The Under 15 Girls are set to embark on their Tour of Sri Lanka on Sunday, 9 February. Find out more about the tour by reading this year's brochure.
13 players will become just the second Devon Cricket side to tour the island country next month, stopping at Colombo, Galle Fort and Kalutara Chaitya during their fortnight in Sri Lanka.
Ahead of this season's tour, Women & Girls' Development Officer Ann-Marie Presswell and Tour Lead Coach David Joseph preview the 2025 trip.
Keep up to date with the latest from the tour on Facebook, Instagram and Play Cricket.
Women & Girls' Development Officer's Preview
Ann-Marie Presswell has been the Women & Girls' Development Officer since 2019, coordinating the growth of female cricket at grassroots level. She is also part of DACO and holds the position of County Scoring Officer. Her volunteer work in scoring led her to score some of the 2019 World Cup games in the Press Box.
"Travelling out to Sri Lanka with the very first Under 15 County Girls Tour in 2023 was a privilege. Not only was the experience an amazing cultural experience for me, but it was a joy to be there to see how the girls also took on the challenge of playing cricket in Sri Lanka and learning about the country.
"From the moment we landed, the hospitality of the country was amazing, and we could not have been made to feel more welcome at every hotel, ground and place we visited. During the tour, we got to see the bustling city of Columbo and by contrast the serenity and peace of the countryside at Sigiriya, which offered the girls and myself sights, sounds and smells that we had never encountered before. Around every corner there was always something more of Sri Lanka to learn about. Just driving to places was an adventure!
"One visit that sticks in my mind, was visiting a supermarket on the way home from a game one day. The excitement of going into the shop and seeing how it was different, but also the same, was lovely. We all came out with full bags and smiling faces!
"But the highlight was always going to be the cricket. I enjoyed watching the girls experience the new grounds and finding ways to overcome communication barriers to meet with the opposition. I also took the chance to score in another country, finding my own ways to break down language barriers with the game of cricket.
"Last year I wrote about the parity in the game and now knowing that every young girl starting a cricket career in Devon can have her hard work and dedication rewarded with an invitation to an overseas tour. Last year, the girls showed both these qualities and were excellent pioneers of how a team should tackle the new and unfamiliar environment of a tour. I have no doubt that this year the girls will follow suit, enjoying visiting the different grounds, meeting their opponents, and rising to the challenges that face them, both on and off the pitch.
"My privilege of being part of the tour is not only to visit the beautiful country of Sri Lanka, but more to see how the team work together, support each other to embrace the challenges, and make the most out of this amazing opportunity. Whilst in name it is a cricket tour, we will all come home having gained so much more than that on the Sri Lanka Tour 2025."
Lead Coach's Preview
David Joseph currently has a number of coaching roles with Devon Cricket, leading the Devon Women, Under 18 Girls and Under 16 Girls programmes, as well as working as a Spin Specialist on the Emerging Player Programme. He was also the Lead Coach on the 2023 Tour of Sri Lanka.
"Devon Under 15 Girls' first Sri Lanka Tour in 2023 was a huge success and I’m really excited to return in 2025 for the second tour to lead the coaching.
"The cricketing benefits of the 2023 tour were clear to see on the field during the 2024 season, all players had clearly developed technically and tactically with the Under 15 Girls team putting in a series of strong team performances and the Under 16 Girls players making important contributions to the Under 18 Girls' season.
"Touring, however, is not all about playing. Sri Lanka is a wonderful country and the 2025 party will receive a warm welcome at every ground and hotel they visit. The tour itinerary will allow the players to see city life, the wonderful countryside inland, the wildlife on safari as well as beach life. These experiences will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
"Sri Lanka is a fantastic destination for a cricket tour. The country is mad about cricket and the girls will expect excellent hosting from each of the opposition teams, play at a series of wonderful grounds, encounter hard-fought contests, and spend time talking to their opponents after the game.
"Probably my best memory from the last tour was the post-match presentation at the match against Sri Medhankara National School. A photo was taken of both teams before the game and after the game, their coach presented us with a signed framed picture of that photo and said we dreamed of playing against an overseas team. Thank you for making our dreams come true today."
"That for me sums up everything that touring is all about. Tours can only happen due to a lot of work behind the scenes. This tour will only be possible through the hard work of Dipan, Wendy and Lions Sports Travel's team on the ground in Sri Lanka. So, thank you on all our behalf.
"To the 2025 Tour Party can I ask you to embrace the challenge of playing in totally different conditions, the highs and the lows and always play with a smile on your face? Opportunities to tour rarely come up so enjoy and take everything in, both on and off the field, and ENJOY!"
Squad
| Player | Club |
| Libby Carroll | Hatherleigh CC |
| Grace Golsworthy | Exeter CC |
| Arabella Greenwood | Plympton CC |
| Lois Hutchings | Exeter CC |
| Frankie Lee | Plympton CC |
| Issie Ollis | North Devon CC |
| Thea Rochester | Exeter CC |
| Lily Sargent | Chagford CC |
| Rebecca Savory | North Devon CC |
| Jasmyne Watson | Exmouth CC |
| Amelie Webber | Bovey Tracey CC |
| Charlotte Wood | Exeter CC |
| Megan Zieleniewicz | Bideford CC & Tarka Ladies |
