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Owzat for hitting the right notes

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Cricketers hit all the right notes during an unusual pre-season team-building exercise which saw them become choristers for the day.

There was not a bat or ball in sight when four of Leicestershire's star players arrived at De Montfort University only to discover students had set them a surprise challenge.

It was organised as part of the club's pre-season preparations, with cricketers placed with major sponsors who had set up activities designed to take them out of their comfort zones.

Club captain and former England swing bowler Matthew Hoggard lined up with batsmen Matthew Boyce, Greg Smith and Michael Thornely at the university campus's Trinity House to learn their fate.

Their Challenge Anneka-inspired task was revealed by Mark Charlton, manager of the university's Mile2 project, working with academics, students and residents to make a difference in neighbouring communities.

With only a few minutes' practice, the quartet were to sing the song Fields of Glory alongside the Mile2 Community Choir, made up of residents living near the campus.

Choir mistress Jane Bursnall put them through their paces, including warm-up stretches and vocal exercises, before they launched into the song, which had been specially-adapted from the Irish folk song for the Leicestershire players.

"We've changed the song lyrics to sound more cricket-orientated, where the original version is more about football and we've added a few references to Leicester rather than Ireland," she said.

Hoggy confided that the song was already a favourite with the team, having adapted it to be the Fields of Grace Road.

He said: "We're definitely not up to singing as well as these guys (the choir), but we're feeling enthusiastic.

"This has sort of become our team song so singing it has been a great build-up to the start of the season."

The Foxes players began their pre-season training on Monday, ahead of their first home game of the season, on April 3.

Choir members were delighted to have four new recruits for the morning as the singers decamped to St Mary de Castro Church for a performance captured on film for an internet audience.

Singer Karen Gavin said: "I've been in collaborations before, with Lancaster Community Choir for example, but this was very different. It was a real laugh."

Mark Charlton said: "I don't think the lads will be auditioning for Britain's Got Talent any time soon but it sounds like they've a lot of potential.

"I feel we've achieved something special – they've risen to the challenge and expressed real commitment to the task at hand."

While the four players were singing, other cricketers were digging allotments for Leicestershire Cares for sponsors Next, taking part in a quiz for Global Payments and tiling and carpet-fitting for Michael John Flooring.

A cricket club spokesman said: "We've never done anything like this before. We put the idea to the sponsors and they supported it. Singing has certainly taken them out of their comfort zone and I think they have enjoyed it."

Owzat for hitting the right notes


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