BURNLEY’S Holly Lam-Moores waved goodbye to London 2012 yesterday with an impassioned plea to sporting big-wigs to make sure her legacy is not wasted.

Lam-Moores has been a key cog in the GB wheel ever since a London 2012 team was conceived back in 2006 and her commitment in the ensuing six years has known no bounds.

With a crippling funding cut to the sport in 2008 she and the GB team had to scrimp and save their way to their London 2012 experience – travelling all over the continent to enhance their skills.

That journey ended in disapp-ointment on the field yesterday as yet another handball powerhouse gave Lam-Moores and co a further lesson – going down 37-14 to Croatia.

That result – their fifth defeat – meant they failed to qualify out of Group A.

With the Games moving on to Rio minority sports might be living on borrowed time but not if Lam-Moores had her way.

She said: “6,500 people were watching us against Croatia and they have for every game we have played and they have gone wild for every game.

“Why would you waste something so powerful as that? I can’t understand why anybody would waste that. “Handball is a fantastic sport and I really think if it doesn’t get the funding then it will be stupid.

“I really think this should be the start of something special.”