The Al Dawsary family have a proud boxing heritage in the Blackburn area. Featuring a number of unbeaten local fighters, it’s safe to say boxing is the family business and a successful one at that.

Not for Lina though, the youngest member of the family and for a while the most shy and hesitant. That was until Lina found cricket through Chance to Shine’s girls only Street Sessions in her local area. Lina Al Dawsary is a Year 5 who, through cricket, has blossomed into a very confident and outgoing individual. Her cricketing journey has seen her skill level grow to the extent that she is now one of the first names on the school team mixed side’s team sheet.

It’s not just cricket where Lina has grown and developed. Her coach Farouk Hussain said : “Her skills on the cricket pitch are evident and anyone who knows her can see how much she’s grown as a person. However, it’s off-field where we’ve seen the most dramatic change. She’s got the cheekiest sense of humour and always has a positive outlook no matter the situation. I haven’t seen a child get so competitive and smile so much in a long time.”

Her cricketing and personal journey is far from over. Lina is now preparing for a move to secondary school where she hopes to continue playing cricket and wants to represent the school and hopefully the county.