Lord's Cricket Ground will host the national final of the 2001 Table Cricket Competition, a tournament which provides youngsters with high support needs with an opportunity to compete in the game of cricket, in the Indoor Cricket School on Friday 11 May (start: 10.30am).

Nine schools teams will gather in North London to contest the final with current champions, Wilson Stuart School from Birmingham, attempting to win the competition for the third time in succession.

Table Cricket was developed at Nottingham Trent University. The game uses a table tennis top (or an equivalent surface area), side panels with sliding fielders, a ball launcher, plastic ball and a wooden bat to simulate a game of cricket. Each team, consisting of six players, begins with a total score and has runs deducted if a wicket is lost. Individual innings last for two overs, making a total of 12 overs per side, with batsmen able to judge where best to push the ball to obtain two, four of six runs.

Equipment for Table Cricket is produced in kit form by the Youth Sport Trust as part of their SportSability programme, and its increased availability has enabled a record 35 teams to compete for a place in the final via one of nine regional qualifying tournaments.

Arthur Travis, ECB's National Disabilities Development Officer, said: "It is great to see the tournament expanding with two new regions joining this year - Essex and Durham & North East - therefore underlining ECB's desire to make cricket an all-inclusive sport.

"To the non-disabled observer, the adapted tasks in the game will appear quite easy. But to the youngsters with impairments including co-ordination and perceptual difficulties it is quite a challenge to strike the ball with control and score runs in a consistent manner."

Ken Black, Inclusive Sport Officer for the Youth Sport Trust, said: "We are pleased to be supporting the Table Cricket Competition for a third year. It has gone from strength to strength, with a wider range of schools participating than ever before, giving young people the chance to compete in a fun environment, and encouraging teamwork and sportsmanship."

Contesting the final will be: William Morris School (London, E17), Grove Park School (London), Lord Mayor Treloar School (Alton, Hampshire), Mere Oaks School (Standish, Manchester), Bruntcliffe High School (Morley, nr Leeds), Thomas Wolsey School (Ipswich), Portland College (Mansfield), Hill Top School (Gateshead) and Wilson Stuart School (Birmingham).

© ECB