Crawley-born Alfie, 20, who was called up to the England Men鈥檚 LD side this April, got his first taste of cricket as one of the very early participants in the , which offers cricket coaching to young children with disabilities across the country. He has since risen through the ranks to represent Sussex in D40 cricket and featured for Disability Premier League champions Hawks in this summer鈥檚 tournament.
Alfie 鈥� who was presented with the award at star-studded event hosted by the children鈥檚 charity 鈥� has continued his association with the Lord鈥檚 Taverners as a Super 1s coach, and was over-the-moon to be recognised for his achievements:
鈥淚鈥檓 really happy to have won this award; I didn鈥檛 think I was going to win so when they said my name and everyone clapped, it was a great feeling.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a great first year in the England squad and am really enjoying my cricket at the moment. There were times in my life growing up when the bullying I experienced made things difficult 鈥� but now, to be playing with my friends, representing my country 鈥� I鈥檓 loving every minute.
鈥淭he role that Variety plays supporting young disabled athletes is vital. Whether you end up loving sport or not, it鈥檚 great to give children the opportunity to give it a go and see where it might lead.鈥�
Alfie travels to South Africa this weekend with the England Men鈥檚 LD side, who will face-off against the Proteas and Australia in a tri-series in Pretoria. You can keep up to date with the series across the 黑料专区鈥檚 channels throughout November.
Interested in playing disability cricket? Find out about the playing opportunities in your area for both adults and children on the 黑料专区 website.