Somerset U15 tour to Sri Lanka in a tourist’s words...
10 March 2025
In January, we reported that three talented Bath CC and Beechen Cliff School cricketers had been selected to tour Sri Lanka with Somerset CCC between 12th - 24th February. Ben Puzey and Tom Sykes toured with the Somerset U15 County Age Group side and Sam Price toured with the Somerset Academy side.
With all three lads back from the tour, Tom Sykes has provided us with a glimpse of his experiences across the two weeks. Enjoy Tom’s own account of what sounds like a quality tour...
The Sri Lanka tour was an amazing, eye-opening experience provided by Somerset Cricket, allowing us not only to play cricket but also to visit different parts of Sri Lanka and gain knowledge of the country's culture and traditions, as well as its cricketing history.
We started with a training day in the capital Colombo to get to know the local conditions and adjust to the humidity. The coaches encouraged us throughout the morning to work out how the wicket might play, how to use it to our advantage and how to combat it. In the afternoon we were lucky enough to get tickets for the Sri Lanka vs Australia ODI and although we only saw a small part of the Australian innings, we were able to analyse and compare it to how we thought the surface would play.
Our first day of matches consisted of two T20's against a strong Sri Lankan side, both of which we managed to come out on top. At the end of each day we were treated to dinner which was an amazing mix of cultural dishes with some western food options.
The second match day began with our first 45-over match of the tour, which unfortunately ended in defeat in the sweltering heat. Although it was my turn to sit out a match, it was stillthe first time the heat had really kicked in and we soon learned how different cricket is to play in Sri Lanka. With the wicket turning a lot more due to cracks in the surface, we bowled more spin as it proved to be more effective.
A break from cricket allowed us to have the experience of a lifetime by going on a wildlife safari and walking the streets of Galle town, both of which were amazing. We even had time to visit some of the local cricket shops to see what they had to offer.
After some more sightseeing at Yala we travelled to Waskaduwa for our final matches of the tour. There we made good use of the pool and enjoyed the fantastic buffet food provided. Occasionally we had enough energy left for a game of five-a-side football, including taking on the Wiltshire CAGboys who were staying at the same hotel.
Our next match started with some strong first innings bowling, followed by a rare spell of rain which forced us to put on the covers, but thankfully not for long. With the help of a batting score of 97 from Nick Watson, we managed to wrap up the game.
The next match was played at an army camp with a beautiful pavilion and a good wicket that offered more pace and bounce for the seam bowlers but still had some cracks to give the spinners something to work with. Unfortunately, the first T20 did not go our way as we posted a relatively low score which they managed to chase down. Things improved in the second T20 after they set us a target of 150 on a difficult pitch and a brilliant batting performance enabled us to comfortably win the final match by 5 wickets.
We ended the tour with a well-deserved day by the pool before flying home.
We are very grateful to Somerset Cricket for providing this opportunity and to Bath Cricket Club for kindly contributing to the experience of a lifetime. Thank you very much!
Tom
