England Physical Disability side 'smashing' marathon challenge, says Callum Flynn
Tuesday 12 May 2020 12:55, UK
Callum Flynn says England's Physical Disability side are "smashing" their marathon challenge as they aim to raise funds for the Lord's Taverners amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The squad set out to run a combined 26 miles every day for 10 days but passed their total target of 260 miles inside six days.
Flynn told Sky Sports News how he and his team-mates are faring and how some of his colleagues are using their back gardens to good effect.
"We are smashing the 26 miles a day at the minute, we are completing 40-50 miles a day," said Flynn, whose side finished runners up in the Physical Disability World Series last summer.
"We are all running at least 2.6 miles, some of us are cycling it and one of the lads, who has asthma and has to stay in for 12 weeks, is doing it in his back garden.
"He sends his Strava map through and it's like he is a child scribbling on his phone. It must be mentally tough how many turns he has to do as he says his garden is 20 yards.
"One of the lads [James Nordin] did it in full cricket kit. He marked out 22 yards in his garden and did the whole 2.6 miles running as many singles as he could, which was pretty good effort in the heat!
"We have a couple of lads with prosthetic limbs, a couple have titanium knee replacements. We have players with cerebral palsy, so we have a wide range of upper-body and lower-limb disabilities.
"We are used to doing 10-15km during a T20 game, so the toughest part of the 2.6 miles every day is probably the recovery."
On how the squad's marathon challenge came about and why they decided to support the Lord's Taverners, the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, Flynn added: "We were inspired by Sir Tom Moore and his efforts so that's how it came about a little bit."
"We were speaking about how we were keeping on top of our fitness to try and get a bit of an advantage on other countries when we get back on the field, so we thought 'why not raise some money for a fantastic charity?'
"Rightly so, the NHS are getting all the attention but there are lots of other charities out there that are probably struggling for income at the minute.
"The Lord's Taverners is the first pathway onto the disability cricket scene - We are at the elite end of the spectrum and supported by the ECB, so we thought 'let's try and support the disadvantaged children who might not be getting as much funding'."
Flynn is prepared for the fact he may not play any cricket this year due to coronavirus but says that pails in significance compared to ensuring people's safety.
"For me and most of the squad, we have been through something that gives you a different perspective on life and you have to realise there are people in worse scenarios," added Flynn.
"As tough as the lockdown is - my body knows I should be playing cricket at the weekend - there are people in tougher times, so you look past the negatives and focus on the positives.
"I've got my head around not playing at all this summer and getting ready for the winter. Even if we just get a game or two this year, it will be great to get back on the cricket field."
