Former England and Warwickshire all-rounder Darren Maddy will be among the guests supporting the annual charity clash between the England Physical Disability team and an Army XI at Bournville Cricket Club in Birmingham this Sunday (July 13).
Ahead of the 40-overs per side match, which gets underway at 13.00, Maddy will help to coach a group of local youngsters and chat to both teams, passing on some of his vast cricket experience to the players.
The encounter on Sunday will be the fourth time that the two sides have played each other, and after the Army took the honours with a comfortable six wicket victory last summer, England Physical Disability captain, Jimmy Williams, will be hoping that his side can bounce back with a win this weekend.
The charity cricket day, which is in aid of the Bill Lloyd Memorial Trust, will also mark the first match in charge for new England PD Head Coach, Qasim Ali, after he took over the role in May.
Former England captain and ECB’s Managing Director of Cricket Partnerships, Mike Gatting, said: “The development of disability cricket represents an area of real focus for the ECB, and it is superb that more than 1,300 disabled cricketers now play the game across England and Wales in a structured club environment. Alongside the England PD team, the ECB also supports three other national disability squads – Visually Impaired, Learning Disabilities and Deaf, with the England Deaf team also in action this Sunday against a Duke of Norfolk’s XI at Arundel.
“The annual flagship match between the England PD team and an Army XI is always a wonderful day and an excellent demonstration of the huge strides that have been made in the disability game in recent years. I urge all cricket fans in the West Midlands to head along to Bournville CC this Sunday to watch some high quality cricket and show their support for a very worthy cause.”