Two Severn Trent workmates are aiming to hit gold this summer by ducking and diving for England in the World Championship of Dodgeball.

Engineers Alex Harrison and Finlay Britnell Craven are leading figures in the national team, having fallen in love with the fast-paced sport while at university.

Now the friends are heading to Graz in Austria with England for the Dodgeball World Championships, which takes place from August 11 to August 17. The event is set to be the biggest in the history of the sport, with more than 100 teams competing from over 30 countries.

And with the England men’s team among the clear favourites, fans may again soon be singing, ‘It’s coming home…”

Warwick University graduate Alex, 34, 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.”

Gloucester-born Alex has worked at Severn Trent for 11 years in a number of roles, including as a waste performance analyst, helping cut sewer pollutions by proactively targeting high-risk areas. He is currently a Process Emissions analyst, helping reduce the company’s carbon footprint, with the aim of reaching operational net zero by 2030.

Finlay, a former Sheffield University graduate, is a water treatment project manager hose role includes investment programmes at water treatment plants. The pair play for Leamington Spartans Dodgeball team, who have won multiple national titles.

Alex quickly rose from novice to a veteran of the sport, having captained England and competed at all 12 European championships. He said: “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 also first tried dodgeball while at Uni and later moved into a Leamington house share with Alex who he met through the game. He joined him at Severn Trent in January 2023.

The sometimes bruising sport was famously depicted in the iconic Dodgeball movie, starring Vince Vaughan, and both players see the smash Hollywood film as a positive for the game.

Alex said: “The movie’s a bit silly but fun. There will always be some people who think this ‘can’t be a serious sport’ but anyone who has played it knows it has all the merits of any other sport and there are lots of inclusive positives.

“In football, you may not get the ball if you’re not the best player. But every team member gets involved in dodgeball because it suits every body type. If you are bigger, you might be a more powerful thrower, but if you’re smaller you might not get hit quite so easily. So every team member has a part to play.”

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!”

Alex said key skills needed for the sport - which sees six players on each side dodging five balls – include throwing, catching, and dodging, along with crucial tactical awareness.

And he once had to unexpectedly put those skills into action when he tried to explain his sporting reason for a visit to the USA to a seemingly non-nonsense border patrol officer.

He recalled: “I was travelling to the USA for a tournament and he asked me to explain why I was there.

“He listened to me about dodgeball and then scrunched up a piece of paper into a ball and threw it at me. I dodged it and he shouted, ‘You’re in!”