APU Chowdray is becoming something of a figurehead of sport in the Bangladesh community in Burnley.

For the youth and community worker has become an integral part of the Desharee Support Group and is the main co-ordinator of one of the longest running seven-a-side football competitions in the North West.

And his latest venture is to set up a cricket team from the centre based at Belford Street in Burnley and there are also plans to form a kabaddi team.

Apu's ultimate aim is to encourage young sports men and women to take up a wide range of sports that will one day become as popular as football is today.

And he has the full support from fellow staff Sufi Miah, Sadar Uddin, Shanaz Begum and Chopna Begum.

The centre has been able to provide sporting opportunities as well as other activities thanks to a Lottery grant they obtained three years ago.

However, at the moment it is football, that has really caught the imagination and the eighth Desharee seven-a-side football competition, which was held at the Prairie playing fields, attracted more than 20 teams from across the North West.

Apu said: "The tournament is not the biggest in the area but it is one of the oldest and it has helped other bigger events become established which we are very proud of."

The support group is equally as proud of its team Bengal Star who have become very successful on the seven-a-side circuit winning a host of tournaments - but unfortunately not their own.

Apu added: "It's funny really because our senior team are one of the best teams in the North West but never seem to do well in our own tournament.

"But we first started the tournament to help promote football within the Bangladesh community and Bengal Star success has filtered down and we now run a number of youth and junior teams who also compete in tournaments across the area."

Bengal Star 'A' team are currently preparing to take part in the Oldham seven-a-side tournament - which is the biggest in the North West - and are ranked as one of the favourites to win the event where they have already finished as runners-up in recent seasons.

Apu added: "While football is firmly established we are always looking to promote other sports and cricket is a perfect example. The World Cup really caught the imagination and so we are now starting a cricket team and introducing kabbadi has always been a long time aim of ours."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.