Tom Coote will captain the England Wales Transplant team for the first time on Sunday.

The 33-year-old, who is celebrating being five years in remission from Leukaemia, will lead the side in a 40 overs charity game against a team from Hatherley and Reddings, the club he first played for as an under-9 around the turn of the century.

It’s a big day for Coote, a former 1^st XI player who these days captains the club’s 3^rd XI.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “I will obviously know everyone in the Hatherley team, it’s an exhibition game and hopefully we’ll have plenty of support.

“There’s lots going on, we’re partnering with the charity Linc [The Leukaemia and Intensive Chemotherapy Fund] to raise as much money as we can.

“There will be an auction, raffle and food, it will be a big family day.”

The match will take place at North Park starting at 11am and Coote is looking forward to linking up with some familiar faces from the England and Wales Transplant team.

The all-rounder was part of the team who played in the Transplant Ashes, a three-match series against Australia in June which England won 2-1.

Two of the matches were played over 40 overs - the first at Chipping Campden - and there was a T20 game.

England won the two longer-format games with Coote making an unbeaten 43 in the 161-run win in the opening game at Chipping Campden.

He then made an unbeaten 34 out of 109-5 and took 2-14 as England lost the T20 but they clinched the series with a 113-run win in the final 40 overs game.

Cricket had always been a massive part of Tom’s life. His father Ian is chairman of Hatherley and brother Sam, a former first-team captain, is now the West of England Premier League club’s director of cricket.

Tom, meanwhile, is a member of a very special club that celebrates a ‘second innings’ thanks to the generosity of donors who have offered a new chance of life.

And in Tom’s case it was older brother Sam who was a direct stem cell match after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2020.

Tom made his cricketing comeback in 2021, celebrating with a couple of centuries for Hatherley’s 4ths, and is currently fixture secretary as well as skipper of the 3rds, who are currently second in Division 6A of the Gloucestershire League.

And while he loves playing for Hatherley, the chance to appear for the Transplant team is special.

“I’ve played at a reasonable level and taken it seriously in the past, but after everything I've been through the Transplant team matches mean more to me,” he said earlier in the season.

“We’re not the fittest and we’re definitely not the best fielders! But it’s a lot of fun and very enjoyable to be a part of.”

England and Wales Transplant Cricket is open to all transplant recipients, living donors, donor family members, those awaiting transplant and dialysis patients.