Stars come out to play

The world famous Bunbury Celebrity Cricket side, founded by the former manager of the Bee Gees, David English, took on an Edge Grove XI at the charity event which raised more than £23,000 for the NSPCC.

A star-studded Bunbury XI won the toss and chose to bat on a beautiful day for cricket. Captained by Mr English, the Bunburys took to the field with a mixture of cricketing household names, such as Graeme Hick and Vikram Solanki, and celebrity cricketers including EastEnders' Rudolph Walker and the former welterweight boxing champion Lloyd Honeyghan.

The Bunbury XI went on to score 228 all out with Hick top scoring on 57. Following an exciting run chase, the Edge Grove School XI were left needing six to win off the final ball of the day but eventually finished on 222 all out. The event was overseen by Mr English whose Bunbury team are now in their 20th year, having raised thousands of pounds for good causes. England's one day cricket captain Andrew Strauss was also in attendance to support the launch of the Andrew Flintoff Cricket Scholarship which will give children from underprivileged backgrounds the chance of a private education at the £15,000-a-year school, in High Cross, Aldenham.

The initiative is supported by the Middlesex Cricket Academy and will offer four youngsters a year the chance to develop their sporting talents at the school until the age of 13 before going onto to complete their education at Mill Hill School in Mill Hill.

Mr English paid tribute to the work of Edge Grove headteacher Michael Wilson in getting the scheme off the ground and thanked Andrew Flintoff for supporting the initiative which will run in tandem with a rugby scholarship backed by Lawrence Dallaglio, and hockey and netball scholarships.

"The search is now on for four talented children to get the chance of almost a £1 million worth of schooling and coaching, overseen by four sporting legends," said Mr English.