Sri Lanka Tour 2026 Preview

The Under 15 Girls are set to embark on the 3rd Tour of Sri Lanka on Sunday, 8 February. Find out more about the tour by reading this year's brochure.

14 players are set to represent Devon while touring the island country next month, stopping at Colombo, Yala National Park, Galle Fort and Kalutara Chaitya during their time in Sri Lanka before returning home on 20 February.

Ahead of this season's tour, Culmstock CC's Maisie Barr and Head of Women & Girls' Pathway, Steph Hutchins, preview the 2026 trip.

Keep up to date with the latest from the tour on Facebook, Instagram and Play Cricket.

Player's Preview

Maisie Barr is a right-hand batter and right-arm pace bowler who plays her club cricket at Culmstock CC.

"When it was first announced that the Under 15 Girls would be touring Sri Lanka in 2026, I was determined to make the squad. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I really wanted to be part of. So when I received the email to say I'd made it, I was delighted.

"I feel it is a huge honour to represent my county team alongside the rest of my Devon teammates on an overseas tour. I'm excited to test myself against different playing styles and challenges the tour will offer. In the future, I'd love to play cricket overseas, so I think this will be a great experience to learn from.

"The main challenge I think we will face will be the heat. After speaking to some of the girls who toured in 2025, they said the humidity is something they had never experienced before, and it's tough to get used to. It will also be interesting to see how the pitches play due to the drier conditions we will face in Sri Lanka, especially when facing spin bowling. I don't think any of us will have experienced anything like this before when playing cricket in the UK.

"I already know most of the girls in the squad, having played with them through county age group teams, but I'm also looking forward to welcoming and bonding with new players selected this year. I think playing lots of games together over a short time in challenging conditions will improve us individually, but also as a team. This will be great preparation for our games in the upcoming summer and beyond.

"I'm looking forward to learning about different cultures in Sri Lanka and how they live differently from us in the UK. I'm not a fussy eater, so I'm excited about the different foods we will experience. The hotels and pools we are staying in look amazing, and I'm really looking forward to having fun with the girls during rest time between games. I'm also very excited to enjoy the variety of planned trips arranged for us. In particular, I'm most looking forward to the safari and seeing wildlife close up. 

"I'd finally like to thank everyone at Devon Cricket, Parents, Sponsors, and Lions Sports Travel, who have contributed and supported us to make this trip possible. Let's go, girls!"

Coach's Preview

Steph Hutchins is set to embark on her second Tour of Sri Lanka, and her first since her appointment as Head of Women & Girls' Pathway with the Devon Cricket Foundation. Steph is one of just three people to have represented Devon on an overseas tour as both a player and a coach, and is the current captain of Devon Women.

"This tour isn't just a trip, it's a chance to grow, challenge yourself, and create memories that last forever.

"After the success of the previous tours to Sri Lanka and the restructuring of the girls' pathway, we are excited that the tour is now running annually.

"The tour offers players the chance to compete in conditions very different from those in the UK, while also allowing them to continue building on the skills they've developed during winter training. Previous tours have shown that players grow not only tactically and technically, but also as a team, strengthening their unity ahead of the season back home.

"However, touring is not just about playing. Sri Lanka is a wonderful country, and both players and staff receive a warm welcome at every ground and hotel they visit. The tour itinerary will allow the players to experience city life, the beautiful inland countryside, wildlife on safari, and time at the beach. These experiences will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

"Opportunities to tour are rare, and playing overseas brings challenges different from those in Devon. On tour, players will learn to overcome them with support from Paul and me. Paul brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are excited to welcome him onto the Sri Lanka Tour in 2026.

"Touring offers a memorable experience for not only the players from our side but also the teams we play against, as it's not often they get the chance to face a touring side.

"Putting a tour like this together takes a great deal of planning, and we would like to say thank you to Dipan, Wendy, and the rest of the team at Lions Sports Travel for helping to organise these tours and for making them such a great experience for both players and staff."

Squad

Back row: Seirian Tucker-Hart (Plymouth CC), Maisie Barr (Culmstock CC), Grace Fredriksson (Heathcoat CC & Culmstock CC), Isla Gray (Exeter CC), Eleanor White (Heathcoat CC), Elowen Neary (Exeter CC), Darcy Jones (Ottery St Mary CC).

Front row: Lucy Hulbert (Plymouth CC), Beth Holmes (Exmouth CC & Clyst Hydon CC), Ellie Knight (Sandford CC), Mollie Searle (Plymouth CC), Fleur Griffiths (Sandford CC), Kiera Spinney (Hatherleigh CC), Charlotte Shutt (Cornwood CC).

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed and supported the players in their preparation for the 2025 tour:

Alex Clements	Bear Cricket	Bedford and Co
Cards and Moor	Clayton Cabinets	Clear Group
Crediton Milling Company	Culmstock CC	Debra Searle Academy
Denhay Bacon	EJ Fry Transport	Exmouth CC
Foxmoor Business Park	Francis Clark	Go Southwest
Hatherleigh CC	Heathcoat CC	Holly Jones
Hunts County Bats	Infinite Finance	Linda Neary
MOR Ltd	Mr James Toms	Ottery St Mary CC
Pain Trust	Plymouth CC	Pool N Spa Services
Poultry Health Services	Rock Oyster Media	Sandford CC
Stonegate Wellbeing	TC Murry and Lamb	Tolchards Devon Women's Cricket League
The Gray Escape	Tim and Felicity Martin	Velocity Transport
Welden & Edwards	Yelverton Bohemians CC