Cricket: Reece is selected for South African tour

Hot on the heels of his selection for the Ireland Under 13 cricket winter training squad, Derriaghy player Reece Malone has now been included in the Northern Cricket Union youth development party to tour South Africa next year for a series of matches and training.
Derriaghy Cricket Clubs Reece Malone, who is all set for a tour to South Africa with the Northern Cricket Union youth development squad. Pic by Ian Johnston, Cricket Europe.Derriaghy Cricket Clubs Reece Malone, who is all set for a tour to South Africa with the Northern Cricket Union youth development squad. Pic by Ian Johnston, Cricket Europe.
Derriaghy Cricket Clubs Reece Malone, who is all set for a tour to South Africa with the Northern Cricket Union youth development squad. Pic by Ian Johnston, Cricket Europe.

The 30 strong panel of players will be split into two age groups, Under 15 and Under 17 and will be based around the Western Province area of Cape Town.

Reece, who only turns 13 ten days before the party departs on the 25th of March, will be one of the youngest members in the panel and both himself and Derriaghy see this as a tremendous development opportunity.

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The tour lasts 12 days and includes six games along with a full day of intensive training at the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy.

There will also be time for some sightseeing with visits planned to Table Mountain by cable car followed by a tour of Robben Island and a visit to Aquila Private Game Reserve.

Tour manager and NCU vice-chairman Alan Waite explained that the key thing is the level that the tour is pitched at.

“We want this to be competitive and the level of competition to step up as the tour progresses,” he said.

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“We will also be staying in a complex called City Lodge in Cape Town which effectively has everything on-site and will serve to keep the whole party together.

“I believe that having this tour immediately prior to the start of the NCU season is the right timing. The players will be doing a lot of work in squad sessions throughout the winter and this will give a real focus to that, plus they will be able to take the learning from the tour and apply it directly in the new season at home.”

The Derriaghy club will be running some fund-raising events in the coming months to assist Reece and also to aid other forms of their youth development programme.

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