The opportunity to give back to the game he loves was an offer Delray Rawlins just could not refuse.

The 21-year-old Sussex all-rounder took advantage of an invitation to offer advice and share his experiences as a professional cricketer with students at Whitney Institute Middle School on Monday.

“The game doesn’t owe me anything; I owe it to the game now, so it’s nice to share knowledge and experience about my journey with some of the young boys and girls,” Rawlins said.

“I hope Monday’s talk was productive for most, if not all of the children. I just wanted to pass on some insight to my life and some of the things I’ve learnt along the way.”

Clay Smith, the former Bermuda captain and coach, who teaches at Whitney, said the students were very receptive to the information Rawlins shared.

“Delray shared a lot of valuable information with the children who were very receptive and listened attentively and asked questions,” Smith said.

“I thought it would be an awesome opportunity for the children to, not only learn from a professional, but also get to talk to him. He shared with them what a typical day as a professional is like and what type of work ethic it takes.”

Rawlins, a left-handed batsman and slow left-arm bowler, signed an initial contract with Sussex in October 2016 which has been extended twice to keep him at the club until at least the end of 2019.

He helped Sussex win the Second XI Twenty20 championships in 2017 and was a member of the Sussex Sharks squad which finished runners-up in the Vitality Blast Twenty20 last summer.

The former Warwick Workmen’s Club, PHC and Bailey’s Bay player has also represented England at the under-19 level, scoring two centuries and as many half-centuries during a tour of India last year.

Rawlins has also had a spell Down Under playing with Sydney Cricket Club in the New South Wales Premier League.

He will have another opportunity to share his knowledge with local youngsters during a camp at Whitney over the weekends of December 1 and 2 and December 8 and 9.

“Myself and Clay decided it will be something nice to do for those youngsters interested in cricket,” Rawlins added.

“Because there isn’t much going on here in the winter, cricket-wise, it’ll be nice for them to get out and have some fun playing the sport.”

For more details on the cricket camp contact 595-0707 or e-mail claysmith60@hotmail.com