Former Essex and Unicorns cricketer backing Tower Hamlets to triumph

Tower Hamlets under-13s are preparing for the London Youth Games Indoor cricket finals this weekend and team manager Jahid Ahmed is confident of success.

Ahmed and Tower Hamlets reached the finals day in 2013 and 2014, but this time he wants to win gold.

The finals take place on Sunday at Lord’s and they will face Ealing in the quarter-finals, before hoping to triumph in the competition.

“We are really looking forward to it,” said Ahmed. “I do want to win it as well. We have made the finals three years in a row now.

“We are quite lucky to have reached the finals three times, so this is the third opportunity we have got so I want to win.

“The boys have experience from the previous two years and they do believe we can win.”

Tower Hamlets played a friendly match against fellow finalists Camden at Lord’s on Monday, but lost by 10 runs.

However, Ahmed felt it was good preparation for his team and added: “Hopefully we’re used to the environment now, the players that hadn’t played there before.

“It was new for some of them, but a lot of the boys had played at Lord’s last year and I guess it is all about what happens on the day.

“They have to deliver and it is about mainly executing our skills.”

On facing Ealing, Ahmed said: “Anything could happen. I am sure they will be worried about us having seen we have reached the final three years in a row.”