HOT on the heels of England's humiliating cricket defeat at the hands of the Australians in the Ashes, one cricket club is hoping to make a difference to the future of the game.

Blandford Cricket Club will be providing free coaching to six local schools over the next three years to try to encourage the potential stars of the future to take part in the sport.

Owen Newton from the club said: "At Blandford we have been really successful over a number of years with encouraging youth cricket and we hope going into schools will make a huge difference.

"Over the years in schools for whatever reasons cricket has been played less. There are children who play football and rugby in the winter who might not even think of cricket in the summer and we are hoping they will get bitten by the bug and want to play."

Blandford has signed up to a £50 million national programme to encourage youngsters to take up the game and will receive £6,000 to provide coaching both within the curriculum and after school hours during the summer months.

The schools signed up to the programme, being run through the Cricket Foundation charity's Chance to Shine programme, are the Blandford School, Downlands School and Milldown, Pimperne, Spetisbury, and Blandford St Mary primary schools.

The idea is to give every child the chance to play and enjoy cricket, whether or not they might have the potential to go on to higher levels.

Pupils will be taught by coaches from the club and teachers will also have a chance to learn how to help youngsters improve their game.

The club is also particularly keen to encourage more girls to take up the sport and hopes to establish a youth girls' team itself.