Exam pressure hurting summer sports, says Mike Gatting

Mike Gatting says his cricket career began with the encouragement of a primary school teacher

The ever-growing pressure on exam results is making it harder for summer sports in schools, says former England cricket captain Mike Gatting.

"The exams cause an awful lot of problems for sport," said Mr Gatting - particularly those summer sports that clashed with the exam season.

Despite calls for more sport in schools, he said, there was a "huge drop off" among 14-to-15-year-olds.

Mr Gatting, 58, is taking part in a week promoting cricket in schools.

The former Ashes winner visited George Eliot primary school, near enough to Lord's cricket ground in London to be almost in range of a decent six.

Mike Gatting visited George Eliot primary school near to Lord's cricket ground

Mr Gatting, an ambassador for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was promoting cricket in schools, in advance of the Ashes Test series, beginning next month.

But Mr Gatting, who played in 79 Test matches for England, scoring 4,409 runs, said there were conflicting messages about sport.

"We want to push sports in this country," he said, as a way of tackling obesity and to give young people "a chance to get some self-esteem".

But he said pupils, parents and schools were under relentless pressure to prioritise exam results.

The teenage years were when sportsmen and women really developed their skills, he said.

Mike Gatting hit a double century for England in 1985

"That's when they really learn, but they're all doing exams - and quite rightly their parents want them to be the very best they can be," he said.

Mr Gatting added it was not only state schools facing this difficult balancing act.

Independent schools were "finding it difficult with sports - instead of running four or five teams, a lot of them are running one or two", he said.

It was even harder for team sports that took more time, practice and organisation, he said, including cricket.

He suggested one solution might be to move the exam season away from the summer months.

Mr Gatting, instead of fielding cricket balls, was fielding questions from pupils at George Eliot school.

Cricket is being promoted in schools this week, in a project linked to the Ashes

He told them he owed the start of his own playing career to a primary school teacher - a Mrs Collister, who came from Sri Lanka and began to teach cricket in the playground.

"She helped us put a team together - we had our first match, against Stonebridge Park at the Neasden Recreation ground, my first game and my first 100," he said.

Mr Gatting went on to play for Middlesex and England, and he said that his single favourite match was the 1981 Ashes victory at Headingley.

He added that even though this match was remembered for Ian Botham's contribution, more credit should have been given to the fast bowler Bob Willis.

His least favourite cricket memory was losing to Australia in Perth in 1995 - his final Test match for England.

The schools' cricket week has been launched by the Chance to Shine charity, which promotes cricket in schools and in local communities.

It has an accompanying free interactive resource, the 2015 Ashes Schools Challenge, also supported by the MCC and ECB.

And Mr Gatting said the current England cricket team should be an inspiration after their swashbuckling performances against New Zealand.

England thrashed New Zealand by 56 runs in the one-off Twenty20 international at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

They also won the five-game one-day international series against the Kiwis.

"If this series against New Zealand doesn't capture the imagination - I don't know what will," he said.

"I haven't seen cricket like that ever on such a consistent basis. It's been absolutely fantastic. It's gone up to a new level."

Mr Gatting said England's positive performance against New Zealand had also given him a lot more confidence about their chances in the Ashes series.

"It was almost as if the shackles have been taken off," he said.

He also said that England's team selection was usually "too conservative" - and added he was pleased it was a more positive line-up now.