Academy duo Bunbury Tour to Sri-Lanka

Two Kent Cricket Academy scholars have flown out to Sri Lanka after being selected as among the promising teenage cricketers in the country.

Sandwich Town wicketkeeper-batsman Jordan Cox, 16, and Folkestone seamer Tom Davis, 15, will be involved in the four-match series on a ten-day tour with the first match on Sunday (26 March).

High performance director Jason Weaver said: “Many international cricketers have been identified at the Bunbury Festival so we’re delighted to see two Kent scholars recognised.

“The tour is a great opportunity for Jordan and Tom at a key stage of their development as people and cricketers as the trip will be a good test of their skills and character to adapt to overseas conditions on and off the pitch.

“We had four scholars taking part at last year’s Bunbury festival which bodes well for the future.”

Fellow scholars Joe Gordon, 14, from Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells all-rounder Julian O’Riordan, 16, also played in last summer’s festival featuring the most promising schoolboy cricketers in the country.

England talent spotters were among the selection panel, based on performances at the annual Bunbury festival and Best of Bunbury series at the England Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough.

National Performance Manager David Graveney said: “The quality of players not only involved in the Best of Bunbury fixture, but also the overall quality of Regional Cricket this year, was extremely high and gave the selectors much to deliberate.”

Kent Reliance is the proud sponsor of the Kent Cricket Academy programme

BUNBURY UNDER-16 XI to tour Sri Lanka:

Sam Young – Somerset

Jack Haynes – Worcestershire (captain)

Ben Charlesworth – Gloucestershire

Rahul Sheemar – Essex

Richard Bell – Lincolnshire

Lewis Goldsworthy – Cornwall

Jordan Cox – Kent (Wkt)

Hamidullah Qadri – Derbyshire

Tom Gordon – Sussex

Tom Davis – Kent

Louis Botes – Cheshire

Sean Sullivan – Essex

Jack Morley – Lancashire

Xavier Clarke  – Shropshire