Pupils from Parkwood Hall Co-operative Academy had a day to remember as they travelled to the Home of Cricket to take part in the Lord’s Taverners National Table Cricket finals.

The Swanley school were one of 12 sides competing in the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s for the right to call themselves national champions.

Watching on at Lord’s were an array of stars, which included comedian Matt Lucas as well as England cricketer Jack Leach.

STA and PE teacher Ellie York said her students’ confidence has come on leaps and bounds after earning a chance to show off their skills on such a big stage.

She said: “They have really enjoyed it. This is their first year doing it and they have enjoyed seeing all the different schools and getting through each round. They have had lots of fun.

“We have only started properly introducing more sport into the school this year so this is the first year they have been going out and doing tournaments for different sports.

“They have only just learned how to play this year but they are loving it and already talking about next year.

“It really builds their confidence, it really helps them work as a team together.

“They haven’t had much opportunity to do that before, so it’s nice to see them communicating more with each other and celebrating with each other.

“They were really excited to see it [Lord’s] because, apart from football stadiums, they hadn’t seen anything like this before. They were excited to have a day out of school and enjoy the tournament.

“They are really excited to keep going. We said to them that, even if they didn’t win, they have come so far this year so the only way is up.”

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.

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.

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 for information.