Alfie Pyle makes debut for England

Sussex D40 player Alfie Pyle made his debut for the England Learning Disability team this week, becoming the 43rd player in the country’s history to receive an England cap.

Alfie became the first ever Lord’s Taverners Super 1s participant to go from a hub setting, through the county system and then on to represent England. The remarkable achievement caps off what has been an exceptional couple of years for the local batter.

Alfie was first part of history when he and his Sussex D40 side took part in the first ever disability cricket fixture at a professional cricket venue, when Sussex D40 hosted Surrey D40 at The 1st Central County Ground in June 2022.

On that afternoon, over 300 spectators witnessed Alfie smash his way to 162 runs, helping Sussex to a 118-run victory over Surrey at Hove.

Since then, Alfie has been recognised for his nationally for his efforts, when he recently won the 2023 Variety Disability Sports Awards Rising Star award.

Alfie is now part of the touring England Learning Disability squad in South Africa, where England are taking part in a tri-series against South Africa and Australia. England have begun the series in fine form, winning both of their opening games against the other two nations.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director for the Sussex Cricket Foundation, said: “We are all incredibly proud of Alfie’s achievements. To become the first ever Super 1s participant to go and represent their country is a proud moment for everyone connected to Sussex Cricket.

“The profile of our County Disability Teams & Disability Cricket in general continues to rise and by having England players such as Alfie acting as role models, we hope they will inspire more participants with disabilities to either join our Super 1s programmes or join a local club in Sussex.”

Mark Curtin, CEO of Lord’s Taverners, added: “Congratulations to Alfie, a fantastic achievement for a very talented young Cricketer, who is also a great role model for so many young people.

“Lord’s Taverners is proud to partner with our friends at Sussex Cricket Foundation who create such an impactful environment, ensuring that Super 1s participants can enjoy themselves as they learn, develop and thrive!

“Together our two organisations work hard to empower all the young people on the Super 1s Disability Cricket Programme through community Cricket. Today we celebrate one of our own reaching the pinnacle of the game!”

To find out more about Lord’s Taverners, visit https://www.lordstaverners.org/about-us/

Or, to find out about Disability Cricket in Sussex, visit
https://sussexcricket.co.uk/sussex-cricket-foundation/disability-cricket