A talented young cricketer from West Devon has realised a sporting dream after touring Sri Lanka with Devon.

Charlotte Shutt, 15, of Walkhampton, enjoyed a combination of sport and culture on a schoolgirl cricket tour of Sri Lanka.

Charlotte donned her whites and primarily bowled for the Devon Under-15 Girls squad.

A pupil at Devonport High School for Girls, Charlotte is a specialist fast bowler who admits she enjoys unsettling opponents at the crease, and one day hopes to become the ‘fastest female bowler in the world’.

Cricket runs in the family. Her brother Alex, also a fast bowler, toured South Africa with the Devon Under-15 boys’ squad in 2023.

Charlotte, who plays for Cornwood Cricket Club Under-15s, said the cricket was an amazing experience and that it had benefited her bowling, as she played on very different wickets in extremely hot conditions.

The squad learned both from playing more experienced teams and from expanding their cultural horizons.

Charlotte said: “We played on hard and dry wickets against challenging Sri Lankan opposition. They were very good players from local clubs and private schools, all at county and academy level.”

She also played an additional match at a Sri Lankan school: “We did have more of a friendly game at a boys’ school, where we played in the school yard.

“We gifted them donated second-hand cricket gear because they couldn’t afford to buy it, and they gave us flowers to say thank you.”

She said she improved throughout the tour: “The Sri Lankan teams had lots of left-handed batters. We don’t have many left-handers at home, so I had to adjust my bowling.

“My friend was also our only spin bowler, whereas spin is much stronger in Sri Lanka, so it was a great experience for her on wickets that offered a lot of turn.”

It was not all cricketing action, however, with Charlotte’s birthday coinciding with the tour marked by hotel staff and teammates: “They put surprise balloons and flowers in my bedroom and on my bed, and gave me cakes and my favourite food, carbonara. It was really lovely.”

The team first stayed in a fantastic lakeside hotel while their second hotel proved more eventful, with a bed collapsing, a broken door and unreliable WiFi.

There were also challenges not typical in Devon, including wildlife: “We were told to keep the balcony doors closed because monkeys might get into the bedrooms when we were out and steal our cricket kit. Once, me and a friend were lying on a bed when we suddenly saw a gecko staring at us, which was a bit scary,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte was given a fun award by the team’s staff, ‘Tourist of the Tour’, for immersing herself in Sri Lankan culture, including sampling a “far too hot” curry.

She also tried on a colourful sari, visited a Buddhist temple and a turtle sanctuary, went on a safari, and explored Cinnamon Island where she tasted locally-made cinnamon tea.

Charlotte and her teammates are now preparing for the new county season, with fixtures against Somerset, Glamorgan and the MCC.