Defoe and East help celebrate major moment for cricket initiative
The pair swapped football boots and microphones for bats and balls as part of a pitch party also involving professionals from the men's and women's teams at Hundred sides Oval Invincibles and London Spirit.
Defoe, who grew up in Canning Town, has not played the sport since his schooldays but relished taking part and seeing the opportunities on offer for children in the capital.
KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, are celebrating the installation of 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales with Jermain Defoe and Fleur East (Image: Michael Leckie) 'It's an amazing campaign and it's really good to be involved,' he said.
'This is pitch number 100, so it was only right that I picked the bat up and hit a six.
'To see families come out, the pros come out, and see that connection with the community is really nice.
'My grandad loved cricket. I remember being at my nan's house and my grandad, with his St Lucian background, was always watching cricket, supporting the West Indies.
'Years later, I was at West Ham with Shaka Hislop and through Shaka, I met Brian Lara and became friends. It's a fantastic sport and one I want to go and watch soon.'
Through their Everyone In campaign, KP Snacks are on a mission to inspire and enable more families & communities to get more active through cricket and create more opportunities for people to get involved and have a healthier lifestyle through the sport.
East, who hails from Walthamstow, took a break from starring as Tina Turner in the music icon's self-titled musical to wield the willow for the first time.
The 37-year-old, whose smash hit Sax hit number three in the UK charts in 2015, said: 'It has been so much fun to be here, get involved and see everyone active.
'I've never played cricket before in my life and didn't know too much about it, but I managed to do a decent bowl and hit a four with the bat so I'm taking the win.
'Everyone was having such a good time and I learned pretty quickly that even though I didn't have too many skills, it's easy to get involved and it was a lot of fun trying to master it.
'I was inspired by all the kids as well, they were little stars. Having opportunities like this for future generations is amazing.
'I have a daughter who is 16 months old and if I can get her into cricket as soon as she can do it, then I will!'
KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, are celebrating the installation of 100 new community cricket pitches across England and Wales as part of their Everyone In campaign. To find out more and search for your nearest pitch, visit: www.everyonein.co.uk/pitchfinder .
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