FORMER England cricketers turned golfers for the day to raise money for an Oxford school cricket team to go on tour.

Test Match cricketers Owais Shah and Jon Lewis, along with Sussex first class cricketer Carl Hopkinson joined with pupils from Magdalen College yesterday to play a round at Southfield Gold Club, in Hill Top Road.

The event was to raise funds for the school’s teams to go on a cricket tour to Sri Lanka next year.

The pupils and sports starts also raised cash for charity Foundation of Goodness, which works to rebuild the lives of some 25,000 people in and around the areas hardest hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The golfing day was followed by a special dinner and silent auction at the school in the evening.

Magdalen College School head cricket coach Alan Duncan said: “The tour will be a great opportunity to help our senior cricketers develop, to broaden their horizons and to get the opportunity to give something back to the Sri Lankan locals.

“It is a fantastic opportunity and the boys are already very excited.”