Khan thrilled to lead his school to National Table Cricket Finals

South Wales Argus

a day ago

The Luton school battled through regional rounds to take on 11 other schools at the Home of Cricket, and while they didn't take home the trophy, they made memories for life playing at an iconic sporting venue.
And teaching assistant and table cricket lead Mohsin Khan revealed how excitement has been sweeping through the pupils in recent weeks.
'Both me and my students are so happy to be here,' he said.
'They've been talking about it all week, asking 'sir, when are we going?' They've been buzzing all week.
'This is a fantastic opportunity for them because in typical sports teams, they don't usually get picked, but with table cricket, they all have a chance to showcase their skills, and at such a famous venue too.'
Table cricket is a fully inclusive, adapted version of the game aimed at young people living with a wide range of learning and physical disabilities played on a table tennis table.
(Image: imagecomms)
Teams of six compete to avoid fielders and hit specific scoring zones while the ball is bowled using a ramp. The Lord's Taverners runs its national competition each year, with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools from across the country taking part.
Khan, who runs the after-school table cricket club on Monday afternoons, also expressed the importance of having inclusive events such as the National Table Cricket Finals Day for students to aim for.
'We 100% need to make sure that events like this continue and grow,' he added.
'We need to give these students as many opportunities as possible so even those students who missed out on today, they can attend other tournaments.
'Overall, I'm super proud of all our students here.'
For the first time in the competition's history, National Finals Day took place as part of Disability Cricket Day, the biggest ever one-off showcase of disability cricket hosted by the MCC, ECB and Lord's Taverners which saw all formats of disability cricket on display from grassroots to elite level.
The day was brought to a close by the first ever international disability cricket fixture on the main ground at Lord's, the third of a seven match Vitality IT20 Mixed disability series between England and India.
'I saw table cricket for the first time a few years ago now and coming to the final here at Lord's today, you are struck immediately by the competitiveness, the keenness and the camaraderie,' said Lord's Taverners President and former England batter David Gower.
'Everyone's spirits are high and it's fantastic to see people getting everything they want from the game, who, as we know, wouldn't otherwise have the opportunity. Events like this are hugely important.
'The players are all so good, and they are all having immense fun. The atmosphere is just vibrant, and I love being a figurehead for Tavs, especially on days like today.'
The Lord's Taverners impacts the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality. The charity works across the UK and beyond to provide inclusive and impactful cricket programmes, empowering young people with disabilities and from disadvantaged communities – visit www.lordstaverners.org