FORMER England captain Mike Gatting OBE gave an inspiring talk to young players at The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the Water on Tuesday at the formal launch of the new MCC Foundation North Cotswold Cricket Hub.

It is one of 29 hubs set up across the country by the MCCF – the charitable arm of the world-famous Marylebone Cricket Club – and is already being used by 21 other schools.

Its purpose is to identify talented athletes in state schools, who have displayed the potential to become good cricketers and provide them with free, high-quality coaching.

Gatting told the children: “I was not much good at school until I started playing sport. That then gave me the confidence to do better at my schoolwork.”

In his ambassadorial role for the MCC, Gatting wants more kids to enjoy cricket.

“You don’t have to be a player to get involved. How about going along to your local cricket club to help out as an umpire or a scorer,” he said.

Gloucestershire CCC president and Standard columnist John Light was also impressed by the cricket hub.

He said: “This splendid facility reflects the abilty and talent of so many young cricketers in the area.”

Ian Turner, the North Cotswold hub manager, said: “We have initially concentrated on U11 and U13 boys and girls and have two enthusiastic squads of 19 young cricketers who were selected to join the programme. Those young cricketers have benefited from 12 weeks of training with dedicated coaching from a talented team.”