Stamford School tours Sri Lanka
View(s):Several visiting teams from Stamford School, Linconshire, England participated in a friendly tour of Sri Lanka from March 29 to April 9.
The 55 strong touring party was accompanied by their coaches, including former England cricketer, Dean Headley who is also a professional at Stamford School.
The group played five games in Kandy at the Asgiriya and Pallekele International Stadiums. The other venues were the De Zoysa Stadium in Moratuwa, S. Thomas’ College ground in Mount Lavinia, P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, BRC, St. Josephs College and Thurstan grounds in Colombo.
Dean Headley stated, “The boys were really excited about visiting Sri Lanka as well as the staff; this experience of playing cricket in the subcontinent will always remain with them for the rest of their lives. We were always keen to tour places of different cultures that can offer allround experiences for the English youth.”
Lion Sports Travel, the specialist travel arm of Barefoot Traveller, in collaboration with Stamford School organised the tour. The group also visited the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy and the famous Elephant Orphanage in Pinnawela. The Sports Unit of Aitken Spence Travels who have handled many such tours in the past, handled the logistics for this tour as well.
Lions Sports Travel, Chief Executive Dipan Suwarneraj said, “Our school cricket tours are a great opportunity for students participating from both countries tomix and learn from each other whilst enjoying the fellowship that comes from playing the game in a competitively friendly setting.”
A total of 25 friendly games were arranged with the assistance of Sri Lanka Cricket against some of the country’s leading school and club teams. The tourists also participated in a charity drive donating cricket gear to underprivileged young cricketers through the Mahela Jayawardena Foundation. – BM