Cricket fan Tommy Lamb has taken his love for the sport to a whole new level by attempting to reach the Ashes without taking a single flight.
The idea was sparked after his dad told him the story of how the Lonely Planet founders travelled overland to Australia in the 1970s.
The 18-year-old heard the tale during a family holiday in Turkey two years ago, and the challenge stuck with him.
“Knowing I was taking a year out when I finished school, and that the Ashes were down under that winter, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to do such a challenge,” he said.
To make his journey even more memorable, Tommy set himself an extra goal: to play cricket in every country he passed through.
“I felt it was a great way to connect with locals and force me out of my comfort zone,” he said.
“Even when I’m only in a place for 24 hours, I have to go out and talk to loads of different people. I know I’ll get rejected a few times and look a bit mental, but that’s all part of the fun.”
He has already hit balls in front of stunning scenery in rural Albania, played with a Mullah in Iran who bowled him a beamer, and enjoyed games with impressive city backdrops in places like Chongqing in China.
But Tommy’s adventure has also had some frightening moments.
While travelling through Vietnam he was involved in a serious motorbike crash, leaving him with a fractured skull, a broken nose and multiple cuts and bruises.
Tommy, of Manchester also told Need To Know: “I don’t remember anything at all, not before nor after.
“I’ve only been told I suddenly drove off the road and hit a metal pole.
“Despite the injuries I’m recovering well and should be good to continue my journey just under two weeks after the crash.”
He spent days recovering alone in a foreign hospital and hotel, calling it a real mental challenge of boredom and solitude.
Other surreal situations have included wild camping in a cave in Iran surrounded by howling dogs and hitchhiking to the Armenian border.
He also spent three days travelling with a police and military escort through Pakistan’s Balochistan region, where foreigners are not allowed to travel independently.
His family’s reactions were mixed.
“My dad was excited, jealous even,” Tommy said. “My mum was nervous, and my older brother thought I was overconfident. But I’m lucky they supported me.”
He says reaching Australia would be the ultimate achievement.
“It would be an immensely proud moment. I’ve always dreamt of watching England play an Ashes series down under, and to get there in this way would no doubt be the proudest achievement of my life.
“The aim was to prove that people everywhere are helpful and kind, and that things always work out one way or another.
“If I complete this trip, I’ll have proved that to myself more than anyone.”
