Over the Easter break, 28 pupils and 4 staff travelled to Sri Lanka for the first cricket tour since the pandemic. As well as being the first tour for a number of years, it was also the first time that the 1st XI girls have toured and indicates the incredible growth the school has seen in the number of girls playing the game and the quality of the cricket they are playing.
While away, both teams played 5 days of cricket against some of the strongest colleges in Sri Lanka at some amazing venues, from former test grounds to small rural pitches. With cricket being such a major sport in Sri Lanka, the quality of the oppositions was extremely high but both the boys and girls gave a fantastic account of themselves as they beat two of their five opponents each.
Captain Adam T. led the way for the boys with the bat, scoring an incredible 367 runs at an average of 61 but he was ably supported by Freddie P whose 83* in the opening game indicated real promise for the season ahead. With the ball, Chrishen W. led the way with 9 wickets while new L6th students Alex F. and Nat A. bowled with great pace and aggression that will test batters when they return to the faster pitches in England.
For the girls it was again the captain Abby S. who led the way with the bat making 153 runs at 38 but there were positive contributions from Caitlyn B. and Grace C. among others. On the bowling front, the girls learned a huge amount as they faced an unusually high number of left handers and experienced a strict interpretation of the wide law. Izzy B. led the way with 8 wickets but she was ably supported by Felicity H. who bowled with superb control and skill in difficult conditions.
With the new season now upon us, the lessons learned in the heat will hopefully allow both the boys and girls to get off to a fast start and I have no doubt that the experiences will live in the memory for a long time to come.
Mr Gareth Pritchard
