Lord’s beckons for talented Angmering students

Students from the Lavinia Norfolk Centre, at the school, proved they were a force to be reckoned with when they stormed through the south east heat of the Macquarie National Table Cricket competition, at the end of last month.

The squad has now booked its place at the national finals, at Lord’s Cricket Ground, on June 15.

The competition, which is played on a table tennis surface with specially crafted bats and balls, has seen more than 500 youngsters from 50 different teams taking part.

Angmering sent two teams to the regional heats. The winning final of the heat was a closely fought battle between the school’s squads, but after a determined effort the members from the B team took the regional title, booking their place at the national final, at Lord’s.

Steve Richards, physical disability specialist at the school, said: “I am extremely proud of this achievement in what is a relatively new sport. All the students demonstrated excellent technical ability and incredible sportsman-like behaviour in their victory”.

Squad member, Freddie Strachen, 14, said he was overwhelmed by the prospect of playing at the home of English cricket, while fellow team member, Matt Francis, also 14, added that winning the competition was inspiring and would fuel the side’s desire to become the national champions.

The competition is now in its 14th year and has been organised by both the Lord’s Taverners and Macquarie Group foundations

Matthew Patten, chief executive of the Lord’s Taverners, said: “We believe all young people should have access to sport and recreation – particularly those with disabilities and special needs. Macquarie’s support for this competition has given even more young people the chance to play cricket against their peers and we look forward to seeing Angmering School ‘B’ at Lord’s next month.”