England duo make charity trip

Shaun Udal and Andrew Flintoff pose for pictures © Getty Images

England players Andrew Flintoff and Shaun Udal joined a group of around 30 children from underprivileged backgrounds in the Mumbai Port area and donated a cricket set to the Magic Bus charity before taking part in a game of ‘Leg Cricket’ – an innovative version of the game involving a football.

The visit was in support of Magic Bus, a charity that endorses child development through sport and encourages active participation for children in some of the poorest circumstances in the world.

Flintoff said: “Both Shaun and I really enjoyed our first experience of ‘Leg Cricket’.

“As England cricketers we are aware of the huge passion for cricket that exists in India right across the board and it was great to see how passionate the children were about cricket.

© Getty Images

“We hope that our visit will have encouraged more children in similar circumstances to take up the game and play other sports as well.”

Matthew Spacie, the founder of Magic Bus, said: “It has been great to have the support of the England team and the children have really enjoyed the chance to meet such high-profile players.

“We hope that this might raise awareness for Magic Bus and assist us in our fundraising efforts.”

An award-winning charity, Magic Bus was first set up in India in 1999 and now has 3,000 children on the programme, a 16-acre outdoor development centre on the outskirts of Mumbai and access to a number of grounds in the centre of the city.