Two cricket camps, offered as separate options rather than one tour. Melbourne runs in the Australian summer, November to February, with academy sessions on real turf and a Melbourne Cricket Ground tour attached. London sits in the northern summer instead, on slower seaming surfaces. Most families pick one; a few do the second a year later. Both are built around coaching first and sightseeing second.
Daily academy sessions on Australian turf, coached on technique, footwork and match temperament by qualified staff.
Batting and bowling filmed and analysed frame by frame, the action compared against the coaching points made that morning.
A guided tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground and its museum, standing where Boxing Day Tests get decided.
Fitness and fielding work built on the sports-science methods Australian academies have spent decades refining.
Live cricket in the Australian summer, then a next-morning debrief on field settings and decision-making.
Turf net sessions in London on slower, seaming surfaces, a deliberate contrast to Melbourne’s pace and bounce.
A coach’s written report on each player’s game, with a clear list of what to build next.
Melbourne or London
Ages 12–18
2–3 Weeks
Priced to Your Brief
Academy & Campus Stays
Turf-Wicket Coaching
FROM THE FIELD
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Why send your child
A player who has scored runs all season in Chennai has only ever solved one set of conditions. Send him somewhere the ball bounces four inches higher and a season of habit starts coming apart usefully. That unpicking, done under coaches who have no history with him, is the actual product here.
Foreign conditions — Melbourne’s pace and bounce, or London’s late seam movement, expose the technical shortcut that home pitches have been quietly forgiving for years.
A filmed record — every session leaves the player with footage of their own action, which argues the coaching point better than any coach repeating it.
Coaches who read the habit — several of our staff at both bases are of Indian origin and know precisely which technique a player brought from home, and why.
Safety that is arranged, not improvised — one chaperone per eight players including a female chaperone, vetted first-aid certified staff, physio and doctor-on-call at base.
Parent visibility — an evening WhatsApp update with photographs and headcounts, plus hotels and transport inspected before the group lands in the country.
Who it’s for
Cricketers aged twelve to eighteen who already play school, club or district cricket and have a settled technique to work on. It suits a batter or bowler curious enough to be told their method is inefficient and stubborn enough to rebuild it inside ten days. Reasonable fitness matters, because Australian sessions are longer and hotter than most Indian juniors expect.
It is not a selection trial or a scouting platform. No selectors attend and no contract sits at the end of it, and a player who arrives expecting either will waste the trip. It is also not the right first tour for a beginner or for a child who has never travelled without family. And the two camps sit in opposite hemisphere seasons, so only one will fit any single holiday.
Tell us what they bat or bowl, the level they play at, and which holiday window is genuinely free once exams are out of the way. We will say honestly whether Melbourne's pace or London's movement is the better use of their time, and whether this is even the right year for it. Cost comes as a custom group quote we take you through line by line on the call.
One Picknic chaperone per eight players, always including a female chaperone, working alongside safeguarding-checked academy coaches. All our staff are vetted and first-aid certified. Physio and doctor-on-call cover is arranged at the base, hotels and transport are inspected before the group lands, and parents get an evening WhatsApp update with photographs and headcounts.
Is this a selection trial or a scouting platform?
Neither. It is a high-performance coaching camp with an MCG tour and live cricket attached. No selectors attend and no contract sits at the end of it. What a player takes home is a written report, a filmed record of their action, and honest knowledge of how their game holds up in foreign conditions.
Melbourne or London, and can we do both?
They are separate camps in opposite hemisphere seasons, so not on one trip. Melbourne runs November to February and suits the Indian winter break. London runs in the northern summer. The London venue is confirmed at booking rather than named upfront, since we do not advertise a partner we have not signed.
When should we book, and how do the visas work?
Book two to three months ahead for camp places, the MCG tour and match tickets, since the November to December window fills first. Australian visitor visas for student groups take roughly four to six weeks with operator letters. UK Standard Visitor visas run around three weeks in peak season. We handle school letters and group appointment slots.