Three teenagers from Winterbourne Cricket Club have been selected to represent England at the seventh Indoor Cricket World Cup in Australia.

The trio of Sam Bracey, George Ford and Marcus Purnell, all Year 10 pupils at The Ridings High School, have played cricket together at Winterbourne for several years.

Last year they were introduced to the indoor version of the game while playing in an adult league.

Now, after several trials, they find themselves on a plane to Brisbane to represent England Under-16 boys' team in the tournament from 8-17 October.

Following trials at Nottingham and London, their selection for the initial squad was announced by former England captain Mike Gatting. After further training and assessment, the three were told at the beginning of June that they had been selected as part of the 12-man squad.

All three boys will be required to bat and bowl, while Bracey is a specialist wicketkeeper.

He said: "This is a chance of a lifetime for all of us.

"We only really started playing indoor cricket nine months ago and have been coached by Wayne Kylander, who used to be at Winterbourne.

"Now it's all hands to the pump to try to raise nearly £2,000 to fund our trip."

All-rounder Purnell, who plays for Winterbourne Under-15s as well as the 3rd XI, was amazed he had made it into the squad.

The son of former Bristol Rovers winger Phil Purnell, he said: "It was really nerve-wracking during the trials but we all made it through and now I can't wait, especially as it will mean three weeks off school."

Ford said: "I'm really excited about the trip and so long as we can raise the money I'm really looking forward to it.

"But it means there is a lot of hard work to be done between now and October. We only took up the sport so that we could continue playing cricket through the winter and now we find ourselves playing for England."

Keith Beesley, secretary at Winterbourne CC said: "The selection of the three boys to play for England represents a considerable achievement for the Winterbourne club. Members are now showing their support by helping to raise the £2,000 per boy required to participate in what will prove to be a memorable event."

Following further training days, prior to departure, the boys will travel to Australia to participate in a training camp before the competition begins.

They will travel with the Team England men's, women's and Under-19 boys and girls teams.