Liam O’Brien part of England’s Physical Disability team raising funds for the Lord’s Taverners

Last weekend, like so many cricketers around the country, Liam O’Brien should have been starting his club season by playing for Preston Nomads in the Sussex League.

Instead, he has been joining other members of England’s Physical Disability team in raising funds for the Lord’s Taverners by doing a marathon in a day.

Already they have more than doubled their original target of £1,000 by completing all sorts of challenges from walking, running or cycling 2.6 miles or even tapping a ball in the air with a cricket bat 26 times.

Using his dad’s cross-trainer at home, the 21-year-old is planning to do two 2.6km stints – but admits he might not stop there.

“I might do a 26-mile marathon,” he laughed. “I live quite near East Brighton golf course which is quite hilly and great to do stamina work so I’m missing my fitness sessions up there.”

Lord’s Taverners work with more than 12,000 disadvantaged and disabled youngsters each year and, like so many charities, their ability to fundraise has been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis.

“The Taverners have been unbelievably supportive to physically disabled cricket over the years,” said O’Brien. “So as a squad we decided we wanted to help them. We’ve smashed the target we set already and hopefully people will keep on donating.”

Like everyone else, Liam is hoping to play some cricket this summer, whether it’s for his club as an all-rounder or the England team.

No international fixtures have been played since last year’s World Series in Worcestershire where England lost to India in the final after O’Brien had made a vital half-century in the semi-final win over Afghanistan.

During the winter, at the suggestion of England coach Ian Salisbury, he went to Melbourne to play club cricket and do a bit of exploring around south-east Asia with his girlfriend Kharis.

“It was a bit of a mad rush but we got back just after the lockdown started,” he said.

“Going there, playing cricket and seeing a bit of the world was a fantastic experience. I got really fit and was looking forward to the new season but I think everyone is getting used to the fact that we won’t be playing for a while.”

Liam’s journey to international cricket was unusual to say the least.

A talented player who was part of Sussex’s academy, he was born with bilateral tilapes, more commonly known as clubfoot.

"I didn't know my ankles weren't as flexible or I couldn't jump as high or run as fast. I just knew it hurt," he says.

Only after wearing an England training shirt he’d bought in the Lord’s shop at training the following day was it pointed out to him that England had a disability team and he was eligible to play.

That was back in 2018 and he has been part of the set-up since.

When he next pulls on an England shirt remains to be seen but his ambition is to return to Asia and play in a World Series in India, where matches involving their physical disability team attract TV coverage and big crowds in the stadiums.

“That would be an awesome experience,” he says. “We lost to them in the final last year so to have the chance to go over there and play them is a massive dream of mine.”

In the meantime, and in the absence of slogging up the slopes of his local golf course, he’ll be trying to raise some money for one of disabled cricket’s biggest supporters.

“I was Lord’s Taverners disabled player of the year in 2018 so it means a lot to me to support them and hopefully what we’re doing will also help to raise our profile a bit more.”

To support the England Physical Disability team’s challenge, you can donate by visiting this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/englandpdcricketsquad2-6challenge