By Alison Smith BBC News education reporter

School cricket may be the only taster of the sport for many children

As a scheme is launched to increase participation in the sport in state schools, one school is encouraging pupils to take up cricket.

Samsun Islam only arrived in Britain from Bangladesh about one year ago but already he wants to play cricket for England.

The 11-year-old plays twice a week, at school and a local cricket club.

But had he arrived at Ashmount Primary School in north London earlier he might not have had the opportunity.

The school's learning mentor, Salman Ali, has helped build up its sports provision - including cricket - over the last two years with �6,000 of lottery funding.

The money is used to employ local coaches and improve facilities.

And it has allowed the school to provide several different sports - including cricket - which are rotated on a termly basis.

Salman admits he was working from a low starting point: "When I arrived there wasn't much going on regarding sport for the kids and I wanted to change that."

Lost talent

Jerry Bramble is a cricket coach for Access Sport, a group supplying sports coaches to local schools, including Ashmount Primary.

He says poor facilities at many schools are still the main obstacle to playing cricket.

The lottery funding Salman Ali applied for will shortly run out

"We introduce children to the basics and it's all centred around fun. But there are not always clubs in urban communities where they can learn more.

"This could be the only opportunity they get all week to play."

"A lot of talent is definitely lost," he added.

"Some schools haven't got the funds to play it at all."

Jerry sets up his class at Ashmount on the concrete playing area with plastic stumps and tennis balls.

Salman Ali says many schools do not have fields to play cricket on.

At Wray Crescent Cricket Club, about a mile and a half away, youngsters play in whites on a neatly kept pitch.

But it is the only club in the vicinity offering free coaching, so those who live too far away may not have access to club cricket.

Wray Crescent is helping children from working-class backgrounds get into the game, according to Salman, but many more such clubs are needed.

'Dog eat dog'

The Department for Education and Skills says cricket provision will improve as funding from the five-year National Strategy for Sport is felt.

It recognises that cricket is popular - a survey last year of 6,500 schools showed 85% played the sport and it was the sixth most popular.

Jerry Bramble tries to teach the basics in an enjoyable way

But Salman thinks there is not enough government funding: "The government should be paying for this. Our lottery money will run out in September and we will have to fall back on other means," he said.

"Access Sport has to compete for funding too. It's dog eat dog, in a way."

Financial rewards for top cricketers are still low compared with football, but Jerry and Salman try to emphasise cricket's benefits for children.

Ashmount School is in an ethnically mixed area of north London, but Salman says cricket is a game which brings children of all backgrounds together and it is a priority at the school.

"It's not like football, where the ones who are good control the game.

"Everyone is involved. You never know when the ball might come to you. Kids like Samsun gain confidence and respect from classmates by being good at cricket."

Terrestrial television will lose the right to broadcast live England's home Test matches from next year, with Sky the only provider.

Jerry finds this depressing. "Children need to watch top cricketers. That's the only way to learn."

Perhaps then he wouldn't be surprised to hear that Samsun has never heard of England's leading all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.