Lammonby settling in Down Under with Grade club in Western Australia

TOM Lammonby has had a hectic time since arriving in Western Australia, where he is playing Grade Cricket for Rockingham Mandurah this winter, writes Richard Walsh.

The 19-year-old all rounder from Exeter, who has just completed his first year on the staff after graduating from the Somerset Academy, said: “It’s been going pretty well for me over here, but it’s all happened so quickly.

“The club I’m playing for are about an hour away from Perth which is a lovely city. The beaches here are really awesome and to be able to mix that with being at my new club has been really nice.

“It all felt a little bit odd just how quickly it all happened because everyone else seems to be heading out here now. I thought I was late but it turned out that I was one of the first players from England to get out here.

“I only left home last Monday and played at the weekend, so I got chucked in at the deep end, but I’m enjoying it out here.

“I trained with my club on Thursday after I arrived and then went straight into playing for them on Saturday and Sunday. I must admit the body was a little bit sore on Monday, but I managed to get to the gym and sort it all out.”

How does the level of cricket compare to what he has played in England?

“I would pitch the standard of cricket I have played somewhere between Second XI cricket and Devon League cricket back home.

“However, it’s not really the standard of the cricket. It’s about the responsibility of being the club’s overseas player, which means you are the person who is expected to win games for your team rather than just contributing.

“You feel that you have got to go on and score big hundreds and win games which unfortunately I didn’t do. On Sunday I felt quite good out in the middle and got 50 but then got out. However, it’s good for me to learn how to cope in this situation and how to deal with it.”

Tom talked about the fitness programme he is following.

“Joel Tratt (Somerset’s head of strength and conditioning) has done me a really good gym diary and training plan organized that deals with strength and speed and conditioning. Yesterday I was working on that at the gym and then had a recovery session at the beach. This evening I had training with my club, which happens twice a week.

“When Eddie (Byrom) gets out here we will probably train together on Mondays and Fridays which will be good.”

Looking ahead Tom said: “On Saturday we are playing at home against Bayswater Morley who Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), a good mate of mine, plays for and then we will got out to eat afterwards.”

Tom added: “It’s good to be out here and I’m really enjoying it. Having to look after myself, do my cooking and washing is what I am learning to do over the next five months as well as playing cricket.”

Lammonby, whose dad Glenn hails from Perth, has not played in Australia at any level before.

However, Lammonby has played ion South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh with England under-19s. He went through the Devon age-group ranks and started playing three-day cricket for Devon CCC a few weeks after his 16th birthday in 2016.