After a year out of the game, former South Tamworth player Nick Leyden will make a spectacular return to cricket – for a national team no less.
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Leyden will pad up for the the Australian Lawyers Cricket team at the sixth Lawyers Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.
After he was made aware of the side, and a quick google search to ensure it was a real tournament, the top order batsman jumped at the opportunity.
He then went through the, less than rigorous, selection process – which was based on Tom Groth and Jeff Cook giving his details to a tour selector – before being chosen.
Despite having not played in over a year, Leyden won’t be going into the tournament cold.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have access to an indoor cricket facility over the winter and we’ll have a few net sessions when we get over there to acclimatise,” Leyden said.
“I’ve seen a few of the names on the list and have been a bit nervous so I’ve been having a hit once or twice a week for the last few months.”
And it won’t just be cricket on the agenda for Leyden and his teammates.
“We’re going to be lucky enough to go out to some schools and do some coaching while we’re over there,” Leyden said.
“I think we’re going to some cricket clubs, to donate some equipment, that have been affected by recent flooding. That’ll give us some insight into the passion they have for cricket over there.”
The tournament runs from August 10-20 with the final to be played at the the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.