Teenage Southern Premier League cricketer Ben Attrill is stranded in Australia following travel lockdowns caused by the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic.
The Lymington spin all-rounder has spent the past winter months playing in Albany in south Western Australia – but is currently unable to get a passage back to the UK due to flight cancellations.
Attrill, left, who lives at Sandown on the Isle of Wight and made several useful contributions skippering the IWCB youth side last summer, flew to WA last October to play club cricket for Denmark, who lost all 15 matches and finished bottom of the log.
He played his final game for the club on March 7. He is due to go to Oxford Brookes University next autumn.
Ben is among a number of Islanders unable to find flights, and battling soaring prices and sudden cancellations. In Ben’s case, he must find a connecting flight to a halfway point, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and fly to the UK from there.
A campaign is underway, involving Ben and a number of other UK citizens in Australia, calling for the government to put on an official repatriation flight.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO] have said: "We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
"The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK. The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen. Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad."
The Lymington spin all-rounder has spent the past winter months playing in Albany in south Western Australia – but is currently unable to get a passage back to the UK due to flight cancellations.
Attrill, left, who lives at Sandown on the Isle of Wight and made several useful contributions skippering the IWCB youth side last summer, flew to WA last October to play club cricket for Denmark, who lost all 15 matches and finished bottom of the log.
He played his final game for the club on March 7. He is due to go to Oxford Brookes University next autumn.
Ben is among a number of Islanders unable to find flights, and battling soaring prices and sudden cancellations. In Ben’s case, he must find a connecting flight to a halfway point, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and fly to the UK from there.
A campaign is underway, involving Ben and a number of other UK citizens in Australia, calling for the government to put on an official repatriation flight.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO] have said: "We recognise British tourists abroad are finding it difficult to return to the UK because of the unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions that are being introduced around the world – often with very little or no notice.
"The FCO is working around the clock to support British travellers in this situation to allow them to come back to the UK. The Government is seeking to keep key transit routes open as long as possible and is in touch with international partners and the airline industry to make this happen. Consular staff are supporting those with urgent need while providing travel advice and support to those still abroad."
