Parkwood Hall Cooperative are enjoying their rapid rise in the world of table cricket after reaching the 2024 National Finals Day at Lord’s.

The Lord’s Taverners national table cricket competition sees young people with disabilities representing schools from across the country, setting their sights on what for some will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to play at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Table cricket is an adapted version of the traditional game, played on a table tennis table, and is much more accessible to young people living with severe physical or learning disabilities, particularly wheelchair users, who have limited opportunities to participate in sport.

Parkwood Hall assistant principal and PE lead teaching assistant Katie Trew will make the trip from Swanley on Thursday 27 June, and revealed she can't wait to see her students thrive after achieving meteoric success over just a few months.

"As soon as our students won the semi-finals they were ready to go to the final," she said. "They are so thrilled.

"If you ask the students, they will say we're going to Lord's to win.

"If you ask me, I think it's more the experience, the team cohesion and working as a small unit to try and win that's important."

Trew, who joined Parkwood this academic year, used to work on a cricket initiative in secondary schools and was introduced to table cricket by a former colleague.

The school has since thrived in the sport, reaching the finals at Lord's at the first attempt.

Much of the Lord’s Taverners work in cricket for young people with disabilities is made possible thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and awarded by the Postcode Active Trust, in addition to support from the ECB and Sport England.

And Trew noted the impact that the accessible sport has brought to her students, now wanting to grow their table cricket programme at the school after seeing a marked increase in confidence and behaviour in and out of the classroom.

"My role is to increase the provision of sport in school and we went to a taster session of table cricket and then we entered the competition and the students have thrived," she said.

"It's been really good and we've just purchased three tennis cricket tables and sets so we can bring the sport to our more engagement profile students who have more complex needs.

"It's really good for their fine and gross motor skills as well, which a lot of our students really need support with.

"It's lovely to see how their confidence has really grown as well.

"We had two students specifically whose behaviour was quite shocking last year, but since the integration of table cricket, they've had to channel that behaviour into something else.

"It has come through on their annual reviews and has increased their overall confidence and self-belief."

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