The latter came to mind at breakfast last week during which an article in a broadsheet London newspaper (which shall not be shamed by naming, but again you don't need telling) made even a glorious morning turn suddenly cold.

There had been, said this august tissue, a survey carried out on behalf of something called the Cricket Foundation into the amount of the noble game being played in our state schools. Fewer than 10 per cent of pupils at such establishments, said the figures, were playing the game which only three summers ago captured the national imagination as no other sporting event has done since the 1966 World Cup.

Time and money for sport and the arts, we were told, were constantly being cut back so that schools could meet the ever-increasing demands of league tables. Sir Tim Rice, vice-president of the Foundation, proffered the opinion that the situation was "symptomatic of the rather bad education system in this country where team games and sport has been downgraded as unimportant."

He went on: "In many schools we find that either the finance isn't there or staff simply don't have the time. It is tragic."

It is indeed; it is also an exaggeration. This newspaper has been at the forefront for some years of the sport-in-schools debate and has, hopefully, helped in some small way to keep the flag of school sport flying.

This summer will be the 14th in which the Yorkshire Post Schools' Cricket Challenge will provide a highlight of the summer and for a hands-on appraisal of the Cricket Foundation's prognosis it seemed a good idea to have a word with Dr Bernard Knowles, a retired headmaster and one of those gentlemen whose tireless work with the Yorkshire Schools' Cricket Association has done so much to spread the gospel among generations of youngsters, many of whom have gone on to great things in the game.

This season, Dr Knowles, the organiser on our behalf, advises that 138 teams in our under-13 category have entered the Challenge, a figure which represents probably 50 per cent of state schools in the region and which shows a rise on last year, albeit slightly down on the record of 150 in 2004. The figure was achieved despite enormous problems early in the year communicating with schools through what we used to call the postal service.

And there is more: the YSCA administers three other tournaments in addition to that sponsored by the Yorkshire Post. In all three, entries show a healthy increase with the Lord's Taverners' under-14s and David English under-12s both attracting over 100 schools. The other competition is – believe it or not – sponsored by the newspaper which carried the report announcing that state schools' cricket is finished.

Schools cricket may not be as strong as it once was or quite as vibrant as we would like it to be, but suggestions that it is in its death throes would appear – in Yorkshire at least – to be wide of the mark.

If confirmation of that is required then the suggestion is that you arrive in good time at Headingley Carnegie on Thursday, July 24 for the climax of this year's Challenge.

If the quality of the cricket is anywhere near as good as last year's – when Kirkburton became the first middle school to take the trophy – then the journey home will be a reverie. Maybe we ought to invite Sir Tim…


Will Federer be able to resume normal service?

NOW that the footy season is behind us, barring a few matches which are largely of parochial interest only, we can begin to look ahead to the summer sports and hereabouts that will definitely not include UEFA's Championship in Switzerland and Austria.

Instead, it will be golf, cricket, tennis, racing, the occasional glimpse at cycling, Formula 1 motor-racing and the two-wheeled version, not least the progress of James Toseland, and maybe even something new: sand yachting perhaps.

Of all the individuals who will dominate the headlines this summer – Mr Flintoff seems certain to be one if his problems with the willow persist – perhaps the most fascinating will be Roger Federer, who has endured a miserable start to the year.

When Rafael Nadal suffered the almost unbelievable – defeat on a clay court in Rome – it appeared the door was ajar for Federer to at last make the breakthrough on the apparently alien surface. But no; up came someone called Radeck Stepaneck and won 7-6 7-6.

Now it seems Federer's ambition of winning a major title on clay at Roland Garros is further away from realisation than ever, especially as Nadal has proclaimed that a fourth French title would mean more to him that a first Wimbledon.

But, make no mistake, nothing would delight Federer more than another two grand slam titles to draw level with the record 14 of Pete Sampras. Federer has a talent enjoyed by only the very best and proved his remarkably physical powers when playing in Melbourne earlier this while suffering – unknowingly – from glandular fever, an illness which can confine even strong people to bed for weeks.

No bed-rest for Federer. He won a five-set match against Janko Tipsarevic then beat quality players in Tomas Berdych and James Blake before bowing out in the semi-finals to Novak Djokovic, thus ending a record run of 10 consecutive grand slam finals.

It would be a highlight of the summer to see Federer win in Paris but we will settle for him overtaking Bjorn Borg's total of five-in-a-row in south west London come July.


Close your eyes and think of Yorkshire

ONE of the great sporting successes in the past decade has been the rebirth of the Tour of Britain cycle race and Yorkshire has played a major role in that process, a fact underlined on the banks of the Humber last Friday as details of this season's stage through the region were confirmed.

Beginning in Hull, taking in two crossings of the Humber Bridge, a loop into North Lincolnshire then a scurry from Beverley to Scarborough via Hornsea, Bridlington and Filey before taking on three daunting climbs on the way to the finish in Dalby Forest, this year's route is far removed from – but no less daunting than – the traditional roads round the Pennines.

As Tom Barrass, who will be riding in this year's Tour, pointed out, the riders will have covered almost 100 miles before they come to the first serious climb – and that after four gruelling days in the saddle since the race began in London.

A one-day excursion into this region has been the norm so far but such has been the success of the Tour that suggestions are abroad that it may soon be lengthened and that Yorkshire might look forward to hosting perhaps three stages of a longer event.

In its previous lives, the Tour owed virtually everything to a major sponsor but now the say-so of one company's managing director no longer controls the race's destiny.

Now a variety of agencies, in this region's case Yorkshire Forward, the Yorkshire Tourist Board, the various local and county authorities and – not least – the police come together in a spirit of mutual assistance.

The economic spin-off as the race passes through, in terms of spending by the teams, media, back-up staff and spectators in hotels and restaurants, is only the start.

This year, for the first time, there will be live daily TV coverage of the Tour as well as an evening highlights package; a tremendous opportunity for the best of Yorkshire to be seen round the world.

Bear that in mind if, on September 11, you are driving in the East Riding and have to wait a few minutes for a colourful stream of support vehicles, bike riders and police motor-cycles to race by. Just close your eyes and think of Yorkshire.


Looking forward to record prize money and extended Ebor festival

YOU know when the oil-seed rape comes into flower that York's May meeting cannot be far away and after the delights of Royal Ascot and the St Leger on Knavesmire this summer will bring another innovation – the first four-day Ebor Festival in August.

This year there was even a successful pre-Knavesmire skirmish with a debut trip to the Roodee and another of racing's rites of Spring. Newmarket has its historic Guineas meeting and York its high-quality May Festival; at Chester they have one enormous party in an extremely confined space.

It was stiflingly hot, the spectacle was amazing, Aidan O'Brien and Johnny Murtagh conjured a promising winner in Sail, Doncaster Rover also obliged and it appeared almost everyone had a mug of cider or pitcher of Pimm's to hand. It was much more than an hors d'oeuvres in advance of York

The traditional three-day May meeting open on Wednesday (first race every day 1.40) but this is no ordinary season on Knavesmire. Drainage work on the back straight of the course, which will be completed by the time May 2009 rolls round, means that York's campaign will conclude with the fourth and last day of the Ebor Festival on August 22.

Agreements with the management of the Thirsk and Musselburgh courses have opened the way for the four-day Ebor and the switching to York from Scotland of a two-day meeting at the end of May featuring the Stowe Family Law Grand Cup, a Listed race, and the National Express Scottish Sprint Cup, £50,000 contest which takes the number of races worth £30,000 or more in the year's 15-day schedule to 40.

Record prize money of £4.7m will be on offer with Ebor meeting itself carrying £2.7m – an increase of £300,000 on last year – and incorporating three new races in the Festival as the new programme involves six races on four days rather than the usual seven on three.

The Group 1 Juddmonte International, now worth £550,000 in prize-money, remains the feature race of the first day of the meeting on Tuesday August 19 with the Ireland Gimcrack Stakes and the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup, both Group 2 contests, vying with the Totesport Ebor Handicap itself for centre stage on the second day.

Ladies Day centres on the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks with more fillies to catch the eye in the Group 2 Jaguar Cars Lowther Stakes and the major contest on the final day is the sprinting highlight of the meeting, the Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes.

York's determination to attract quality horses from all over the world has been underlined by the appointment of Lord Grimthorpe as the course's international ambassador, the securing of the International Racing Bureau as overseas agents and a presence at the Horseracing Ireland trade fair.

Work has already been done on the new drainage system where it does not affect the racing surface, the new bend created for the Royal Ascot meeting is being realigned and the camber made consistent while an upgraded service road will be in use for the first time at this week's meeting.

Workmen have been beavering away these past few weeks on a variety of tasks including improving the boxes in the Melrose Stand, refurbishing the Roberto Bar and lawn area and upgrading the Hospitality Village.

The attention over the best three days in May is certain to be captured by the annual highlights including the five group races – the Tattersalls Musidora, the Hearthstead Homes Duke of York, the Totesport Dante, the Totepool Middleton and the Emirates Airline Yorkshire Cup – but the feeling that at last summer is round the corner will survive much longer than some of our less-than-inspired form reading and several owners' and trainers' dreams of winning the Derby or Oaks.

Particularly interesting will be Thursday's Dante, the last four runnings of which has produced three Derby winners, North Light, Motivator and Authorized.

Henry Cecil, who has won seven Dantes, has this year's market leader in Twice Over.