A former England cricketer and selector was the guest speaker at special lunch in Bury St Edmunds as part of the town’s festival of sport.

Geoff Miller, who played 34 test matches for his country, was at the Athenaeum on Friday as a guest of SportsAid – a national charity which helps aspiring sportsmen and women with financial support.

The lunch was made possible through sponsorship from Abbeycroft Leisure and Lovewell Blake along with support from OurBuryStEdmunds.

As part of the lunch, SportsAid presented grants to two talented local athletes – Joshua Hulse and Esther Little.

Runner Joshua competes at both 400 and 800 metres and this year secured first place in the England Athletics 800m at under 17 level, and second at under 20 level in the Welsh international.

Basketball star Esther plays for Ipswich, England and Great Britain. This summer she played for Great Britain Under 16’s in the European Championships where she was given the honour of being vice-captain.

Brian Floringer partner for Lovewell Blake LLP, said: “It’s great to know that by supporting the lunch we are also supporting some of the brightest sporting prospects from Suffolk.

“I would like to congratulate both Joshua and Esther on their sporting success to date and wish them well in their future sporting endeavours.”

Warren Smyth, chief executive of Abbeycroft Leisure, said: “Geoff Miller was wonderfully entertaining and certainly lived up to his billing as one of the very best sporting speakers around.

“Today’s event will live long in the memory and I hope will become a regular feature in the festival of sport.”

Both Esther and Joshua were keen to recognise the support they received from SportsAid.

Joshua said: “It’s brilliant to be supported by SportsAid. When you look at all the top athletes that SportsAid has supported in the past it really is a who’s who of British athletics. To be in the same company as people like Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Paula Radcliffe is amazing. Thank you to everybody that has made this possible.”