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Flintoff wows pupils

Helen Clifton
12/ 9/2008

HUNDREDS of schoolboys burst into spontaneous applause last week when England cricket star Andrew Flintoff made a surprise visit to Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

Headteacher Tim Gartside arranged the trip with the help of Andrew’s agent and former England cricketer Neil Fairbrother, whose son Sam, 14, is a pupil at the Bowdon school.

But staff kept the idea under wraps – and the school’s 1,150 pupils were shocked when the Lancashire hero walked into the The Grammar, the school’s new £33m sports facility.

Deputy head Eddie Hall said: "When he walked into the sports hall there was a sharp intake of breath, and that was quite nice. The boys burst into applause.

"The boys were buzzing with it, and afterwards we had parents saying they were really pleased as well."

The hour-and-a-half visit, made a day after the sports hall’s official opening, included a tour of the facility with the head of sport Kevin Morris and a question and answer session with pupils.

The day ended with Flintoff meeting around 25 of the school’s most talented sportsmen.

Mr Hall said: "He was great with the boys. One of them asked what he drove, and I was dreading that he would say a sports car. But he said a Volkswagen because he’s got kids and he needs seats in the back.

"He was very patient and accommodating. There was no standoffishness about him."

Neil Fairbrother said: "The head rang me and asked me if there was any chance of Freddie coming down to mark the opening of the new sports centre.

"Fred knows Sam very well, and he said yes. It was great. Fred really enjoyed himself. They asked him some pretty good questions."

Richard Dawson-Smith, 17, from Hale, captain of the school’s hockey team, was given some advice from the man himself.

He said: "I talked to him about my experiences, and we asked him about being away with England and how he copes with the pressure.

"He was really down to Earth. It was very easy to talk to him – he seems like a really normal, nice person.

"It is good to speak to someone who is at the the top of their sport and has done it all.

"It was quite a shock when he walked in, but he made it a really memorable day."