Gloucestershire and Australia batsman Michael Klinger has urged parents to sign their children up for All Stars Cricket - the new programme for five-to-eight-year-olds.

Forty-four of the county’s clubs are running the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) scheme, which will offer children a fun, first-taste of cricket in a safe and inclusive environment.

Klinger, who captained Gloucestershire to the 2015 Royal London One-Day Cup, said: “It’s a fantastic concept. We’ve got a very similar programme back in Australia which I’ve taken my son to who’s six.

“It’s skill-based, there are a lot of games and it’s more about making it really fun and enjoyable for the children.

“It’s a great programme, so sign your kids up and I’m sure they’ll have a great time.”

Sessions will start at cricket clubs across Gloucestershire and the UK later this month and parents can register their kids to take part by going to www.allstarscricket.co.uk and typing in their postcode to find their nearest club.

After signing-up, boys and girls will have a cricket ‘back-pack’ delivered to their door complete with a bat, ball, clothing and drinks bottle.

The new initiative – which has been developed with input from ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss and the England performance team - aims to introduce 50,000 new boys and girls to the game this year.

Gloucestershire currently has the second highest average number of children per club in the country.

Downend currently leads the way with more than 50 putting it in the top five per cent of clubs nationally.

As well as reinvigorating existing youth sections, All Stars Cricket has been the catalyst for a number of clubs to offer junior cricket for the first time including Uley and Coopers Edge cricket clubs.

Gloucestershire Cricket Board projects and programmes manager Chris Munden said: “It is great that so many of our clubs have recognised the fantastic opportunity that All Stars Cricket will provide for them to grow their youth sections and get a whole new generation excited about cricket. The programme has re-energised clubs with existing junior sections and it has been great to see others use it to engage with young players for the first time.

“There are still a couple of weeks left for parents to sign their kids up so we would urge them to do it as soon as possible.”