Saxons renamed

I get the feeling that any costs outgoing might just be covered by that, as opposed to an untelevised tour of Bulgaria...

You mean the state school lads who earned their way into the Counties side through county and regional games as opposed to the posh school/academy gym monkeys who get an easy ride because they are selected from a very small pool. 

I have experience of this. 

My son was overlooked at county trials at U13, U14, U15, U16 for those who went to private schools or who’s dads seemed to know all the right people. He was demoralised every year and I had to encourage him to keep going telling him he was obviously the best player in his position in the county and the selectors wouldn’t be able to leave him out for ever because each year it was getting more obvious. Unfortunately by missing out on county selection, he then missed out on the chance to train at that higher level and the specialist sessions run for the county players at the prem academies. 

Eventually at U18 he was selected for the county then division, then England counties U18, where he started and was awarded second best player of the week. Not bad for a lad who couldn’t get in an average county side the year before 🤔

I hope the selection these days doesn’t favour the private school kids, and coaches sons quite as much.

I think the England aspirational sides are a great thing to aim at, and in fact the only real option for a lot of players, and I hope they are all reformed as soon as possible. 

There are players playing in the Prem and Champ who played in the England Counties U18 sides a few years ago.