Bedfordshire Sporting Heritage-00-395

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The sports men and women of Bedfordshire have represented their country at national and international level from local matches to cup finals and Olympic Games to world championships.
Bedfordshire's highest profile sports star of the current day in England cricket star Monty Panesar. The Luton-born spin bowler studied at Bedford Modern School before going on to play for Northamptonshire County Cricket club.

Two other current England cricketers also have connections to Bedfordshire. Alistair Cook and Graeme Swann represented the county before making a name for themselves on the international stage.

Bedfordshire can also boast a number of Olympians and world record holders. In athletics Paula Radcliffe has been at the top of marathon running for over a decade. She is the current world record holder and has won all honours in the sport except for the Olympic title.

The Bedford and County Athletics star famously broke down in tears at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and was hampered by injury before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 meaning she finished outside the medals.

Cyclist Victoria Pendleton from ...
... Stotfold won an Olympic gold in Beijing and she is also a four-time world sprint champion in the sport.She was crowned the 2007 by being named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year, becoming the only cyclist to win the award in its 20-year history, before being awarded an MBE.

Bedford's Olympic badminton star Gail Emms began playing badminton when she was only three, when her dad cut down one of his old racquets so it was more her size. Now retired she can claim a national title plus gold medals from the world championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships, and a most famously a silver medal from the Athens Olympics in 2004.

She also went to the Beijing Olympics to try and better her silver medal finish in Athens with mixed doubles partner Nathan Robertson, but the pair were knocked out before the medal matches. She was named 2008 Olympic Athlete of the Year trophy for Badminton by the British Olympic Association.

Another Olympian from the county is rower Tim Foster, who won an Olympic gold in Sydney 2000 in rowing's coxless fours, sharing a boat with icons of the sport Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent.

Bedford also has a javelin dynasty in the Dalrymple family. Jock Dalrymple represented Britain at the 1924 Olympic Games, with his son Malcolm obliterating the British javelin record in 1948 and also representing his country at the 1948 Olympics. His sons also reached high levels in their chosen sports at football, javelin and athletics.

Brian Brinkley learned to swim when on holiday at Skegness at the age of five and went on to represent Britain at the Olympic Games in 1972 and 1976 when he was team captain, as well as world and European championships he represented England at the Commonwealth Games.

Bedford boxer Matt Skelton, who lost his Commonwealth heavyweight title in February 2009, started young in sport at Jubilee and later John Bunyan schools, whether enjoying rugby, cross country, football or basketball.
It was only age 21 that he went to a local Thai boxing club and there found a perfect outlet for his energies, endurance and quick reflexes. In winning his world titles he was presented with his belt and medal, now on display, by the King of Thailand in 1996.

After 2002 he moved into orthodox boxing and won English, British and Commonwealth titles in quick succession.

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