My School Sport: Andrew Flintoff (19 May 1999)
Where did you go to school
19-May-1999
19 May 1999
My School Sport: Andrew Flintoff
Gareth A Davies
Where did you go to school?
Greenlands County Primary School and then Ribbleton Hall High School.
Did you enjoy your schooldays?
Not all the time, although I have some good friends from school I
still keep in touch with.
Did you play other sports and did you excel at other sports?
I played local football for Preston schoolboys and Leyland St Mary's
and it was a bit of fun to have a run around. I also played table
tennis for Deepdale. That came in handy when we were in Lahore
recently as the hotel had a table tennis table and I managed to get in
a few games with the lads.
Did you gain representative honours in cricket or other sports?
Apart from the football for Preston schoolboys, I played cricket for
Lancashire from under-11s right through to under-16s and made my
first-class debut at 17. For England, I've played from under-14s to
seniors now. I went with England Schools to South Africa in 1993 and
I've been on three NatWest under-19 tours to West Indies, Zimbabwe
and Pakistan. I captained that tour of Pakistan with players like
Alex Tudor and Ben Hollioake and then captained again in 1997 when
Zimbabwe under-19s toured here.
Did you score any big hundreds or take huge numbers of wickets at
school?
Not that I can remember, but I did score 234 not out for my
club side St Annes in a 20-over game when I was 15. That sticks in
the memory.
Who were your childhood sporting heroes and why?
From cricket, Ian Botham and Viv Richards for the way they played the
game. Both were great players and great entertainers, too. Though
Preston North End are my first footballing love I also follow
Liverpool's scores and John Barnes was someone else who made an
impression with his abilities on the ball. And I loved watching the
fights of Mike Tyson in his prime. Awesome.
Did sport interfere with your schoolwork?
Yes, as I was often missing time here or there to play cricket.
Were you academically inclined? Yes, up until around the age of 13,
but then cricket tended to take over. I still left school with some
GCSEs, though.
What advice would you give to schoolchildren wishing to pursue a
career in sport?
You should always remember that fortune favours the brave, that's
been one of my mottos, but the key for anyone playing sport is that
first and foremost you should look to enjoy it.
Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)