A batsman of Cockermouth School plays a shot against Dr Graham’s Homes on Friday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, April 4: Dr Graham’s Homes today played hosts to a cricket team from Cockermouth School in northern England to foster ties between the two institutions.

The boys from Cockermouth played two 15-over matches as part of a tri-series. They beat Graham’s Homes by 25 runs before losing to St Augustine’s School by 33 runs. Graham’s Homes, however, had beaten St Augustine’s by 18 runs a few days ago, which meant all three teams ended with one win each.

The 15 English students accompanied by two teachers arrived here from Calcutta last evening after playing two matches against Future Hope School and Calcutta Cricket and Football Club earlier in the week.

“This is an attempt to encourage links (between the two schools),” said Peter French, the assistant head teacher of Cockermouth. “Our kids will gain by interacting with different cultures. Broadening their horizons is an important part of education.”

The English students, for starters, seemed focused on broadening their cricketing horizons.

“There is nothing like playing in conditions very different from home. To bat for 15 overs in 35-36 degrees Celsius (in Calcutta) was difficult,” said Hugh Gimber, a 17-year-old left-hander, who sounded as if he was still smarting from the losses against the two Calcutta teams. “Had the same teams played in England, the results would have been different,” he added.

Gimber, though, seemed to relish the cooler climes here and scored 48 fluent runs against Graham’s Homes. His drives flowed as smoothly as the poetry of another native of Cockermouth, William Wordsworth.

Unusual for this time of the year, the ground was covered with fog for the better part of the first match. It prompted David Foning, the bursar of Graham’s Homes, to say to French: “Peter, didn’t I tell you not to bring the English weather along with your team!”

Foning said a team from Graham’s Homes could pay a reciprocal visit to England next year. “It could either be our cricket or football team. This is in keeping with the recent efforts to revive educational links between the UK and Kalimpong,” he added.

“Such exchanges will do a world of good to our boys,” said Rocky Chhetri, a teacher and the cricket coach of St Augustine’s.