A FORMER Pride of St Helens winner who is battling a brain condition has just represented England in a European cricket competition.

Luke Hughes, 22, who has been a member of the England Cricket Board Deaf Team since late 2013, has just returned from the Continental Europe T20 Championships held in The Netherlands.

Luke, of Marshalls Cross Road in Sutton, is fighting a non-cancerous growth - called a Cholesteatoma - situated between his left ear and the brain.

His mum Jacqueline said: "Despite the team not winning, Luke did really well out there and we are all so proud of him.

"He's been playing cricket since he was small; he was in school teams and then Sutton cricket team.

"As he got older and he became totally deaf in his left ear, he came to the attention of the England deaf squad."

After attending training sessions with the national team, he became a member in 2013.

The T20 championships involved four teams - France, Denmark,The Netherlands and the England deaf squad.

Jacqueline said: "The other sides were not deaf teams. It was a closely fought contest but England finished fourth.

"During the tournament Luke took an international wicket, scored 33 runs overall and secured a vital one-handed catch."

The growth was discovered when Luke was around 14. He complained of regular headaches and said he thought his mild deafness was getting worse.

Jacqueline said: "Eventually he had a scan at Alder Hey and they found the growth. He's had a number of major operations to trim and remove the growth, leaving him deaf in his left ear. There is also some damage to his facial nerves. He will always need to be monitored and may need further operations as the growth is quite aggressive."

Luke, who has just graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in sports coaching and management, won a Pride of St Helens prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement in 2012.