COLCHESTER and East Essex Cricket bowler Ben Stephens says being at Lord’s to witness England’s thrilling World Cup Final triumph over New Zealand was a day he will never forget.

Stephens, along with fellow Castle Park cricketers Andrew Kennedy, Julian Russell, Matt Austin and Darren Eckford, watched the drama unfold together at the home of cricket, on a memorable day for British sport.

England claimed the World Cup trophy for the first time after an incredible climax to an unforgettable game.

Both sides scored 241 in their 50 overs and were level on 15, following a dramatic super over.

As a result, Eoin Morgan’s side lifted the trophy by virtue of having scored more boundary fours and sixes in the entire match.

Stephens said: “It’s not a day I’ll ever forget – it was pretty special.

“You could not write it and the game swung from one team to the other.

“It would probably have been easier to follow watching on TV and I can only imagine how tense it must have been, following it on there.

“We weren’t sure what was needed and what wasn’t and we were getting the reaction from around the ground but it was very cool to have been there and witnessed it.

“You do feel for the Kiwis and they will feel like they’ve been robbed as they were all over us at times.

“For the throw to hit Ben Stokes’ bat and then go off to the boundary like that, at that stage of the game, was unbelievable.”

Stephens is in charge of the PiriPiri cricket coaching school, where the likes of Essex youngster Ben Allison have flourished over the years.

The Colchester stalwart is hoping that England’s World Cup success will help boost the number of youngsters giving the sport a try, this summer.

He added: “I hope it will swell the numbers.

“The fact that the final was on terrestrial TV will have helped but time will tell and the stats will show whether it has had a knock-on effect.

“I don’t think it’s something we’ll see immediately but I’m sure as we’re coming up to the summer holidays, it will have some influence.

PiriPiri Cricket Coaching host two young gun summer camps, at Copford CC and Colchester and East Essex CC.

The camps, which are aimed at youngsters who are aged school year 5 and below, feature a mixture of softball and hardball cricket.

PiriPiri Cricket will also host an experienced hard ball cricketer camp aimed only for experienced hard ball cricketers for school years 6, 7 and 8 at Colchester and East Essex CC.

For more information on Piri Piri Cricket, visit www.piripiricricket.co.uk