Plymouth College pupil, Michael Cooper, from Year 10, has been named ‘player of the tour’ after a successful trip to South Africa with the U15 Devon Cricket Team.
Visiting two very different areas of South Africa, Kruger and Cape Town, the tour gave Michael and his team mates a unique opportunity to not only develop their cricket but also to gain from the wider educational and cultural experiences on offer.
Michael notched up 324 runs across 7 matches. His coach said of his performance on the tour: “Refreshingly aggressive batting, which contained some powerful hitting. A classic example of a natural sportsman willing to back his potential with a positive approach.”
The tour included games against township and school teams. The final match, against Western Province U15s, was on the impressive Test match venue at Newlands, which is overlooked by Table Mountain.
A game drive in Kruger National Park was the highlight of the team’s leisure time.
A keen all-round sportsman, Michael was also commended when he was asked to play in goal for Plymouth Argyle FC U18s. He stood in for the apprentice professional goalkeeper who was injured. Academy Manager, Kevin Hodges, said after a National League Youth Alliance match against Bristol Rovers: “I want to mention 15-year-old Michael Cooper who has been in goal for the past three games. He made some exceptional saves today.”
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