Former Royal Hospital School pupil Reece Topley is one of three Essex cricketers to have been selected for the England Performance Squad’s tour to Australia this winter.

Ipswich-born Topley has enjoyed a good season with the ball in all forms of the game and picked up his county’s Bowler of the Year award at a recent presentation evening.

On the tour with Topley will be former Mildenhall College of Technology student Tymal Mills and Ben Foakes.

Following a preparation period at the National Cricket Performance Centre at Loughborough, the EPP squad will fly to Australia on 14th November and undertake an extensive training programme in Brisbane at the new Cricket Australia High Performance Centre and then in Perth at the University of Western Australia facility.

The squad will play two three-day matches, firstly against Queensland IIs at Allan Border Field in Brisbane and then later in the tour against Western Australia IIs at the James Oval, University of Western Australia in Perth. Neither of these fixtures will carry First Class status. The squad will then return to the UK, leaving Australia

England Performance Programme Squad:

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Ben Foakes (Essex), James Harris (Middlesex), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire), Alex Lees (Yorkshire), Tymal Mills (Essex), Jamie Overton* (Somerset), Sam Robson (Middlesex), Reece Topley (Essex), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Northamptonshire), Mark Wood* (Durham)

*To remain in the UK and specialise in strength and conditioning with the PEPP programme at the NCPC.