New Brighton’s Chris Edwards on blazing a trail at Lord’s as part of mixed disability England side

Chris Edwards celebrates the wicket of Rajesh Kumar of India at Taunton
(Photo by Harry Trump – ECB/ECB via Getty Images)

Chris Edwards says he is delighted to be a part of England’s first ever mixed disability side in their trailblazing series against India. 

The Wirral-born all-rounder helped his side win their first two T20s at Taunton and Worsley. 

But the tourists bounced back at Lord’s on Wednesday to leave the seven-match rubber nicely poised ahead of Friday’s game at Worcester.

The squads are made up of a mixture of physical disability, learning disability and deaf players, with at least three of each category in the playing XI.

Edwards, who captains England’s learning disability side and was awarded a British Empire Medal for his services to the game in 2021, thinks the new format is a win for disability sport.

He said: “I think it’s going to be great for the game to put mixed disability cricket at the forefront of everything that we do and this series is a massive step forward.

“We’ve known each other for a long period of time and to finally put on an England shirt alongside a lot of lads I’ve known over the years from various disability sides is a fantastic opportunity.”

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Opener Dan Bowser, all-rounder Alfie Pyle and batter Ronnie Jackson are teammates of Edwards from the learning disability side, while wicketkeeper Will Flynn and all-rounder Liam O’Brien played alongside him for the Tridents in the Disability Premier League last year.

Edwards, who was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder as a child, is also delighted to be sharing a squad with another Liverpool Competition player, Sefton Park’s deaf international seamer and former skipper Jimmy Dixon.

Despite Wednesday’s two-wicket defeat, he was delighted to take the field at Lord’s, and is confident England can get back to winning ways quickly.

“Any time you play at Lord’s is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the game and it was great to get out there and play at the Home of Cricket,” he said.

“I played there last year and it was really good to get the opportunity to play there again.

“It’s going to be quite an intense series. I think for us Wednesday was a bad day at the office and I’m sure we’ll pull it back when we get to Worcester.”

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After coming through the ranks at Caldy, Edwards moved to Neston last year, then joined New Brighton this season.

The Rakers suffered their first ever relegation from the Premier Division after a tough 2024, and are now rebuilding in Division One under a young captain, Tom Anders.

Sitting ninth in the table, it has not been easy for them so far, but Edwards is happy to be part of the new era at the club, who were Comp champions as recently as 10 years ago.

He said: “I’m enjoying it. I’m getting to play a bit more of a role at New Brighton than I would have done at Neston.

“I really loved and enjoyed playing cricket at Neston but moving has helped me to be able to train more regularly and play more of a role within the side.

“It’s a very young team. There’s a lot of potential in that team to kick on further and we’re setting the foundations this year to be able to build again for the next couple of years. 

“It’s a big project and the club’s in a great place.

“Martyn Evans, who captained the side last year, has brought the club much closer and made it much more of a tight-knit group – not just across the first team but across the other teams as well.

“You’ve only got to see the clubhouse after a game to see how much of a tight-knit club it’s becoming.

“As long as we continue on that path, we will definitely be successful in the near future.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/QndPL0O