Story
This iconic tour for Devon Youth Cricketers has been running since 2002, with past players going on to the professional game with domestic honours here in the UK and also representing England across all the formats of the game. The trip has always been part of the Devon Cricket pathway and sits at the U15 age group. The tour takes 14 boys selected to represent the county down to South Africa for 18 days. The trip starts in the Kruger National Park where two games of cricket are undertaken. Then the second leg of the tour is down to Cape Town where a further five games are played across the Western Cape Province.
Each child is tasked with fundraising to help cover their individual costs of the tour, this traditionally has been done with fundraising events organised by them, sponsorship through our tour brochure or donations by friends and family. The current cost of the tour is now at £3250 per child, which is the highest level it has ever been. With the current levels of inflation and financial hardship affecting families across the country we are tasked with raising money centrally to ensure that every boy selected can make the trip.
As the third people to look after the tour, the mantra of "No child will ever miss out due to the finances being a barrier" has always been one of the red lines that the original tour organiser Alan Swift embedded as a legacy of the trip.
With it now being the 21st Tour to South Africa for our U15s, it is hope that these tour continue to be viable for years to come, however raising money centrally has never been more important. Any donation is greatly received and will go towards making a Devon U15s Cricketers dreams come true.
Want to see more about the trip and its history, see the link below:
