During February and March students and staff spent time overseas joining professional cricketers and gaining incredible experiences that have continued to challenge them as players and coaching staff.

Students Ben and Oscar travelled with Somerset County Cricket Club whilst Mr Trescothick has spent time in New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and India following his involvement in the school programme during September and October. It has been fantastic to welcome him back into the Prep and Senior School environments.

Marcus reflected on his return saying: “I am delighted to be back at Taunton School coaching in Prep and Senior School with boys and girls. Having been away for a period of time, it has been great to see how well the players have progressed across the winter. The time away was an amazing experience full of highs and lows, but it is great to be back at School and I cannot wait for the summer to start and see the various teams in action until mid‑June when I return to England duty.”

Ben was selected to travel with the full Somerset professional squad on their pre‑season trip – originally planned for Abu Dhabi but later moved to Spain – while Oscar joined the Somerset Academy on their tour of Sri Lanka. Both opportunities provided outstanding learning environments, and the players reflected positively on what they gained:

Ben shared: “It was a fantastic experience to train with the 1st team squad, including players I have admired growing up, and it gave me a valuable insight into a professional cricket environment. It was a great challenge facing quality bowlers such as Lewis Gregory in the nets – providing an opportunity to upskill my batting. It was really beneficial to get some time on grass outside, putting me in good stead to hit the ground running going into the school and wider cricket season.”

Oscar commented: “I enjoyed my time out in Sri Lanka greatly and got tons out of it. It was one of my best cricketing experiences to date. Thank you to Taunton School for supporting me to go and helping me develop my game beforehand so I had a good foundation. I was able to use my school cricketing programme to prepare fully for this trip. The whole winter has helped my progress for the season ahead.”

Mr Sanderson, Director of Cricket, has enjoyed reconnecting with staff and players across the programme and discussing their winter development. He says: “This has been the busiest but most enjoyable winter in my time at Taunton School. The expansion of the programme to offer more Prep School sessions and having more sessions in Senior School has been a challenge, but the reward outweighs that challenge. It has been great to speak to Mr Trescothick about his experiences overseas as well as the boys and to see the progress made by all our Taunton School cricket players. I want to thank Mr Roberts, Mr Pike, Mr Woodall and Miss Roberts for their efforts, as well as pupils who have helped at sessions. Having positive role models is so important.”

Overall, it has been a fantastic winter for the cricket programme, and we now look forward with real excitement to the summer season ahead.