A DRIVE to boost interest in cricket at schools is being mounted by development staff at Durham County Cricket Club and helping to spearhead the initiative, which aims to set up coaching clinics throughout the county, will be Durham fast bowler Neil Killeen.

From next month the 25-year-old bowler will be going around schools talking to pupils about what they can gain from playing the game. Apart from increasing awareness of cricket, the county hopes the clinics will prove a fertile hunting ground for recruits to the first-class game.

Killeen received a warm response from players and sponsors of Weardale Cricket Club, who play in the Darlington and District League, when he announced details of the scheme at their annual presentation night.

Weardale, who had difficulties at the start of last season getting a team together, are pinning their hopes on future seasons of cricket being played at the 900-pupil Wolsingham Comprehensive School.

Killeen said he would be making an approach to the school to offer it a coaching clinic and any help it might need in encouraging pupils to play the game.

"If we can get three youngsters from any 100 we get together wanting to play cricket, then we have been successful," said Killeen, who joined Durham from school at Annfield Plain, when he was 16.

"The potential is out there. We just have to tap into it."

Weardale secretary Graham Dalton applauded the county initiative.

"There is a definite need for cricket to be played at Wolsingham School, and I can't understand why it isn't," he said.

"We are very pleased by this move by the county and we will do everything we can to help. We would love to have a junior side to draw on."

Weardale is the last cricket side left in the Durham dale, and despite facing a shortage of players, they have managed to rise from Division D of the Darlington and District to Division A in their nine years in existence.

At the presentation night at the Cross Keys, Eastgate, Ian Tennick picked up the bowling trophy for taking 38 wickets at an average of 9.3 runs, and William Hutchinson won the batting award for scoring 238 runs at an average of 23. George Wearmouth was voted players' player of the year.