Name: James Young

Date of birth: June 13, 1980

Birthplace: St Paul’s Hospital, Cheltenham

Occupation: Sport writer

Schools: St Gregory’s School 1984-1991; Cleeve School and sixth form 1991-1998

Your sport at school: Football and cricket

Your position: Football – forward or left midfield. Cricket – opening bat / left arm wrist spin.

How did you get involved: We played football every lunchtime. I didn’t really show any interest in football until I was about seven or eight, but then became addicted. I had (still have!) a really good left foot and a hard shot, so became a bit of a set-piece expert – I was the 10-year-old who could kick it further and harder than anyone else so had my uses. Took up cricket at secondary school and loved opening the batting as my forward defence and the all-important leave are my best shots.

Best achievement/result and why: Our school teams never tasted much in the way of success, but my best moment came when we played Cheltenham College at cricket. I carried my bat and came close to making a hundred. Safe to say I wasn’t happy with my careless teammates for denying me my ton!

Your best coach at school and why: Mr Terrett at Cleeve was the right blend of a nutcase, funny and a good coach. He could take the mickey out of us kids and we could return the favour. His enthusiasm was infectious.

Other sports played at school: We played rugby – hated it. I can also remember one attempt to make us play hockey. It was basically 22 kids attempting golf swings to hit the ball, so soon stopped.

Did you continue to play sport after school and if so for whom? Played cricket for Overbury CC. Still trying to perfect the leave!

What is your involvement in sport today – watching or playing? There were two things that stopped me making a career in professional sport: Problematic knees and a lack of ability. Now, I write and commentate on it for a living – it’s the next best thing.

How do we get more of today’s youngsters involved in sport? Make it more accessible. I hear some schools prevent kids from playing ball games during lunch and break times, which is absurd. More skilled coaches are needed too. If kids don’t feel they are improving or developing then they can lose interest. I can remember the bad coaches more than the good and unlike every other country in the developed world we spend little or no time and money on basic skills coaching at a young age.