WORLD Cup winner Ebony Rainford-Brent reminded teachers in Croydon of the value of sport in schools as they try to maintain the work of the School Sports Partnerships.

The three SSPs in the town have been thrown into jeopardy in recent weeks after the government announced it was no longer setting aside cash for the nationwide programme as part of its steps to reduce public spending.

It has been a bitter blow for teachers in the borough who have overseen a substantial rise in the number of pupils taking part in regular sport.

Schools will now be allowed more freedom when choosing where to spend money from the Department of Education - and that might mean nothing for school sport, potentially undoing all the good work.

But Rainford-Brent, the England women's cricketer, urged teachers and coaches to keep up their efforts to provide sporting activities for pupils in Croydon, using her own experiences as an example.

The 26-year-old right-handed bat had to endure the murder of her eldest brother when aged just five, and believes sport helped her stay on the straight and narrow.

"For me, something as simple as school sport had a massive impact on my life," Rainford-Brent told a Croydon SSP conference held at Archbishop Lanfranc School.

"I never imagined it could make such a difference for me. It's enabled me to meet people like the Prime Minister - I did not realise how important school sport was to me until that moment. I can't overestimate how important you [teachers and coaches] are."

Rainford-Brent grew up in Herne Hill and discovered a love of cricket at primary school, before going on to earn a place in the Surrey academy and eventually the England women's team after re-inventing herself as a batsman.

She helped England to an unprecedented treble victory last year as they brought home the Ashes, the World Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup.

"I got so into sport and education that I didn't have any opportunities to do anything else," she said.

"In this room there are many teachers in a position to help other kids achieve their ambition. The adults around me used to teach me about ambition and having a dream - you can create that ambition through the opportunities you can offer them."

Rainford-Brent also related the story of how she had to reinvent herself after injury prevented her bowling at international level, and told her audience it was vital to challenge children in order to help them progress.

She added: "Sport has given me some of the best times of my life. I have been lucky enough to meet women I used to look up to, and it has given me the opportunity to travel. Teachers are in a position to create an environment for kids to thrive and have more opportunities."