An award-winning young cricketer has now been selected to play for England Under 17s.

Andrew Thomas won a Jack Petchey Achievement Award from Harrow St Mary’s Cricket Club, in Hatch End, when he was just 11 years old for ‘being an example to which others can aspire’.

Five years down the line, the young cricketer has been selected to join the England Development Programme squad to face Pakistan Under 17s at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

He said: “It made me think about all my talented friends and teammates over the years and how fortunate I was to be selected for this honour.”

The Middlesex County Cricket Club and Watford FC Academy player hopes to become a professional sportsman.

He added: “My plan is to give it my very best shot. If you really love your sport - and not just competition but also training - you need to work hard to develop your talent to the maximum.

“I appreciated winning the Jack Petchey Achievement Award very much. It’s nice to be recognised as being a good person doing things the right way.”