Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club would like to congratulate Archie Johnston on his selection for Kent County Cricket Club U15 Winter Training Squad.

Archie, who will be 15 this month, was invited for a trial with Kent during his school's half-term break in October and was involved in three sessions with the Kent County cricket coaches. The sessions were held at the indoor schools at Beckenham and Canterbury with the opportunity to be selected for their U15 Winter Training Squad on offer.

Archie recently received word from Kent that he'd been selected and will now attend a number of training sessions between January and March 2017. The Winter Training Squad will help shape Kent's summer squad and everyone at the club are delighted for Archie.

Following his selection, Archie said: "It was a great opportunity for me to visit Kent and witness the set up they have. I was put through two wicket keeping sessions and two batting sessions and I just tried to do my best. It is great for me and our club that I now have the chance to progress further, but there is a lot of hard work ahead after Christmas. I am hoping that I can impress them enough to secure a place on their squad for this summer, which would be a great privilege."

Archie has established himself in the Club's senior squads over the past few seasons playing regularly for the Club's 1st and 2nd XI as a top order batsman and wicketkeeper.

Club Chairman, Ivan McMinn, said: "Congratulations to Archie on this significant achievement. I was pleased to hear of his trial in October and was delighted that he has been invited back to take part in Kent's Winter Training Squad; I wish him every success.
"Archie's success is a testament to the club's ability, through our Youth Academy, to nurture our talented cricketers to become the best they can be, and through the hard work of our Youth Coaches and senior players, our Youth Academy is producing senior players of the future."