By Jack Austin, Sportsbeat

TOM Smith has his fingers crossed for a county cricket contract with Gloucestershire after returning from the MCC Young Cricketers’ tour to Abu Dhabi.

The MCC Young Cricketers was set up to develop academy graduates who have not been offered a contract and give them the opportunity to showcase their talents against professional counties in the 2nd XI Championship and Trophy.

On the tour, the Young Cricketers played against professional counties and opened with two T20 matches against Middlesex, losing both by 51 and 11 runs respectively.

Smith, who was previously a part of Gloucestershire’s academy, went for a duck in the first match before making 20 from 22 balls in the second and 80 not out in a victory over MCCU Combined XI.

They ended the tour with a dramatic victory over Sussex in a 50-over game and Smith, 18, hopes that triumph can be a springboard for the season – possibly leading to a county contract at the end of the year.

“The tour was good,” said Smith, who benefits from the MCC investing £300,000 in the scheme each year, while they were also the first UK cricketing organisation in the country to pay female cricketers as professionals.

“It was really nice to get to know everyone and play the some top teams so it was really good from that point of view.

“To get 80 not out in the game against the Combined Unis was really good as well.

“My form was quite up and down, I got a couple of zeros and then a couple of starts and then the 80 not out so it was mixed but just good to finally get some runs.

“The Sussex match was amazing. I didn’t do well personally but to beat a first class side was brilliant.

“I’m still speaking with Gloucester so I will see how that goes but I’m just looking to get some runs and take it from there."

The MCC Young Cricketers are coached by former England international and Gloucestershire captain Mark Alleyne, with this year’s squad made up of many new faces but Smith was delighted with how they all gelled together as a group.

“We all got to know each other really well,” added Smith, who is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Sir Ian Botham – a successful former MCC graduate.

“We had some time off to go to the beach and chill out which I was happy about because when you meet each other at the airport you don’t know anyone but by the end of it we were all good mates.

“It would be hard to start the season and play games if you didn’t know anyone so two weeks away is really crucial to that.

“We also had a bit of an after-party before we flew home to England so it was really good.”

Marylebone Cricket Club’s famous Young Cricketers programme provides expert coaching, intensive playing schedules and world-class facilities to young men and women with the potential to progress to professional cricket. Notable ‘graduates’ include Sir Ian Botham, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor and England Women’s Heather Knight.