FRENCH cricket normally conjures up images of playground games, where the batsman stands square on with the bat in front of his legs.

But Worcestershire and Herefordshire had a taste of French cricket proper style last week.

France U19s took on King's School Worcester, Malvern College and Herefordshire U21s in a short tour.

The tour formed part of the French side's warm-up for the European qualifying competition for the U19 World Cup, which takes place in Holland later this month.

France is one of a number of emerging cricketing nations in Europe, and two squad members are students at Malvern College and are regulars in their first team.

Both are all-rounders. Arun Ayyavooraju, aged 16, lives in Paris and is totally French although his family originates from India, while Charles-Henri Daffern lives in Ledbury but has a French mother and holds a French passport.

The French side beat King's and Malvern College -- Ayya-vooraju scoring a century against the latter -- but lost to Herefordshire at Colwall.

The pair have made a big impact at Malvern College, whose cricket professional Roger Tolchard said: "These two have come into a side that four years ago won the Lord's Taverners Trophy at Trent Bridge and this year we have had one of our best seasons ever -- we have won 11 matches and lost only one."