Liam Ward admitted to feeling a “bit sore” after playing his first game of cricket for four years.

And it was a special game too because the 30-year-old, who was given a new kidney just over a year ago, was playing for the England and Wales Transplant XI.

The T20 match against a NHS Blood & Transport XI took place at Rockhampton and Liam, batting at four, made 20 as his side won by seven runs.

“I was very, very rusty and I’m a bit sore now,” Liam told The Local Answer 24 hours after the game.

“It started to get a bit easier the longer I batted, I really enjoyed it.”

Liam, from Kingsway in Gloucester, is now hoping to play a lot more cricket in the months and years to come.

And the signs are certainly good as he has made a strong recovery from his life-changing surgery at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital.

He began his cricketing career in the youth sides at the then Gloucester City Winget club, now known as Gloucester, before moving to Kingsholm where he played regularly as a middle-order batter until 2019.

Liam was first diagnosed with kidney issues 10 years ago when he underwent medical tests while trying to join the army.

He went on the transplant list in 2020 before receiving his new kidney in May last year.

Liam, who paid tribute to fiancé Katie for all her support, added: “I never realised how unwell I was until I had the transplant. I didn’t know any different for all those years so it’s unbelievable to compare how well I feel now.

“I was very lucky with my recovery – I was in hospital only five days – and things afterwards went as well as they possibly could. I now go to the gym five days a week and Katie and I do a lot of walking together.”

While convalescing, Liam set himself a target of one day taking part in the Transplant Games – “I was looking at all the different sports, wondering what I might be able to do!” – before reading a newspaper article about raising awareness about organ donation and the transplant cricket team.

Contact was quickly made and Liam, an insurance underwriter with Zurich, was fast-tracked into the team which also included Robin Watson, of Blockley, who received a kidney transplant in 2011.

Captain Adam Phillips said before the game: “We are all celebrating our second innings in life.

“This match is a reminder of the generosity of our donors, be they family, friends or complete strangers, who offer us a new chance by giving us the greatest gift – the gift of life.”