Here at Glenrothes we're delighted to see our youngsters taking opportunities to head overseas during the UK off-season. This will only help Ben's development as both a player and a coach.

- Graham Dodds Snr, GCC Director of Coaching

Scotland and Glenrothes CC player Ben Wilkinson will travel to Cape Town in South Africa later this month to take up an Overseas Amateur position at Rondebosch Cricket Club in the WPCA Premier League. The placement has been facilitated by Ailstair Gray who Ben first met when he was the club professional at Dunfermline CC in 2009 and 2010.

The level of competition will be high. Rondebosch have had a number of notable players emerge from their ranks over the years including Herchelle Gibbs, Paul Harris and Andrew Puttick plus overseas players include Nick Compton, Rory Hamilton Brown, and Chris Cooke.

Ben said; "Training and playing at Rondebosch will be hugely beneficial in my development as a cricketer. 2016 is a very important year for me as I hope to contribute fully to the Scotland U19s team playing in the ICC World Cup in Bangladesh and with Glenrothes playing our first season in the East Premier League. "

As well as playing at Rondebosch Ali has arranged for Ben to train with the Western Province regional team and the national franchise team the Cape Cobras where he will be used as a net bowler; something that he did last winter in Australia whilst at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy (DLCA) when he bowled to both Pakistan and England during the World Cup.

Back 2010 Ben played two games with Ail in the Dunfermline 1st XI in what was then the National Premier League but as these score cards show Ali had more to do than 13 year old Ben.

[ Renfrew vs Dunfermline - 2010 ]

[ Dunfermline vs Greenock - 2010 ]

Ben will also coach in local schools during his three months in Cape Town helping children in the same way Ali helped Ben. The video above shows Ben getting throw downs from Ali during the last few weeks Ali was at Dunfermline.

Ali commented that "I remember Ben as an enthusiastic and talented 12 year old playing inter club junior matches at the likes of Broomhall and Largo. I have kept in touch with his family over the intervening years and have seen Ben, through social media, progress through the Scotland representative age groups culminating in their qualification for the 19s World Cup. I am happy to have helped get this placement off the ground and playing coupled with some coaching I have arranged for him in local schools will benefit him greatly. When I was at Dunfermline we took this video of me doing throw downs to him in the nets so I am looking forward to seeing how he has developed (and grown) over the past five years".