A team of young cricketers from Bolton return to Lord’s tomorrow looking to retain their crown after reaching the final of a national competition for the second year running.

The MCC Foundation Hubs Finals Day at the home of cricket will again see Bolton Girls Hub take on the Guildford Girls Hub in the Under-16s’ final, with the Bolton team hoping they can be victorious once again after a triumphant trip a year ago against the same opposition when they won in the last over.

Bolton took on Blackburn in the first round and progressed to winning the regional finals in Liverpool.

Next came the national stage, where the Bolton Girls Hub beat Bradford and Newcastle girls, booking their spot in the final.

MCC Foundation Bolton Hub manager, Andy Compton, said: “The girls are tremendously excited to play at Lord’s.

“We have a few that were there last year but there is also some new faces who, I imagine, will be getting very excited and quite nervous too.

“It is fantastic opportunity for them and it will be a memory of a lifetime.

“All of the girls have experienced at least one cycle of the winter coaching programme.

“The thing that the competition does is it gives them an opportunity, as well as the coaches, to improve on their match performances and all of them have benefitted from that.”

The MCC Foundation runs a network of 77 cricket hubs across the UK, providing free-to-access coaching and matchplay to around 3,200 state-educated young cricketers.

The programme includes 10 weeks of coaching sessions between January and March before the start of the national competition which culminates at Lord’s.

Dr Sarah Fane OBE, MCC Foundation director, said: “Young people in the UK face many challenges. The MCC Foundation works in the UK and around the world to provide life-changing opportunities through cricket and to ensure that it can be a game for all - and the Hubs programme is a great example of this work.”

Talking about the Foundation, Hubs MCC Foundation ambassador and Middlesex cricketer, Maia Bouchier, commented: “The children playing in the National Hub Finals may not have access to cricket at school, and playing on the main ground at Lord’s is something they never would have dreamed of.

“Days like this can make them realise cricket is a sport for them.”

MCC Foundation patron and MCC president, Stephen Fry, is scheduled to present the awards on the day.