England's Visually Impaired Cricket Team has delivered a glowing endorsement of La Manga Club after becoming the first England Cricket Board (ECB) representative side to experience the five-star sports and leisure facilities on offer at the Spanish resort.

The 20-man squad headed out to the award-winning venue in Murcia, south-east Spain, for a four-day warm weather training camp this month where they were worked on all aspects of the game under the watchful eye of head coach Ross Hunter. 

As well as using La Manga Club's extensive facilities to practice their batting, bowling and fielding skills, the team was also able to make the most of their time in the Spanish sun to play a full 40-over match under one-day international rules.

Hunter believes the trip will prove invaluable to his squad over the coming months and revealed that he wouldn't hesitate to recommend the resort to other ECB teams interested in holding similar warm weather camps in the future.

He said: "This was the first time that the VI squad has used La Manga Club and I would definitely consider going back. The squad were really positive about their experience and felt it added value to their games.

"La Manga Club has the reputation of being a high-performance sports complex and provided the climate we needed to train longer outside. It was 27⁰C when we were there which beats UK temperatures for mid-October by some margin.

"The resort was impressive and ideal for our needs. It provided quality cricket facilities with two astro turf pitches and pro standard outfields plus four full-length nets, a high-performance gym, recovery and swimming facilities and numerous other options for downtime such as golf and tennis.

"The squad completed skills testing on batting, bowling and fielding but the main aim was to get some game time. They played a full 40-over match under ODI rules. They also had high repetition skills work using the nets.

"I would definitely recommend the facilities for other squads. It was a great experience for the players both on and off the pitch."

England's Visually-Impaired side is the latest team to take advantage of the first-class facilities that make La Manga Club the premier sports and leisure destination in Europe.

County and international teams regularly use the award-winning venue as a warm-weather training base, and the addition of the two regulation club turf pitches and four full-length nets has helped to cement the resort's standing as the 'home of cricket in Spain'.

Boasting an average 300 days' sun a year, the Mediterranean climate makes it possible to train outdoors in the sunshine all-year round and La Manga Club also stages a series of popular Cricket España junior cricket academies during school holidays.

La Manga Club's outstanding sports facilities are just part of the overall attraction of Europe's number one sport and leisure resort. Three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa complex are just some of the facilities on offer in addition to more than 20 restaurants and bars and a five-star hotel.

For more information on packages for cricket teams at La Manga Club visit www.lamangaclub.com, call 00 34 968 33 1234, or email chad.harpur@lamangaclub.com

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For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.