Ashburton College 1st XI cricket. Photo supplied.Ashburton College’s first XI cricket side is about to embark on a four-match international pre-season tour.

The team is bound for Australia on a trip that will see the young players get some valuable game time ahead of the 2018/19 season, and pick up some new skills along the way.

Game one of the tour will take place on Sunday at the Caloundra Cricket Club and it will be a 50 over game. The following day they’ll have a coaching session with Alan (Butch) Gale, head coach of the Matthew Flinders Cricket Club, before playing a T20 against Sunshine Coast Grammar School on the Tuesday.

The following day the side will take on a team from the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association in a T20 under lights, before finishing up with a 50 over game against Matthew Flinders Anglican School’s first XI on the Thursday, and returning home on the Friday.

The Ashburton College first XI has been training hard in the weeks leading up to the tour and enlisted the services of Mid Canterbury Cricket coach Garfield Charles for both the build-up, and as tour coach.

With the tour taking place in the second week of the school holidays.  Nine families of players are also making the trip across the Tasman to support the side and have a family holiday at the same time, meaning there will be no shortage of support on the boundary for the Ashburton boys.

After returning home the college cricket side will turn its attention to the Canterbury secondary schools’ cricket competition.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 4 October 2018