A LEYLAND sports coach came head to head with David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard at the weekend, when he took part in the Adidas +10 Challenge in London.
Former Leyland and Farington Cricket Club first teamer Ben Ward, 18, of Langdale Road, won the chance to take part in an event held at the David Beckham Academy in Greenwich, after winning a competition on BBC Radio One for 14 to 18-year-olds.
His t
eam captain for the day was Manchester United and England star Gary Neville, and he was also joined by England rugby union international hero Ben Cohen.
They competed in a series of games designed to test teamwork and skill in order to find the ultimate team.
Ben, currently on a gap year and mixing daily coaching duties in South Ribble schools for Teamtheme alongside work at his parents' businessgiftuk.com firm, said: "It was a great event and proved an incredible experience.
"To compete against some of the biggest names in world football is something I'll never forget. The facilities at the new academy are fantastic. I am quite envious of the coaches who work there, as I'm normally outside in the cold and wet!"
Other stars who took part in the event included Rugby World Cup legend Jonny Wilkinson, TV presenter Vernon Kay, and Royle Family actor and semi-pro footballer Ralf Little.
And Ben's exploits in the competition are set to be featured on TV this weekend, with highlights of the event being shown on Channel 4 this Saturday and Sunday.
