Hertfordshire independent prep school, Edge Grove, has welcomed home a group of its Year Seven and Eight boys who have travelled across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka on a school cricket tour.
Accompanied by headmaster Ben Evans and three other members of staff, the boys were able to experience both the warm climate and hospitality of the Sri Lankan locals over a ten-day trip as they journeyed on a road trip across the country visiting a variety of destinations.
Ben Evans said: “Providing our pupils with the opportunity to travel overseas for educational trips is something that Edge Grove fully supports and this really was a trip of a lifetime. I’m immensely proud of the great sporting effort and also the way our boys immersed themselves in a totally unfamiliar culture, travelling around a developing and fascinating country and making memories that will be cherished for a lifetime. They also learned valuable skills in self-confidence and independence; taking responsibility for having clean clothes to wear each day was certainly an eye-opener for some!”
Upon arrival, the pupils competed in two very tough games during two days in Colombo. The children were also exposed to some breath-taking scenery and enjoyed drinking milk from fresh coconuts as the sun set over the ocean. The squad also played a game at the Colombo Colts cricket ground for a fixture against the British School of Colombo (where Ben Evans was once Headmaster).
Further games were played in Kandy against Dharmaraja College and the Black Eagles Cricket Club, before travelling to the Temple of the Tooth (where it is said that the tooth of the first Buddha is kept) and then Bentota (where they visited an elephant orphanage). The pupils were able to walk with the elephants, feed them and watch them bathe.
The final game of the tour was at the Surrey Cricket Ground against Devapatairasa School where Edge Grove battled valiantly and finished the overs with a score of 123 for 9. Prior to the trip, the children raised enough money through homemade cake sales, to pay for a wicket to be built at Mirriswatte School (an underprivileged local school in Sri Lanka) and also donated items of sports equipment and stationery. The children are now safely home and keen to make the most of their newfound skills and experiences from Sri Lanka.
