TWO Lake Albert rising stars are about to experience the trip of a lifetime.
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Lake Albert batsman Matthew Tom and Jordan Neill will leave for India this weekend after being invited to tour the country with the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy (DLCA).
The opportunity to tour arose after a discussion between Cricket NSW Riverina Zone Academy head coach Greg McLay and DLCA’s Shaun Siegert.
The tour is designed to replicate a high performance tour and expose the boys to a professional sporting environment.
Tom, 16, has never been overseas before and is excited about what lies ahead.
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to learn more about the game and another country,” Tom said.
“It should be good, it’s my first time overseas so I’m really looking forward to it.”
The tour, which will be centred around the city of Bangalore, includes matches against various teams and local cricket academies in India.
One of the matches is again the Intiaz Ahmed Cricket Academy, which is famous for having produced a number of Indian Cricketers, such as legendary batsman, Rahul Dravid.
The tour will also see the two Lake Albert Cricket Club products venturing to an Indian Premier League match involving the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunriser’s Hyderabad franchises on April 13.
Tom is looking forward to several aspects of the tour.
“Probably playing in another country the most,” he said.
“That, learning more about the country, learning more about the game and getting some good coaching.”
McLay is happy to see the boys get such a fantastic opportunity.
“It was clear in our discussions that both Shaun (Siegert) and I shared very similar philosophies when it came to developing young cricket talent,” McLay said.
“There is a lot to be gained from stretching yourself out of your regular comfort zone as a cricketer – certainly India will provide both Matt and Jordan with exciting challenges both on and off the playing field.
“Obviously playing in vastly differing conditions against highly skilled opposition will help their cricket.
“Confronting the challenges that an India tour can also present will help the boys mature off the ground as well.”
The Darren Lehman Cricket Academy was created in 2005 and is designed to provide opportunities for young cricketers from regional areas of South Australia.
Young cricketers from regional NSW and Queensland were invited to attend the tour of India, in keeping with the DLCA philosophy of providing opportunities for kids from regional centres.
