England star Mark Ramprakash has been confirmed to play in Hadleigh and Thundersley's 10th annual cricket match.

The Middlesex batsman was not certain to take part in today's (Tuesday's) match at the John Burrows ground because he is under contract to England.

But his omission from the national one-day squad means he can now play in the star-studded line-up.

Also featuring in the match are England spinner Phil Tufnell, West Indies stars Alvin Kallicharan and Phil Simmons, Essex skipper Ronnie Irani and India batsman Rahul Dravid.

Organiser Neil Patel revealed: "Mark has got clearance from the English Cricket Board to play and it's a real feather in our cap to get him.

"The line-up we've attracted is even better than we expected and we'd like to thank all the players for giving up their time for free to join the game and aid the principle charity, Little Haven's Hospice.

"If we'd had to pay we'd never have been able to afford it - even a county side would have had trouble attracting such strong players."

Neil, a member of Hadleigh's management committee who lists the players as clients of his Leigh based Centurion Bat Company, is expecting a crowd of around 2000 for the event, which offers free admission.

He added: "It's a great morale boost to the local area, as well as the local hospital and cricket in general. Having these stars here can only lift the sport's image locally."

Neil also hopes to have Courtney Walsh, the world's most prolific wicket-taker of all-time, at the ground to receive a special award.

The West Indian star has attended the event in each of its last seven years and his appearance is dependant on his commitments to his country's current tour of England.

The event begins at 2pm, although there may well be an earlier start.

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