Devon Cricket duo Matt Whalley (Plymstock CC) and Joe Gillett (Bradninch & Kentisbeare CC) are the latest Performance Pathway cricketers to be selected for the annual Bunbury Festival.

The festival, started nearly 40 years ago, is a combination of shop window and proving ground for around 60 under-15 cricketers from all over the country.

During a series of matches played over a week, the best play the best in front of talent spotters from the professional counties.

Whalley and Gillett will be joining some illustrious company on the list of Bunbury alumni.

England captains past and present, Joe Root and Ben Stokes, are Bunbury graduates along with Devonians such as Tom Lammonby and Ben Green (both Somerset),

Ben Beaumont (Cornwood CC) and Sonny Baker (Torquay CC and Somerset) were festival-goers in 2018. The 2021 festival featured Harry Southgate (Blundell’s and Heathcoat CC) and Fin Hill (Exeter CC and King’s Taunton), while James Theedom (Sandford CC) and Seb Linnitt (Exeter CC) attended in 2022.

Other Devon youngsters to take part in the Bunbury Festival include Justin Yau, Matt Cooke and James Fraser in the same year, Kazi Szymanski, Marc Bettis, Matt Hickey, David Lye, Kevin Barrett, Lewis Gregory, Matt Wood, Shane Evenden, Luke Bess, Chris Read, Steve Edmonds, Sam Wyatt-Haines, Dom Bess and Sam Maunder.

More than a hundred Bunburians have gone on to play for England – including 10 of the 11 players in the 2019 World Cup-winning side. At the last count the number of future First-Class players to appear at the festival topped 700.

The festival starts this Sunday (July 30) and continues until Friday, August 4.