A group of young cricketers from Lancashire have enjoyed a tour of Sri Lanka with the help of a well-known local star.
Amal Dalugoda starred as a professional on the local cricket scene for many years and now works at Astley Bridge’s Cricket World academy.
And the Sri Lankan, who represented Bridge locally as well as Greenmount and also Colombo Cricket Club in his homeland for a decade in the 1990s, was a key figure in arranging the trip for the The X-Pro Cricket Academy team.
After arriving on April 8, the tour started with a 45-over match against NCC U13 Academy team at NCC Ground and ended with another 40-over match against CCC U-13 Academy team on Wednesday at Colts Ground, Colombo.
The X-Pro Academy is coached by Dave Latin and Jhon Stevens and all players represent the Lancashire Under-13 teams.
Speaking ahead of the tour, coach Latin said: “It’s brilliant to land in Colombo and play.
“What we don’t get at home is the sunshine, so it’s going to be a great opportunity for these boys and it will create memories for a lifetime.
“We’ve got a competitive team, we will play against many many good players I’m sure and if our boys can deal with the spin then I think we’ve got a great chance of really representing England really well.”
The X-Pro Academy squad consists of Dave Makinson (captain), Kian Walsh, Milan Kumar, Hrithvik Prakash, Mattew Fern, Rion Dalugoda, Mohammed Saif Javed, Dylan Riley, Shaan Mcgowan, Daniel Rafiq, Chris Fern, Harry Mercer, Max Wren.
In their first match at NCC Ground, one of Colombo’s many city centre grounds, the boys adapted well to a new tropical, humid environment, winning the first game of many.
In addition to cricket, this fun and exciting 10-day Dalu Tour, gave the players an opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture and traditions, particularly New Year’s Day celebrations on April 14.
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