TOM READ is going Down Under in a bid to finish right on top in Ramsbottom.

The 20-year-old printer and opening batsman with Ramsbottom Cricket Club is off on a voyage of discovery to Australia next week to play cricket for New South Wales outfit Tugeronong.

He will be spending six months in the land of Oz and will be living in Canberra with Greg Lemin, a former overseas amateur with Radcliffe, Tom's former club.

Cricket in Australia starts this weekend and Tom says: "The standard of cricket in Australia is probably the highest you can play as an amateur.

"They have A,B,C and D grade cricket. Clubs have up to seven teams and I am hoping to play B grade.

"I want to go out there and improve my cricket and do better for Ramsbottom next season."

Tom lives in Tottington, attended Tottington High School, but was brought up on Gigg Lane in Bury and went to St Chad's school as a youngster.

He switched to Ramsbottom and the Lancashire League in 1995 after playing junior cricket at Radcliffe.

"Lack of opportunities made me move to Ramsbottom," said Tom. "I went straight into senior cricket once I joined them."

The honours have come rolling in for Tom too. He captained the third team to the league title this year and won the Knockout Cup with the second XI in 1995.

He has also represented the Bury town team, played for the Salford Youth Cricket Association and had trials for Lancashire schools.

The Australia trip is something else though.

"I've never further than Corfu on my holidays and this is going to be a tremendous experience. I've obviously never been to Australia before and I can't wait. I'm really looking forward to it."

Good luck, Tom. And whatever you do, don't forget . . . keep a straight bat!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.