Chance to Shine takes on school cheats

Cheating in sport is rife among schoolchildren in England and Wales, according to a survey carried out by the MCC and The Cricket Foundation.

The survey by Opinion Matters was commissioned to mark the relanch of the Chance to Shine cricket charity, which seeks to promote cricket in State schools and which has now been encouraged to switch its emphasis from junior to secondary education.

From today, Chance to Shine coaches will deliver assemblies and lessons in good sportsmanship to around 400,000 children in 4,500 state schools, proclaiming the message that sporting cheats are "not cool for school".

Wasim Khan, chief executive of Chance To Shine, said: "It is a real concern to us that so many youngsters struggle in this 'pressure cooker' to win at all costs.

"We teach children the importance of playing sport competitively and fairly whilst also respecting the rules and the opposition."

The survey, which covered 1,015 children from eight to 16, found that the pressure to succeed at all costs affects behaviour in schools as much as it does in professional sport.

Only one person in three agreed that they were influenced by the cheating they see across all professional sport in the UK. Despite that, the Cricket Foundation reports that school sport is "a hotbed of rule breaking," with 54% saying they witness cheating in every game they play. For some then, it must come naturally.

Among examples cited were faking injuries, elbowing in the face, arguing with the umpire and head butting.

Predictably, many children tend to think they are more morally upright than everybody else. As many as 37% per cent said that their teammates did not care if they won by cheating. Only 5% said they themselves would be happy to win at all costs..

Oddly, Leeds is presented as the place where children most see unfair play 'lots of times in a game' (27%), while its Yorkshire neighbour Sheffield is supposedly the haven of fair play.

The statistical sample is too small to take seriously, but it will provide much cause for chuntering in Yorkshire nevertheless. In Sheffield they will tell you that Leeds has always been awash with dishonesty, whereas in Leeds they will tell you that everybody is cheating in Sheffield, it is just that people are too dishonest to admit it.

Cheating in sport also worries fathers more than mothers. Almost half of Dads worry about their offspring being impressionable, but only one in five Mums regard it as a cause for concern. Strikingly, only half of parents believe that promoting the importance fair play in sport to their children is their responsibility.