure.

"Children throughout the UK deserve the opportunity to learn and enjoy this great national sport. Were confident that Michael Vaughan Cricket will see more children enjoy the challenge and excitement of cricket in a way theyve never experienced before."

Faye Dale, who plays for Durham County Womens Cricket, said: "Having played and coached children in county cricket, I'm convinced that this programme will have a huge impact on children's cricket in the UK."

MVC will run in the following cities this summer: Birmingham, Bradford, Cheltenham, Harrogate, Leeds, Loughborough, Northampton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Wakefield, and York.

The King's Foundation seeks to develop children through sports both in the UK and in Africa. The charity runs King's Camps, the UKs leading multi-activity sports camps.

Amazing Ad-Venture For Brent Students

A fascinating cricket ad designed by Aashil Pindolia and Nayur Arjan, students at Claremont High School in Brent, will be launched across London on 4th June. The poster, which will be featured on bus shelters donated by Clear Channel Outdoor UK, is part of a London-wide advertising campaign designed by talented state school students from the capital and supported by the Minister for London Schools, Andrew Adonis.The project, part of the Department for Education and Skills ‘London’s Schools Celebrating Achievement’ campaign, invited London students to design an ad highlighting something they have achieved with the help and support of their school.Aashil and Nayur’s design - a packed cricket box adorned with newspaper clippings - follows the story of their school cricket team’s rise from borough also-rans to district champions; mainly thanks to the teamwork ethics instilled by their P.E. teacher, Mr Nielson – a football coach with little knowledge of cricket! The other creatives, designed by Jamal Senior from Stockwell Park High School in Lambeth; Alia Hague, Amber Alexander, Amita Hanspal and Carleianne Cimbracruz-Parnintuan from Lampton School in Hounslow; and Kelly Byrne from King’s Wood School in Havering, will also be featured on outdoor media space across the capital; and the centrepiece of the campaign, a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “I went to a London state school and all I got was 8 A*s”, will be featured on four of Clear Channel’s bespoke ‘Golden Square’ billboards in the centre of London.The campaign marks the fourth year of the London Challenge programme, which is successfully raising standards in many of the capital’s schools as a result of sustained investment and targeted support. Since 1997, the number of students at London state schools obtaining five good GCSEs has risen by more than 16,000, and inner city areas that were once written off as educational disaster zones are showing dramatic improvement.Nayur said:“We have really enjoyed working with Leo Burnett and David Hiscock to turn our design into the finished poster. It looks really good and we can’t wait to show everybody at school. We are grateful that we’ve been given the opportunity to thank Mr Nielson and our school for helping us to become borough champions.” Schools Minister, Andrew Adonis,said:“London schools are getting better and better with the help of the London Challenge programme. “This advertising campaign designed by London students demonstrates the creativity and talent that exists in our schools. These fantastic designs are an excellent way of promoting the dramatic improvements that have taken place in London schools which we plan to build on in the future. I look forward to seeing the posters on display across the capital.”The posters will be on display at sites on Lambeth Palace Road, Borough High Street, Shoreditch High Street and Cricklewood Broadway; or at bus shelters around Hounslow, Brent, Havering, Lambeth and the rest of London.The ‘London Schools Celebrating Achievement’ campaign highlights the progress made by London schools. Ofsted reported in December that London schools have improved dramatically and standards are rising faster than in schools nationally. Almost one in three London schools achieved outstanding GCSE results in 2006 and the number of pupils in inner London gaining five good passes has doubled since 1997.

Red Rose Primary School Enjoy npower Power Day

npower were on site at the Riverside today (Wednesday 6 June) in advance of next week’s npower Test Match between England and West Indies to work alongside two groups of Year 6 children from Red Rose Primary School, Chester le Street. The children took part in an npower Power Day as part of the npower Urban Cricket Scheme, at the Playing for Success Study Support Centre. The two groups took part in three interactive sessions, each of them containing useful information and tips on Natural Power, Team Power, Body Power and Game Power. Durham Academy player Scott Borthwick joined the afternoon group for a photograph at the end of the session.The Natural Power group challenge helped the groups learn all about forms of renewable energy which they then had to present back to the other groups. The Team Power challenge linked together important skills such as team work, communication and problem solving. The Body Power session was held in the Indoor Training School and the children used a variety of interactive equipment including a reaction board and rowing machines as well as doing a sprinting challenge. Durham CCC Study Support Centre Manager, Christine Petty said, “Both groups had a great day out and it’s very appropriate that Red Rose Primary School were here today for Day 1 of Durham’s LV County Championship match against Lancashire! The npower Power Days give the children a great introduction to cricket as well as teaching them about general health and fitness.”Tickets are still available for Friday 15, Sunday 17, Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 June (days 1, 3, 4 and 5) of the npower Test Match between England and the West Indies at the Riverside. Ticket prices start at just £10 for juniors and £20 for adults. For more information or to book please contact the Durham County Cricket Club Box Office on 0870 389 1991 or visit www.crickettickets.net

Brentwood Beat Favourites For Place In National Finals

Brentwood School’s U13 cricket team has triumphed over favourites Millfield School to win a place in the National Finals of the Bunbury Cup.The national competition features hundreds of schools and Brentwood has beaten some tough opposition to make it this far. Wins against Surrey Champions (Parkside School), Sussex (Warden Park School), and Buckinghamshire (Dr Challenor’s Grammar School), plus the home win by four wickets over Somerset (Millfield) mean that Brentwood School will be representing the whole of the South of England in the final to be played at Oundle School in Peterborough on July 12. Their opponents will the winners of the Northern (Harrogate Grammar) v Midlands (Loughborough Grammar) semi-final, yet to be played.Master in Charge of U13 cricket, Mr Taker (an Old Brentwood who enjoyed playing cricket as a pupil himself), commented: “We believe this is the first game that Millfield have lost in two and a half years. As defending champions, they were expected to win this year. The fact we have six First Years in our team makes the achievement all the more remarkable. Brentwood School U13s have only reached the second round of this competition in previous years and they are now the first Essex school to have progressed this far. We have had some very tough draws and have certainly earned our place in the final. I’m quietly confident that we will do well in the final – the boys are noisily confident!“They have worked tremendously hard – they train every day in the summer term and play two or three matches a week. They are the most enthusiastic bunch of cricketers I’ve ever worked with. They are so keen to learn, and in the words of Clive Woodward, they always learn something from their victories.” The 14-strong squad is made up of First and Second Year day boys plus a boarder. “We would like to encourage more young cricketers to board here,” added Mr Rees, Master in Charge of U12 cricket and Boys’ Boarding Housemaster. The U13s reached the Bunbury Cup by winning the Essex Cup last July. The same side were also delighted to beat Eton U14s in a friendly earlier this year. © Brentwood School

Harlands Victorious As Flintoff Attends Asda Kwik Cricket Final

On Friday 13th the National Final at Headingley Carnegie, the Asda Kwik Cricket National final took place. Rain forced the proceedings indoors, but it did not stop it being a very memorable day for all involved, with England star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff making an appearance, presenting the award, and meeting the kids. The eventual winners and new ASDA national champions are Harlands Primary School from Sussex. The day saw the 16 best year 6 sides in the country coming together to fight it out for the right to become national champions. As the largest cricket tournament for this age group, it could be the spring board for some future England stars, and is a great initiative for grassroots cricket in England. Each team had to make it through district, county and regional finals to get here, which is no mean feat considering that nearly 130,000 players have been involved, spread across 40 counties. Starting more than a month ago playing small district finals, to even make it to this stage is a fantastic achievement, but they were all still gunning for 1st prize. Flintoff said “By reaching this stage you have all proved yourselves to be among the best young cricketers in the country for your age”, before telling them to go and “have fun.”The 16 sides were split in to 4 groups of 4, with each region throughout the country represented. Some had travelled most of the country to get there, such was the scale of the event. The groups are detailed below with the region they were representing:-GROUP A 1. SOUTH WEST (A) Chandag Junior Scool, Somerset2. WEST MIDLANDS (A) St Peter’s Primary, Shropshire3. EAST (A) Halesworth Middle, Suffolk 4. NORTH WALES Ysgol Owen Jones, Flint GROUP B 1. SOUTH Uplands Primary, Berkshire2. WEST MIDLANDS (B) St Edward’s Middle, Staffs3. SCOTLAND Ladyloan Primary, Arbroath4. SOUTH WALES Sageston Primary, PembrokeshireGROUP C 1. NORTH WEST Scotforth C of E, Lancashire2. SOUTH EAST Harlands Primary, Sussex3. EAST MIDLANDS Abbey Primary, Leicestershire4. NORTH EAST Archbishop C of E, YorkshireGROUP D 1. EAST (B) Dallow Primary, Bedfordshire2. SOUTH WEST (B) St Michael’s Middle, Dorset3. NORTH Valley gardens Middle, Northumberland4. NORTHERN IRELAND Donemana Primary, StrabaneGroup AThe first group saw South West and Somerset Champions Chandag start against St Peter’s Primary from Shropshire and the West Midlands. Good bowling saw St Peter’s victorious with 196- 3 compared to Chandag’s 188-8. Halesworth Middle School, Suffolk and East Champions then beat North Wales Champs Ysgol Owen jones 219-2, to 213-4.Chandag’s next game saw them succumb to Halesworth with 196-5 compared to 209-1. St Peter’s Primary School then defeated the North Wales champions with 194-7 compared to 185-4 from Ysgol Owen Jones. That left Chandag to play Owen Jones who they defeated with 222-2 compared to 219-3. Halesworth then confirmed themselves as semi finalists and strong contenders for the cup with a nail biting win over St Peter’s, with 204-0 compared to 202-3. Group BBerkshire and South Champions Uplands began strongly against St Edward’s Middle School from West Midlands, scoring 224-2 to win comfortably against 205-5. South Wales Champions then defeated Scottish Champions Ladyloan Primary with 208-2 compared to 190-8. Uplands played Ladyloan next and scored 208-1. This proved too many for the Scots who finished on 191-6. St Edward’s Middle then beat Sageston with 222-4 compared to 202-3.Despite looking good for a semi final spot, Uplands were surprisingly overcome by the South Welsh who put in a great performance to beat the strong Berkshire unit. The match was a thriller, with Sageston eventually ending on 222-2 to win by one run. This meant that when St Edward’s middle beat Ladyloan with a massive 244-4 compared to 225-2, they instead qualified for the Semi Final.Group CSussex and South East Champions Harlands School showed ominous early from as they comfortably defeated North West and Lancashire Champions Scotforth St Pauls 258-0 compared to 165-8. The other game was Leicestershire and East Midlands Champions Abbey Primary against North East and Yorkshire champs, Archbishop C of E Primary. Archbishop’s 222-2 was too much for the 201-5 that was scored against them. Abbey Primary were up next to play Scotforth and got their first win on the board with an impressive 223-2 compared to Scotforth’s 210-2. Harlands then continued strongly with 235-3 compared to Archbishop C of E’s 202-6.The keenly awaited Yorkshire Lancashire derby saw victory for the Lancashire side, scoring 206-0 compared to Scotforth’s 175-5.Harlands confirmed its semi final spot defeating Abbey Primary 225-3 compared to 198-6.Group DBedfordshire and East Regional qualifiers Dallow started against South West qualifiers St Michael’s Middle school from Dorset, but Dorset’s representatives proved too strong, scoring 220-2 compared to 211-2.North and Northumberland Champs Valley Gardens Middle won their first game against Northern Ireland’s best side Donemana, 225-2 to 207-6. Valley Gardens continued strongly to beat Dallow, 219-4 compared to 208-3. St Michael’s then scored 220-2 to see of Donemana. Donemana however, having travelled across from Ireland, recorded a well deserved win against Dallow, scoring 215-2 to 212-3 in a great match.Valley Gardens confirmed their Semi Final spot when St Michael’s scored 210-4 and they scored 216-2.Semi FinalsHalesworth Middle School from Suffolk was first up to play St Edward’s Middle School from Staffordshire. Harlands from Sussex were drawn to play the impressive Valley Gardens from Northumberland. In two good games, Halesworth and Harlands qualified for the National Final, a massive accomplishment for these year 6 children and Harlands were the eventual winners. Congratulations on a fantastic achievement.All the schools represented themselves very well, and the buzz created when they all met and chatted with Andrew Flintoff was fantastic. 7 ASDA stores turned up to dish out food and drink to the kids and support ASDA’s drive to get kids healthy and active. ASDA Kwik CricketA modified format of cricket focusing on the game’s core skills and rules, Kwik Cricket has involved nearly one million children in its structured county, regional and national competitions since it’s inception in 1988.In 2007 alone, the ASDA Kwik Cricket competition is set to involve in excess of 125,000 teams including over 1800 district festivals. Kwik Cricket has been designed by the ECB to take young cricketers all the way from the playground to the Test arena to create future generations of England stars. David Collier, ECB chief executive, said: “Enthusing following and participation among young people is a core objective of the ECB Strategic Plan 2005 – 2009 and Kwik Cricket accomplishes this aim magnificently. “This year the competition is more popular than ever with over 125,000 children in 12,000 schools taking part in 1,800 local festivals across England and Wales. We are delighted to have ASDA as sponsors of this competition - their presence at the festivals and finals with fresh fruit and water for the children delivers a very positive message about the benefits of an active lifestyle and healthy living.”

Thorpe Says Howzat To Surrey Youngsters

Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey Cricketer today launched the Brit Howzat Project at the Brit Insurance Oval. The Scheme allows thousands of school children in Lambeth and south London to receive cricket coaching, a lesson in the Ben Hollioake Learning Centre, a tour of the ground and tickets to a First-Class match.In the past the scheme has only run for ten weeks in a year. Now, thanks to its partnership with Brit Insurance, the Howzat project has trebled in scale to run for 30 weeks of the year. With sessions running four mornings a week, this now allows over 2,000 local children to benefit.The Brit Howzat project has been set up to broaden the reach of the game in Lambeth, and maximise the facilities that the Brit Insurance Oval has to offer. Receiving tickets to a Surrey match during the summer gives local school children the chance watch a live professional game at the leading Test Match venue. Hugh Robertson, Shadow Minister for Sport and the Olympics and Paul Sheldon, Chief Executive of Surrey County Cricket Club were both at the launch to see one of the classroom based Howzat sessions in action.Paul Sheldon Chief Executive of Surrey County Cricket Club said “Schemes such as the Brit Howzat Project are key to the future of the game, as the Twenty20 season approaches and with the IPL in full swing, it’s important to utilise the excitement and interest that this generates to get more young people involved in cricket.”Graham Thorpe said of the project “The community programme appears to grow every time I visit. It really is at the heart of the Club here and there are always plenty of youngsters using the facilities at the ground. It’s great to see that the different schemes reach out across the county too.”

Surrey Stars Go Back To School In Sutton

Surrey County Cricket Club players Pedro Collins and Matt Nicholson were both on hand yesterday to take part in some cricket coaching sessions at Westbourne Primary School in Sutton. The day was part of Surrey County Cricket Club’s community programme and was being led by the Club’s community coaches The visit gave the pupils the chance to have a taste of cricket and take part in ball skill activities and cricket-based games. They also had the chance to meet two of the county’s top cricketers. After the coaching session the players took part in a Q&A session to answer any questions that the children had about cricket and the life of a professional sportsman.Speaking at the event Matthew Nicholson said ‘For me as a player it’s great to see the work that the community coaches do across Surrey. There are so many potential cricket stars of the future in schools like this, so it’s important that clubs like Surrey give them a chance to be involved with the sport.’Westbourne Primary School in Sutton is for children aged from four to eleven and also has a nursery class for pre-school pupils. The school has extensive sports programme and is commited to developing cricket at every levelSurrey County Cricket Club has a well established commitment to the community, charity and the environment. Partnerships with local schools form part of that commitment. Brit Insurance has been able to support the Club’s vision of spreading cricket into all corners of the county by contributing £3,000 per school per year to their Playground Markings scheme which has benefited fifteen schools across the county.With the brightly coloured markings and wall targets, the scheme provides a cost-effective way of transforming an outdoor space into a fun and vibrant environment fit for playing cricket, and a variety of other games.

ASDA Kwik Cricket Welcomes Record Numbers In 2008

Stuart Broad, England cricketer and ASDA Kwik Cricket ambassador, has launched ASDA Kwik Cricket 2008 at Thurgarton Cricket Club in Nottingham with a surge in participation amongst primary school pupils.ASDA Kwik Cricket 2008 sees 23% more teams taking part than last year and a phenomenal rise in girls taking part, up 97% on last year with over 25,000 girls aged 7 to 11 registered to take part.Broad was joined by England’s Ashes-winning women cricketers Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt - for interviews, click here.Kwik Cricket celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year and Broad recollects his early days with the plastic bat and ball. “Like many of my England team-mates, Kwik Cricket was the first form of the game that I played, and I loved it. It’s so easy to pick up the basic skills of catching, throwing, hitting and running from cricket which makes it a great game for children to play."Pete Ackerley, ECB Head of Development said, “ASDA Kwik Cricket is the gateway to our sport for thousands of youngsters at primary school, and the growth is incredibly encouraging for the long-term future of our sport."Clare Connor OBE, ECB Head of Women’s Cricket said, “I offer my sincere thanks to everyone involved in encouraging such a meteoric rise in the number of young girls playing cricket. We are fast moving away from being a minority sport in schools for girls and becoming a key player in girls’ physical education development."The growth in ASDA Kwik Cricket reflects the increased participation in all levels of the recreational game which has seen a 27% increase nationally and a 45% increase in women and girls cricket in 2008.Michelle Payne, ASDA Kwik Cricket Project Manager said: “It is great news that so many children are turning to cricket and we are delighted to work closely with the ECB to sustain such significant increases in participation. Once again, ASDA will focus on children within communities and help them make healthy choices about their lifestyle and eating patterns."ASDA and the ECB work in partnership to promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle to children, using the ASDA Kwik Cricket Festivals and England player appearances as an opportunity to discuss healthy eating issues with youngsters.ASDA Kwik Cricket is now on the curriculum at over 8,000 primary schools which together with over 4,500 ECB affiliated cricket clubs provides an introduction to cricket and with record numbers participating again this year, the initiative is one of the largest Primary School Programmes in England and Wales.Thurgarton CC is an ECB Focus Club and was one of the first clubs to benefit from the £30 million investment the ECB has made to cricket clubs and their facilities in 2007-08.

Cricket Helps State School Children Shine, Says New Report

Cricket can have a significant impact on children’s attitudes and behaviour in state schools, according to new research.
A Loughborough University report, commissioned by the Cricket Foundation, also highlights how the English game can help improve pupils’ confidence and social skills, overcome cultural barriers and generate enthusiasm within the classroom.
The University’s Institute of Youth Sport evaluated the impact of Chance to shine – the Cricket Foundation’s campaign to regenerate competitive cricket in state schools – and found that a number of schools have used the programme effectively to encourage and reinforce good behaviour.
Both pupils and teachers acknowledge, in the report, the value of cricket for providing young people with positive experiences and helping them to develop ‘gentlemanly conduct’. “With cricket there is very much a code of conduct and code of behaviour such as clapping if somebody gets a six even with the other side,” said a teacher involved in the scheme.
At one school the teacher had organised after-school sessions for a group of disaffected boys as a reward for good behaviour and attendance. The Chance to shine cricket coaching sessions proved an ideal way to re-engage the pupils back into school.
Co-author of the Loughborough University report, Ruth Jeanes, says: “The research demonstrates the potential of Chance to shine to contribute to pupils’ wider educational experience. Children’s physical and social skills were felt to have improved.”
In the report’s survey, only 39 per cent of pupils agree that they and their peers are well behaved in school generally; while 60 per cent agree that pupils are well behaved in Chance to shine sessions.
As one child explains: “It has given us something that we can be good at and we’ve really enjoyed it…because we have been able to show our teachers and each other that we can be good at something, because usually everyone just thinks we are bad and causing trouble.”
A number of teachers support the idea that schools can use competitive sports like cricket to improve children’s self esteem and confidence, both in PE sessions and more broadly within the classroom. The evaluation also shows how cricket can help children from different ethnic backgrounds, whose first language is not English, to integrate in schools.
“A lot of our children have academic difficulties and we do find that in sporting activities they may have a hidden talent” says one state school teacher, “A lot of our Bengali children may have English as an additional language but if you get them on a cricket pitch they are up there with their peers or even ahead …It gives them a sense of self worth that they are good at something which raises their self-esteem.”
The research highlights how the cricket coaching sessions affect children’s attitude to school with 83 per cent of pupils saying they like coming into school when Chance to shine takes place; compared to 64 per cent who usually like school.
Wasim Khan, Operations Director for the Cricket Foundation says: “The Loughborough research reveals the extensive impact the initiative is having on pupils across a number of areas. Through expert coaching and competition, Chance to shine is delivering sustainable cricket programmes as well as contributing significantly to the provision of high quality PE.”
Simon Dyson, Executive Chairman, Chance to shine adds: “We’ve always recognised the power of competitive cricket to help young people acquire skills, values and attitudes. The evaluation appears to validate this conviction and is tremendously encouraging, not only for us, but for the thousands of state school children involved in the programme.”
To view the Institute of Youth Sport’s full report, ‘The impact of Chance to shine’, visit www.chancetoshine.org

Who is the best batsman of the world?

There are many great batsmen. Household cricket names include Ricky Ponting, Rahul Dravid, Michael Vaughan, Mohammed Yousuf, Jacques Kallis, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Smith, Matthew Hayden, Kumara Sangakarra, Andrew Flintoff, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar. Who is the greatest batsman of all? While these players are all great batsmen, we believe that there can only be one winner. Who is that person? Sachin Tendulkar. In 1988, Ravi Shastri said “We have a young batsman in Bombay called Sachin Tendulkar who is sent from upstairs to play the game. He is only 15, a right –handed bat, 5 foot 5 inches tall, but I tell you, he’s going to be a great player.” In fact, Sachin Tendulkar would go on to be the greatest player in the world. At Test level, Sachin has scored 11,782 runs at an amazing average of 55.31, scoring 39 centuries, and 49 fifties. Sachin is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket after Brian Lara. At ODI level, Sachin has scored 16,361 runs at an average of 44.34, scoring 42 centuries and 89 fifties. Sachin is the highest run-scorer­ in ODIs in history. Sachin is also the leading scorer of centuries in both Test and ODI cricket. Sachin Tendulkar has scored more runs in international cricket than any other cricketer in history.At school, people recognized him as a child progidy. In 1988, Sachin scored a century in every innings he played in. In the same year, he was involved in an unbroken partnership of 664 runs (with Vinod Kambli). His batting was so good that the other team refused to continue, their bowlers in tears! Sachin is also a handy bowler. For example, in 1998 Australia were cruising to an ODI win at 203 for 3 needing just 107 more runs from 19 overs. Then, Sachin bowled and won the match for India with figures of 5 wickets for just 32 runs, taking the crucial wickets of Michael Bevan, Steve Waugh, Darren Lehman, Tom Moody and Damien Martyn. The Wisden, a leading cricket publication, rated Sachin the second best test batsman of all time (after Sir Donald Bradman), and the best ODI batsman in history. When Sachin equalled Sir Donald Bradman’s total of 29 test centuries , he was given a Ferrari 360 Modena by Michael Schumacher. Sachin has so many fans throughout the world. Sachin’s fans often say “Cricket is my religion and Sachin Tendulkar is my God.” Sachin is so famous in Mumbai that he often has to wear a wig and he only watches movies at night. Sachin is the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honour. He was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2008. Sachin is the most sponsored player in world cricket. His sponsors include Adidas, Nike, BAS, MRF, Pepsi, Airtel, Canon, the National Egg Coordination Committee, Boost, Fiat Palio, ESPN Star Sports, and Visa. Sir Donald Bradman said of Tendulkar, "I asked my wife to come and look at him. I never saw myself play, but I feel that this fellow is playing much the same as I used to play. She looked at him and said 'Yes, there is a similarity between the two'. To me, it's his compactness, his technique, his stroke production, it all seemed to gel as far as I am concerned." There can be no higher compliment. And that is why Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. What a record!By Joel Philip Thomas, Jagen Sajeev, and Athul Rajeev (12 years) with assistance from Edward trSri Atmananda Memorial School, Kerala, India