A left-handed all-rounder, Donald was a 10-year-old playing his first year of cricket in the small town of Whitby on England’s North-East coast when he first met visiting Shamrocks batsman Sean Stevenson.

Then a coach and a junior respectively, the two are now sharing a house in Prospect and spots in Westbury’s top order for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.

“A few of the boys from Westbury have come over to Whitby and that’s a really nice little link that I’ve come over to play with (Sean) now,” Donald said. 

“(Richard) ‘Dicky’ Howe and Jono Chapman both played there a couple of years ago so I played in the first team with them.

“I’ve had a couple of good years there so it was nice to come down here and knowing a few people takes the pressure off having to settle in.”

Having started the season batting at five and six, Donald was promoted to opener at the start of the month and made a dream start, knocking 35 against Mowbray in round five on his way to winning player of the round.

He also picked up 4-16 in the six-wicket win and has taken two wickets in each of his two appearances since. 

“In every game I’ve bowled well and that (Mowbray) game was probably not the best I’ve bowled which is the way it goes - some days you get wickets, some days you don’t.

“From the batting side I’m starting to get into it a bit more - the first couple of games you’re getting used to different pitches and grounds, I got 18 last Saturday but I’d like to try and get a few big scores.

“It’s always helpful early if you do get big performances in early to settle yourself.”

A recently graduated university maths student, Donald hopes to travel to Melbourne and Sydney during his seven months in the country.

In the meantime he has picked up work at the Cock’n’Bull British Pub in Wellington Street and has found himself feeling right at home among new and familiar teammates.  

“Every bloke I’ve played with has been a nice sort of fella off the pitch as much as on it, and for me that’s what cricket is all about.

“That makes a massive difference to how you enjoy the game – if you’re playing with a load of blokes you get along with it makes it a lot easier.”