CHIPPENHAM all-rounder Liam Dawson has his sights set on a England cap after returning with a clutch of wickets from a successful tour to the West Indies.
Dawson, 15, of Hazel Grove in Calne, spent two weeks of the Easter holidays touring the islands with a West of England side during which he played in six of the eight matches.
The team won all but one of their matches with Dawson's left-arm spin accounting for seven West Indian scalps.
"I had such a good time and was really pleased with my bowling. The heat was really hard work and you had to drink the whole time but it was a good experience," said the youngster who forced his way into the Chippenham firsts last season.
With the bat Dawson had some good starts at the top of the order without being able to notch up the big scores he's become accustomed to scoring for Hampshire since the age of eight.
Dawson, who now captains the Hampshire academy side, said: "I batted well but just got myself out on too many occasions not playing quite the right shot."
Dawson took three catches during the tour and saved his best bowling figures for the 1,600 spectators who gathered to watch them play at the Police Sports Ground at Guyana.
In an effort that saw the opposition bowled out for just 36, Dawson took three wickets for three runs in four overs.
Dawson is hoping his performance on tour will go some way towards securing him a place in the England U15 side due to face Ireland and Guyana in England this August.
He has been included in the 16-man England squad from which the final 11 will be picked and now travels to Loughborough once a month for England training.
"The coaching up there is amazing and we get to use the whole hall with all the facilities so I'm learning loads," said the John Bentley School pupil. As well as his England training he spends one day a week with Hampshire but admits that the best bit of his tour came when there wasn't a cricket bat or ball in sight.
"The beaches were incredible and we got to swim with turtles and see two ship wrecks that was definitely the best bit."
He flew to Barbados with his parents, 11-year-old fellow Hampshire spin bowling brother Bradley and his grandmother.
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