Ben Davenport returns to Roncalli after spending Term 2 playing cricket at Seaford, relishing the opportunity to show prowess with both bat and ball, in the home of cricket during the Cricket World Cup. He reflects on his experiences.

I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to attend Seaford College for Term 2 of this year to play cricket. I arrived on a Sunday afternoon pretty tired after a long flight from New Zealand and was immediately welcomed by the teaching staff.

During my time at the College I lived in one of the boarding houses with 40-50 other boys, with some of them being in my cricket team. I was unsure if I would enjoy the boarding experience before I left, but found it was great and helped me to mix in with the other students easily. My boarding house had around 8 year 12's, including myself, which was the oldest year level in that house. The Year 13’s had their own boarding house at another part of the school. I was classed as a Year 12 as I am young for my year at Roncalli. I shared a room with another Year 12 who played in the cricket 2nd XI but was also a very good golfer and therefore I was able to play some golf with him in my free time after school on the 9 hole golf course located at the school. It was great to share a room with someone who shared similar sporting interests to me. 

I was very intrigued as to what the food would be like and was pleasantly surprised for the most part. The school has no tuck shop as all students gather for lunch in the dining hall. This is also where I ate breakfast and dinner as a boarder. The boarding house had a kitchen which was available sometimes during the school day to make toasties and other meals if you needed, and was always open at night. 

There was plenty to do in the evenings as all the boys were quite into their sports. At Seaford College it is compulsory to practice a sport during school every Tuesday and Thursday. This meant there was a range of facilities able to be used during the evenings such as the golf course, cricket nets, tennis courts, the gym and weights rooms, rock climbing wall, soccer nets and many other options. There were also plenty of trips planned for the boarders such as a Friday night trip to Sainsburys and McDonalds which I usually went on. There were also trips planned during the weekends for full boarders but I didn’t really go on any of these as I was playing cricket most Saturdays and Sundays. I played and coached cricket during the school days and attended classes for some of my subjects. The coaching I did covered Years 5-10 and this was a great experience for me. 

I really enjoyed the cricket as it was a good eye opener to the standards and way it is played in England. My team had a good season, winning 9 out of 12 games, including a win against the MCC club (which owns and is based at Lord’s cricket ground). This was a special win for the school and great to be involved in. It was cool playing away games at other schools where I got to see some really nice grounds and facilities. I also got to play club cricket for West Chiltington which is a nearby village that one of my teammates also played at. I only had a couple of opportunities to do this as the school schedule was busy, but I really enjoyed playing when I could. It was great to make some more contacts, as I hope to go back to England in the future. It was also great timing to be in England as the Cricket World Cup began about half way through my time at the school. My family came over during my last week at the College and we then went on holiday for 5 weeks so I got to have a good look around the South of England, London (going to the New Zealand vs Australia match at Lord’s with my family which was also a very cool experience) and other parts of Europe. 

Overall my experience at Seaford College was excellent and something I would recommend to anybody who may have an opportunity in the future. It's a great opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and gain new and exciting experiences and see a differing view of your chosen sport.

Roncalli has a relationship with Seaford for those who play in the premier teams for rugby, netball, cricket and hockey. For information about any of the Seaford opportunities, students should contact Mr Jones.