Bouncers, yorkers... and 26.2 miles

I grew up watching how cricket, and sport in genera, can transform lives. It builds confidence, creates community, and develops life skills.

On a personal level, running has been a key part of transforming my own life, so I’m over the moon to be running the 2026 London Marathon for the Lord’s Taverners. I am hoping that those 26.2 miles (and the many hundred in training) will lead to real chance and hope for young people facing the toughest barriers.

The Lord's Taverners are not just about sport. They are about the young person growing up in a postcode full of closed doors, about the child in a school with no adapted sport options, about the partially sighted boy who found friendship through cricket, was befriended by Joe Root, and then ended up on Test Match Special.

Ravi's story is not by chance, it is a life transformed by his incredible character, and a charity ensuring he has the opportunities to be involved. That’s what inclusion does. It changes how a young person sees themselves, and how the world sees them too.

The Lord’s Taverners reach into places where opportunities are rare. Their programmes give young people life skills, confidence, increased wellbeing, community, and a genuine belief in what’s possible.

They create safe, empowering spaces where a young person can discover leadership, teamwork, and resilience, adapting cricket so that every child can play and feel celebrated. In 2024, their programmes reached a staggering 28,699 young people and impacted on 50% of all SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) settings in the UK.

Your donation helps fund practical interventions that meet young people where they are and transforms their lives. It turns vulnerability into belief and helps more “Ravis” get their moment, to be seen, to be heard, and to belong.

Please consider donating and sharing this page. Every donation matters. Every pound helps a young person build confidence, find community, and step into a brighter future, all through the power of cricket.

Thank you for standing with me, and with the young people whose lives will change because of your support.