AN EAST Lancashire cricketer has been named captain of the Great Britain Transplant team to tour Australia in September and October.

Gareth Pollard, 31, who plays cricket for Burnley Belvedere in the Ribblesdale League, was diagnosed with renal failure in 1988 and underwent a kidney transplant in 1991.

He has already represented Great Britain at swimming and squash and last week competed in the British Transplant Games in Norwich where he won the squash, 50 metres freestyle and claimed silver in the 50 meters and 100 metres breaststroke.

The idea of a cricket tour came about during the Transplant Games in Nantes, France last year.

Gareth said: "The British team won everything and one evening we were having a drink with the Australian team who said it was all well and good is wiping the board but we'd never beat them at cricket.

"So we decided to get the tour together and over the past year have been having net sessions at Edgbaston and then selected a mixed age group team for this trip.

The tour will consist of two one-day games and two two-day games in Adelaide and Sydney with the Australian Transplant Games in the middle.