Afghan refugee TV star now firmly on the road to sporting stardom

An entrepreneur has come to the rescue of one of the stars of Andrew Flintoff's TV programme Field of Dreams.

- by Mike Hill

Teenage Afghan refugee Adnan Miakhel shot to prominence on the hit BBC show, which followed Flintoff's attempts to build a cricket team for disadvantaged Lancashire youngsters.

Adnan arrived in the UK as a 15-year-old unable to read, write or speak a word of English but viewers saw he had talent for cricket.

Now aged 19, he made his debut earlier this season for Lancashire's 2nd XI but off-the-pitch he'd been struggling without a car of his own.

Former Rossall student Adnan lives in Chorley with his foster parents Elaine Jefferson, 74, and Barry 'Baz' Brocklehurst, 84, and was largely having to rely on them to ferry him to matches and training sessions.

After learning of his struggles, businessman Dez Derry intervened by giving the youngster his long-term partner's Volkswagen Golf, worth around £10,000.

Adnan said: "I can't thank Dez enough. I'm so grateful. It's made such a difference. I play around three matches a week and train twice."