TWO SEVERN Trent workers have travelled to Austria to represent England in the World Championship of Dodgeball.
Engineers Alex Harrison and Finlay Britnell Craven, fell in love with the fast-paced sport while at university.
They recently headed to Graz for the world championships which run until tomorrow (Saturday).
There are more than 100 teams competing from over countries.
Alex said: “This is the biggest ever dodgeball event, with teams coming from all over the world.
“I would say England are among the few teams that have a great chance of winning, including Northern Ireland and the hosts Austria.”
Finlay and Alex play for Leamington Spartans Dodgeball team, who have won multiple national titles.
Alex captained England and competed at all 12 European championships.
He added: “I was at a sports fair while at university and saw the dodgeball taster session, so signed up.
“I immediately loved the game because it was such fun to play, but with a very tactical side to it.
“It was a niche sport in those days, with perhaps 20 clubs in the UK. Now there are more than 800, with most universities also having their own teams, so the sport is booming.”
Finlay first tried dodgeball while at Uni and later moved into a Leamington house share with Alex who he met through the game.
The sport became famous through the iconic film starring Vince Vaughan.
Finlay added: “I loved the Dodgeball film. I’ve spoken to lots of people who know very little about the sport, but they know that movie.
“And it’s true to life in the sense that it shows what a great community the sport of Dodgeball has.
“It’s not always about being competitive, there’s a real social side of the sport too.
“For me personally, the sport has been great for helping build my confidence in my role at Severn Trent because both involve team-work and communication.
“And the bonus for me is that dodgeball is a real stress release – I mean what’s not to love about throwing balls at people.”
