Sam flies the frisbee for England

1:28pm Monday 21st January 2008

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WHEN Edenfield lad Sam Lord took up a new sport as a novelty at university little did he know that within ten years he would be playing for his country.

Sam (27) has been selected to play for Great Britain at the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships in Vancouver, Canada, in August.

The former Bury Grammar pupil first came across the game at a freshers' week sports fair when he arrived at Dundee University in 1998.

"I signed up through curiosity because it was something a bit different," he said. "I was more into football. I didn't think I'd end up playing Frisbee seriously but it was a lot of fun and it was good for socialising."

He soon discovered he had the necessary speed, endurance, co-ordination and agility to excel in a sport often described as a cross between netball and American football.

Ultimate is played by two teams of seven on a field with end zones similar to those in American football. Players pass the disc up the field and score a point for every catch in their end zone, with games played to 17 points. Players cannot run with the disc and the opposing team can intercept it only when it is in the air.

Sam, who works as an environmental consultant in Edinburgh, began taking the sport more seriously when he returned to the UK after a year in Canada, where the sport is popular. He joined Scottish team Fusion and was asked to try out for the British national side. Last year he helped the team beat favourites Sweden to win the European Championships in Southampton.

He said: "I started taking it seriously because it's such good fun and because it turned out that I was very good at it. The European Championships have been the pinnacle of my career so far and I felt very proud getting a gold medal, but the World championships will be incredible. The North Americans are great at this sport but I think we've got a chance of finishing in the top four."

Sam's mum Ruth, of Eden Court, Edenfield, will be wishing him luck, along with friends in the area.

Sam is appealing for donations to help cover the cost of getting to Vancouver. Donations can be made at http://www.digitalcharity.com/m.php?id=22400