NEWS IN DETAIL...
College student tours Sri-Lanka
An A-level student at Cornwall College St Austell has recently returned from a trip of a lifetime having travelled to Sri-Lanka with the Cornwall U17 cricket team.
Courtney Rowe, 16, from St Dennis, is in his first year at college and is studying for his AS-levels in Business, Accounting, Physical Education and Use of Maths.
A former pupil of Brannel School, Courtney, who started playing cricket six years ago, is really looking forward to progressing both his studies and his career as a cricketer. He was first selected to play for Cornwall at 12 and currently plays for Roche with his Dad in both the 1st team and 2nd team.
Catching him in between studies in the new A-level Centre, he commented: “It was an amazing experience competing against such different teams to ours. This was the first time I have toured away and we got to see so much. The elephant orphanage was eye opening and we also got to play on iconic test match grounds!”
The team of 14 travelled to Sri-Lanka as part of an official county tour, supported and endorsed by the Cornwall Cricket Board and the Cornwall Schools' Cricket Association. They arrived on 7th February with supporters and family and only returned last Sunday after having played six games against six local teams.
He continued: “We worked really hard raising money for the trip and there were so many businesses that helped us reach our goal, it was great to see the support. When we arrived we played two practices matches to help us acclimatise, it was 41 degrees on the first day! We played really well and won four out of the six games. Playing at Dambulla International Stadium which seats 10,000 and is a test match ground was amazing; the ground was perfect to play on and so different to our wet conditions.”
Joining the team on the trip was Courtney’s Dad Jason, who said: “I am extremely proud of the team and what Courtney has accomplished in just a short time. It was a great experience for the young team to play in a completely different environment to what they are used to and against some older players.”
Dave Linnell, Principal of Cornwall College, commented: “We congratulate Courtney and his team mates on a successful tour and are delighted that Courtney is representing both the College and County at a high level. We will continue to support his sporting career alongside his studies and hope he continues to be successful in both.”
