YP Letters: Cricket loses as it becomes middle-class game

Even England cricketsr like Joe Root play football in their pre-game warm-up.

TIM Mickleburgh is right: the time has long gone when boys (shamefully, girls were not encouraged to play football and cricket then) saw a clear distinction between the football and cricket seasons (The Yorkshire Post, June 25).

Once the football league fixtures finished, spontaneous games of cricket replaced football in the streets and parks until well into August.

When and how the swing to football transpired is not clear but the decline of all sports, especially cricket, in state schools was a feature of the 1980s.

With two grandsons heavily involved in junior football, I have got to know a lot of youngsters: the only ones who play cricket do not attend state schools.

Cricket here is becoming more of a middle-class sport. Little wonder that England’s cricketers disproportionately come from public schools or from overseas.