WHILST the Saltires are representing Scotland in the World Cup next March, 16 members of the Scotland U15 squad will be on tour in South Africa.

The tour is the brainchild of coach Jan Stander, ably supported by experienced coach Clarence Parfitt and tour manager Ron Fleming. This is the first time that Cricket Scotland has arranged an overseas tour for this age group.

The boys will be based in Port Elizabeth, Jan’s home town on the south-east coast of South Africa, the country’s fifth largest city. It is home to the Eastern Province club which is based at the Sahara Oval, St George’s Park, one of the leading Test venues.

Many of the boys have already represented Scotland over the last couple of years in the U13 and U15 European championships and have been training together as a squad since October. This tour provides the opportunity to develop their skills further.

As Jan said, “Clarence has been involved with the U15s for some time but last season was my first as a coach. We trained well over the winter and had a number of competitive warm-up matches. In the European Championships the team performed well against Denmark and the Netherlands, recording good victories, but were unable to compete against the Irish in the final match of the championship.

“Both Clarence and I recognised that in order to develop their cricketing abilities further we needed to spend an extended period of time with the boys playing high-quality matches and having intensive coaching.

“When I was 15 I toured New Zealand with my local club. I had a fantastic time and I was inspired to concentrate on cricket. I hope this tour encourages some of the boys to do likeiwse and maybe one or two potential Saltires will emerge.”

Jan has made good use of his contacts in Port Elizabeth to draw up an itinerary for the tour that will be both enjoyable and hard work. During the two weeks, the boys will play six competitive matches, including one in a Township and one against Eastern Province U15s. They will also have the opportunity to bond together as a squad and to take part in intensive training sessions both in the nets and the field. Perhaps less usual for this age range, they will have the opportunity to work with a sports psychologist and a sports nutritionist.

Some time for relaxation will be built in, with a day’s safari and a trip to a Twenty20 match whilst in Port Elizabeth, as well as a visit to Table Mountain and Robben Island during a day in Cape Town en route home.

Clarence added: “We hope that this new experience will help the boys’ preparation for the European Championships in The Netherlands in July next year as well as assisting their wider cricket education - and hopefully the longer-term success of the Scottish Saltires. The boys have been buzzing at training. This is a great opportunity for them and it is now down to them to demonstrate the commitment and hard work necessary to become a good quality cricketer.”

Squad member Paddy Sadler said: “Having come so close to winning the European Championships at U13 and U15 last year all the boys are determined to take that extra step and become winners. This tour is an amazing opportunity to further our game both technically and mentally in order to improve and develop as cricketers into the future”.

If successful, Cricket Scotland plan to repeat the trip every two years and hope to provide similar opportunities for other age groups.

The boys (and parents) are actively seeking to raise funds for the trip and to provide support for cricket in the Townships. Aberdeen-based Dana Petroleum plc has agreed to be the principal sponsor and the boys are also raising money individually.

The first fund-raiser is a 5k sponsored run in Edinburgh on January 13 as part of the Great Winter Run in Holyrood Park. Not only will this raise money for the trip but will help build team spirit. It is also part of the boys’ fitness regime – fitness, both mental and physical, being a key part of modern cricket.

Other fund-raisers include a Burns Supper on January 26 at The Windlestre Hotel in Kinross and a tour brochure. Anybody interested in booking tickets for the dinner or in advertising in the brochure should contact John Ross on 01577 863040 or John@ogilvieross.co.uk