Chris Tarrant, the President of The Lord's Taverners, teamed up with head of Macquarie Capital Advisers Europe Graeme Conway and fellow staff to take part in a series of games alongside young Londoners with disabilities.

Tarrant welcomed the youngsters while Ashes-winning former England cricket captain Mike Gatting was on hand to pass on advice and tips to the young players and Macquarie staff.

Conway said: "Today has been the perfect way to launch our partnership with The Lord's Taverners.

"The table cricket competition is a very special initiative and it has been fantastic for our staff to engage with the young players and see first-hand just how beneficial the game is to them.

"I'm sure this is going to be the first of many exciting events with The Lord's Taverners and I look forward to working with them closely."

The three-year partnership will see the global financial services institution offer sporting opportunities to young people across the UK.

At the heart of the partnership is support for The Lord's Taverners' table cricket competition.

Table cricket enables young people with disabilities and special needs to enjoy cricket and represent their school on a competitive basis.

The competition, which will be renamed the Macquarie National Table Cricket Competition, features regional heats beginning in March with a prestigious national final at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 17.

Sharon Brokenshire from the South London Special League said: "It's fundamental to be able to provide young people with disabilities access to sport, but sadly the opportunities are all too rare.

"Table cricket is a wonderful chance for kids to get together and take part in a team sport, so it's great for a company like Macquarie to help support the national competition.



"For the kids to meet Chris Tarrant (pictured) and Mike Gatting made the day incredibly special and you can see from the size of the smiles on their faces just what today means to them."

Matthew Patten, chief executive of The Lord's Taverners, added: "The Lord's Taverners believe that sport and recreation are essential for all young people, particularly those with disabilities and special needs.

"The National Table Cricket Competition enables disabled youngsters to enjoy the benefits of competitive sport and we are delighted that Macquarie has come on board to help us make a positive difference to the lives of even more young people."

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