2006 Mitchell Cricket Council Under-16 tour of Vanuatu

Mitchell U16 in action against Vanuatu © ICC

The Mitchell Cricket Council Under 16 team recently toured Vanuatu in April, departing Sydney on the 16th before returning on the 26th. During this short tour, the team played five matches against Vanuatu representative teams, with Vanuatu winning three of the five matches.

The Mitchell Cricket Council is based in Orange (NSW) and administers representative cricket in associations covering Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Bathurst, Orange, Molong, Mudgee and Gulgong.

Its Under 16 team toured Fiji in 2003 and also in 2005, but this was their first tour of Vanuatu, bring together a group of very high standard of 16 year old players from those associations in the Western NSW and compete in Vanuatu for the very first time.

"Our early fears were that Vanuatu may not be able to provide us with good opposition. But these fears proved to be totally unfounded, with Vanuatu winning three of the five matches played and we thought we had a pretty good team", said Carl Sharpe OAM Hon Secretary of Mitchell Cricket Council.

During the tour, the team along with their coaches also spent one day assisting Pierre Chilia (Vanuatu Cricket Association) with the running of a coaching clinic at one of the primary school, where over 200 children attended. Team manager Tim Forde commented that he had never seen such an enthusiastic group of children. The team coach, Matt Tabbernor believed that the children showed remarkable skills and paid great tribute to Pierre and Mark Stafford and the Vanuatu Cricket Association for the excellent programs that they have in place.

"Pierre and Patrick Haines (both of Vanuatu) had actually attended their level 2 coaching course in Orange, so the Mitchell connection with Vanuatu was established at that time. It delighted me to hear that the boys had put into practice, many of the skills and drills that they had been shown in Orange," noted Carl.

"I am certain that Mitchell will be very keen to return to Vanuatu in 2008 and the ground work has been laid for a very strong reciprocal arrangement", Carl added.

The social side of the tour was an outstanding success and the Mitchell Cricket Council has now extended a warm invitation to Vanuatu to send their youth team on a tour of Western NSW in the near future.