Sam Tyler and Rhys Norman

Sam and Rhys spent almost three months in Sri Lanka, a global cricketing hub with a rich history and deep-seated passion for the sport.

They were working alongside a volunteer organisation which meant they could gain a host of experiences alongside the cricket coaching they were doing.

“We ran the first girls cricket programme out there for the organisation we were with,” said Sam Tyler, third-year student on the Cricket Coaching and Management with Integrated Masters Course.

“It was amazing. For many of these girls, it was the first time they’d ever held a bat and ball, and we saw how they developed. Every week they arrived with smiles on their faces, and we saw how their games improved.”

He added: “I was sad when we left, but we left them in good hands. We left them with a platform to keep going on that programme, so that was one of my favourite things we did out there.”

Rhys Norman is on the same course as Sam. He said: “When we were coaching some of the younger age groups, some of them didn’t speak any English so it could be difficult to communicate.”

He said: “You have to think, ‘how can I communicate this through actions, not words?’, or you’d explain what you were doing to some of the kids who knew English and they’d relay it to the kids that didn’t, so it was challenge.”

Sam added: “The communication barrier meant you had to think on your feet as you developed a coaching session on the go, which we’d learned a lot about here in Worcester. That helped us a lot out there.”

The pair were not only able to apply their learning from Worcester overseas, but they’ve come back with some skills as well.

“We took inspiration from the coaches out there who do a fixed practice, so they believe in giving the players the chance to play all the time,” said Sam. “Before that, I would use more drills and less game time.”

While the three months they spent in Sri Lanka were focussed on cricket coaching and building their skills, they’ve returned with memories which will last a lifetime.

“They’re tremendously nice people there,” said Rhys. “They’d give you everything they have if they could. We were near the beach, so we could go there on our days off, and where we were, in the south of the country, it’ absolutely beautiful.”

Rhys added: “It’s like a paradise out there.”