Three Edinburgh schools named among the top UK establishments for cricket

Three Edinburgh schools have been named among the top establishments for cricket in the UK by the prestigious Cricketer magazine.

For the second year in succession The Mary Erskine School have made the top 20 all-girls schools while George Watson’s College and Cargilfield receive honourable mention among senior and preparatory schools, respectively.

The Mary Erskine School and Erskine Stewart’s Melville Junior School has one of the largest cricket programmes for girls in Scotland, with over 160 girls playing cricket throughout the season.

The programme is supported by coaches from Stewart's Melville Cricket Club, headed by former pupil David Gibson, who offers weekly coaching sessions with the girls and upskills teachers to deliver high quality sessions for pupils.

The Mary Erskine School and Erskine Stewart’s Melville Junior School has one of the largest cricket programmes for girls in Scotland. Picture: Rebecca Lee

Kirsty Nicholson, head of The Mary Erskine School, said: “It’s fantastic to be named as one of the top 20 all-girls schools for Cricket, for the second year in a row. The secret of our success has been the creation of a great partnership between our PE staff and former pupils who give up their time to share their love of cricket."

Current pupil Katherine Fraser and former pupil Catherine Holland both play internationally and over the last two years the MES cricket programme has been managed by two dedicated teachers, Tom McBratney and Caroline Heron, a former internationalist. The teachers were supported by Hannah Short, a Tasmanian cricketer and coach.

The successful schools, which also included Dollar Academy, were judged against an extensive criteria that included a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, facilities, fixture programmes and coaching.