Promising young cricketer Alex Shutt, 18, from Walkhampton, has embarked on a trip of a lifetime playing cricket in Melbourne, Australia.

He has joined St Albans Cricket Club in the city suburbs for six months. The club plays in the local premier division and Alex is finding the opposition includes former England and Sri Lanka internationals.

The Cornwood 1st XI fast bowler is adjusting to the Australian conditions and enjoying the prospect of an Australian summer during the English winter.

St Albans regularly takes overseas players for a season and Alex is getting used to being known as ‘The Pomme’.

Alex’s dad, Chris Shutt, is delighted for him: “This is the opportunity of a lifetime and the club have made him feel at home.”

The former Tavistock College student completed his A-level at Plymouth College sixth form, taking advantage of much better cricket options. His Australian cricket adventure is effectively a gap year experience.

This is his second taste of overseas cricket and could pave the way to a professional career, though he is still considering training as an engineer.

In 2023 Alex, then 14, returned from a sporting tour of South Africa with renewed confidence by playing for the Devon County U-15 team.

He benefited from the experience by playing on different surfaces and conditions in a hot climate and prompted him to build up his physique to help his bowling.

Alex qualified for the schoolboy development tour through assessment trials which ensured he was good enough to play for the county.

His South African tour took him to Cape Town, to play Western Province teams. He was pleased with his bowling and scoring figures, topped off with the bonus of seeing Table Mountain.

Alex is a former Yelverton Bohemians player and has been part of the Devon Cricket squad for some years and graduated through the Devon Youth Development Cricket scheme.