Obed and Natapei off to Melbourne

As part of the ANZ High Performance Programme, two of Vanuatu's top cricketers Simpson Obed and Lenica Natapei headed off to Melbourne this week to spend the Australian Cricket Season in Melbourne playing with North Melbourne Cricket Club.

During their 5 ? 6 months in Australia, Simpson and Lenica will have the chance to further develop their undoubted skills by being exposed to a very high standard of cricket on turf pitches.

They will be playing tough matches at least twice a week and will have access to excellent coaching support, both within the North Melbourne Club and also the EAP Centre of Excellence Squad based in Melbourne.

This will be the first time Vanuatu Cricket has been able to place any of its players for a full cricket season in Australia.

There have been times when players have spent shorter stints with Australian and New Zealand clubs, but this time it is part of a concerted scholarship program and Vanuatu Cricket is fortunate to have the support of both the ICC's EAP office and the sponsor of its High Performance Program, ANZ Bank, to subsidise the heavy cost of providing for the players living away from home, not to forget of course the wonderful support of the North Melbourne Club.

Vanuatu Cricket's General Manager Pierre Chilia was very clear about the benefits when he said:

"If our national teams are to move to the next level we have to be able to expose our players to consistently high quality competition and to open up their minds to what is needed to get to that next level. Playing in Melbourne will be important step in that direction."

Spending Vanuatu's offseason playing in Australia will also be great preparation for Simpson and Lenica as the Digicel Vanuatu Senior Team turns its focus to the ICC World Cricket League Division 8 tournament to be held in the second half of 2012. Vanuatu will be striving for promotion to Division 7 and to continue its climb up the world cricket rankings.