Extra time ??

We had planned to go up Table Mountain on the final day and then to go to the Waterfront to shop. This now changed for two reasons, our extra time in Cape Town and the fact that the mountain was in cloud and it was drizzling. So after breakfast we had a gentle clear up and we bid farewell ( not too fond a farewell ) to Jan van Riebeck's boarding hostel. Its facilities were somewhat run down three years ago and the fact that nothing had been done in the intervening years gave the place a sad look. It had suited our purpose for the final 5 days as effectively all we did was to sleep and eat breakfast there but the prospect of an additional two days there was not an option, especially as many of the side had been bitten by insects during the night and therefore not slept well!

As an alternative to Table Mountain ( expecting to do that on one of the two additional days ) a tour of Newlands - the Test Match ground in Cape Town - was arranged. The team seemed to enjoy that a lot. After lunch we moved into our recently booked hotel for the next two nights.

With the internet access in the hotel and following info from Henlo our driver that Heathrow was opening its second runway JGB consulted SAA's website. This indicated that the flight on which we were originally booked was flying. Our agents in London said no - so undaunted JGB phoned the SAA help line which also by way of recorded message said the flight was going. London said it would check with SAA but thought this was out of date news. The hotel desk gave JGB a number of direct numbers for Cape Town airport and after a couple of tries JGB spoke to an agent of SAA who confirmed that the flight would depart that evening and that we had 20 seats booked on the plane. As this was being confirmed London sent a text saying phone urgently! They had finally been given the same news.

The time by this stage was 15.45 and the plane flew at 20.20 so time was very short. All the unpacking that had just been done had to be reversed quickly and after the shortest stop at a hotel ever, barely 3 hours after checking in the team was back on the coach en route for the airport.

There was a bit of hassle checking in as their computers showed that the original booking had been rescheduled for the 24th. This was soon overcome and the team flew from Cape Town at the time originally scheduled.

Thus a great tour ended, Whilst not the best in terms of results, given the two mis matches in Namibia the overall performance was actually most encouraging. Many younger players came through and showed their potential and for all their cricket will have improved as a result of the experience. The batting remained a little too brittle but the future bowling looks to be in safe ( if young ) hands and it is is a great basis for the future.

The team is to be commended for the way in which it played its cricket - always within the spirit of the game and that is most encouraging. The team was also an excellent advert for Bancroft's and for Bancroftians in general. So many people, opposition parents and umpires, people who simply came across the team and indeed opponents commended the team for their general attitude and behaviour as well as for their maturity.

They were a credit to the school and a great pleasure to take away.

All photos for the trip will be posted on the pupils' drive of the computer system early next term. I assume all will be able to gain access and take any photos that they want. If there are any problems do let me know.


"Blogger" Bromfield

Tuesday 21st - Nigel finally scores!

The final match was at St Augustines, a club founded in 1899 and one of the oldest in Cape Town and the club where Basil d'Oliveria played his early cricket before coming to England and playing for England and in 1969 being a significant issue that led to the sporting isolation of South Africa.

Bancroft's batted first and saw an opening partnership of 179 between Nigel Jacob and Tom Hartington. Nigel anxious as ever about emulating his hero Sachin Tendulkar deciding that as Tendulkar had just scored a century in the India v South Africa test match he had better do the same and in so doing more than double his run count for the tour. His 101 and Tom's excellent 82 ( he was finally bowled through sheer exhaustion in the heat!) were the foundation of Bancroft's 259 for 5 in 45 overs. In reply St Augustine's managed 162 all out - Neville Jacob taking 4 for 45 off 9 overs and Nigel Jacob 3 for 20 off 5. The St Augustine's team did not play their spin well.

During their innings we had the news that our flight for Wednesday had been cancelled. JGB spent some time on the phonbe to have this confirmed and also the fact that we would be travelling home on Christmas Eve with an early Christmas Day arrival. The tour company in London quickly arranged hotel accommodation for the two additional nights and also booked a coach for our use. The Bursar's office set about advising parents and rescheduling our coach pick up at Heathrow.

Any initial disappointment from the team soon disappeared at the thought of an additional two days in Cape Town!

That evening the planned final meal for the tour took place at Nelson's Eye restaurant, one of the premier steakhouses in Cape Town. All ate a large meal but the prize goes to Dan Willoughby for his successful demolition of a 650 gram rump steak! It was quite a feat and sight!

Another good win.

Monday dawned - another sunny day but there was the benefit today of the Cape Town Doctor ( not Sabu Jacob, but the local name for the wind!!) so whilst hot the wind had a cooling effect and meant that we did not suffer the exhausting oppressive heat and humidity of the day before. We played against Avendale, old friends. Avenale is an excellent club with a number of sides doing a tremendous job in a very deprived area - its main problem is simply a lack of cash and the fact that its facilities are in a public park and they suffer from the locals using their field as a footpath, a dog walking area etc etc. Their enthusiasm for the game is infectious and the importance that they attached to the game was shown by the fact that the entire club hierarchy tuned out to watch.

Avendale u 19s are a strong side and they had only lost twice so far this season. They got off to a promising start but the best disciplined bowling by the Bancroft's attack on the tour so far bowled them out for 153, a slightly below par score on a difficult pitch with some uneven bounce. This was particularly encouraging because the team selected was probably the youngest combination we could field. Yusuf bowled very well with little luck taking 1 for 26 from 9 overs, Neville Jacob also unlucky with 0 for 28 off 9. Matt Tann, 2 for 28 off 8 and Samraj Sadra, 2 for 11 off 7.1 were very effective and Matt Reid Evans bowled well to mop up the tail with 4 for 36 off 8. Bancroft's reply started poorly loosing Matt Reid Evans and Nigel Jacob cheaply but a good stand between Neville Jacob and Tom Hartington (21) saw the score progress well. Neville was then well supported by Matt Tann ( 16) and Dan Willoughby ( 12) and he saw the side home to victory off 38 overs by 5 wickets, Neville scoring 61 not out. This was also after the early loss a very determined and disciplined display of batting on what was never an easy pitch and gave the management considerably more confidence in the future! After the game Avendale looked after us well and a number of presentations were made including one to Roly Abrahams, JGB's good friend) who has organised all our games in Cape Town.

Tuesday proved another hot day as we set off early to catch the boat to Robben Island. Some of the team needing considerable encouragement to get up a bit earlier!! We were lucky because for the trip over the wind had abated a bit and the crossing was smooth. A guided tour of the island started the visit, our guide being excellent pointing out the importance of the history of the island for South Africans. We then had a tour of the prison in which so many including Nelson Mandela were imprisoned for offences against the Apartheid Regime. Our guide was a former political prisoner who certainly made the team think and all seem moved by the experience. Our trip back was more bumpy as the wind speed had increased a bit but most of the team enjoyed the catamaran ride on the top deck in the wind. We then went along the coast through the wealthy resorts of Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno to Hout Bay where some time was taken to unwind - the team enjoying an outing on the beach!!

We are keeping an eye on the weather back home and flights...hence this unscheduled visit to an internet cafe. As this is typed we seem to be OK - the SAA flights to and from Cape Town to Heathrow are flying today and are scheduled tomorrow. As long as tomorrow night's flight sets off it will be here to fly us home on Wednesday.

Victory at last in Rahul's match!

Dawn broke over Cape Town with unbroken sunshine - not a cloud in the sky and it was warm! After breakfast at the hostel - not quite what we were used to in our hotels but perfectly adequate we set off for Western Province CC which was build with money from the sale of Newlands Cricket Ground ( minus the pavilion ) to Cricket SA. It is a beautiful ground with the most magnificent backdrop of Table mountain. We arrived to find a young side opposing us but it was full of good cricketers and when we had lost 6 wickets for 100 runs and we were in the 28 over of a 40 over match we did not look like posting a good score - again some loose shots were our undoing although Neville Jacob and Tyrone Behari were undone by a couple of poor umpiring decisions by the opponents umpire. Enter Yusuf Sohoye to join Rahul Patel. In the next 12 overs the score advanced to 218 for 6 - Rahul was at his belligerent best and Yusf was an excellent foil pushing ones and staying thereon 111 not out - his forst tone for the score - Yusuf had patiently amassed 18!

The young Western Province side struggled against the bowling - Yusuf and Matt reid Evnas took 3 wickets each and Rahul, to complete his match, took two excellent catches. They were dismissed for 59 runs and Bancroft's won by 159 runs - at last a worthy victory and the effect on the cricketing morale of the side was obvious, general morale has been excellent throughout the trip! The earlyish finish led to an evening in the Waterfront, hence this post from an internet cafe!! We thought about going up Table Mountain, but sadly there was not enough time as the coach driver would have turned into a pumpkin before our return as we have only have the coach until 6.30 each day whilst in Cape Town.

We were delighted to welcome OB Ian Fletcher who now lives in SA to the game - it was good to meet up with him again and to talk about the school and for him to witness such a good game.

Cape Town and sunshine at last!!!!

We travelled the 45 miles from Houw Hoek to Cape Town this morning. En route at the viewing point on top of the Sir Lowry's pass we stopped to view False Bay and Table Mountain in the distance - many photos were taken and some gifts bought from the street marketeers there. Unlike 3 years ago when Visakan was chased around the car park by a baboon there were none there today - they must have known that Visakan was not coming. Our route took us along the N2 highway through the Cape Flats where on the left the main informal settlements, Khayalisha, Crossroads and Guguletho could be seen. In these it is estimated that 7m people now live, most of whom are not South Africans but migrants from the rest of sub Saharan Africa. For the tourists it was an eye openers as they witnessed literally thousands of makeshift huts on postage stamp size plots all almost on top of one another - electricity is now supplied and basic sanitation provided but it is an enormous problem for the city of Cape Town for which there is no obvious solution. We rounded the northern end of Table Mountain to get the view of Table Bay for the first time and made our way to the hostel where we are staying. it is in a beautiful location on the side of Signal Hill right at the side of Table Mountain and close to the Cableway. The views are stunning both of the Mountain and of the bay.

The great plus today is that the wind has dropped and we have wall to wall sunshine and the weather forecast is that it is set fair for the rest of the trip which is great news.

Having settled in the coach decided that after yesterday's display an extend3ed fielding session was called for and so this was held on the hostel's rugby pitch - the temperature was approaching that of Namibia but the sea breeze was most refreshing. After lunch the team has come to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront - the heart of modern Cape Town - where they are having an extended look at the shops for souvenirs and presents and then will have their evening meal. This blog is being typed at an internet cafe on the Waterfront because, as expected, there is no internet at the hostel but there is supersport satellite TV so cricket can be watched much to the delight of Nigel Jacob as he is desperate to see his hero Sachin Tendulkar in action in the current test between SA and India being played at Centurion, Pretoria, sadly India are currently well behind in that test, much more so than England are after day two of the Perth test. Maybe England can pull another rabbit out of the hat tomorrow - let's hope so.

Tomorrow we play at the beautiful Western Province Cricket Club, and Sunday at Avendale. Let us hope that with the sun that has been forecast with temperatures hitting 30 degrees we can raise the standard of cricket. We certainly have worked at it hard enough.

Not sure when next there will be a blog.

Houw Hoek and Hermanus

Wednesday was spent travelling. Having left Knysna at 9.00 we travelled along the Garden Route via the "Lake District" of South Africa centred on Wilderness. We broke the journey at Mossel Bay, one of the major ports along the south coast of Africa and then took lunch at Svellendam. We arrived at the Houw Hoek inn on the top of the Houw Hoek Pass ( 400 metres at its height ) at 4 pm. After settling inn the team played a variety of sports including crazy golf and volleyball, the obvious preparations for the next game of cricket!!! Dinner was taken as a team in the hotel dining room. Sadly the sun did not shine all day - we really have not struck it lucky in that department.

Thursday dawned and guess what - it was raining. At breakfast we considered what we might do 0n another rained off day, however during breakfast we had a phone call from our on the spot pitch expert, no not Sir Ian Botham and the Sky Sports team, but Sabu Jacob who was staying with his wife in Hermanus. He had been out the night before to the ground and reported that it was well covered and that at the time it was not raining in Hermanus! So we set off in a positive frame of mind!

Well we lost the toss, were inserted and were 1 for 1 at the end of the first over, Alex Stroud knicking the ball to the keeper! However a stand of 80 between Tom Hartington and Rishabh Shah steadied the side. Rishabh scored a fine 78 but his departure in the 26th over with the score at 125 marked a turning point. Inthujan Tankarajah struggled to push the score along, Matt Reid Evans tried to clip his 4th ball over mid wicket only to lose his off stump and Sachin Modi was "triggered" first ball by the opposition's umpire, however Dan Willoughby scored a good 25. We finally limped to 204 all out off 2 42 overs, probably about 20 or 30 short of a par score - however overall it was a better batting effort. The opposition batted sensibly but wickets fell and Matt Reid Evans 3 for 38 off 9 overs was the first time on tour that a bowler had given nus control of the game. However throughout we were being let down by some very poor fielding indeed with some players looking like u 12s rather than 1st team players. 3 dropped catches including the player who eventually scored 45 not out and steered them to victory, plus several singles that should have not been and twos that should have been ones slowly helped them increase the run rate. After 42 overs ( a 45 over match) they were 187 for 7 and really we should have won the game - Samraj Sadra bowled a particularly good final spell from one end - his final figures of 27 runs from 9 overs did him credit. However a couple of well judged hits including a 6 when there top scorer hit high to long on where Tyrone Behari took a good catch only to step back over the boundary saw them home with two balls to spare. It was an exciting match but one we should have won and in which one or two players showed that they still have a lot to learn and indeed to prove.

We move on in the morning to Cape Town, about two hours drive away for the final 5 nights - we cannot believe the trip has gone so fast and that Cape town beckons. We have three matches to play and plenty to prove - let's hope we can prove it

Blog posts may become a little infrequent as we do not think there is any Internet connection in our accommodation - we may have to rely on Internet Cafes - if anyone is reading please keep looking and we will do our best.

Woodrdge match and farewell to the Head.

Rishabh's ton part one

Knysna - half way point of tour.

Having bid a fond farewell to all our friends at Woodridge ( in the rain again!) we boarded our charter coach from Cape Town which will be with us now until our departure home. Our driver Henlou seems quite a cheerful chappy and everything is " 100 per cent" !!

Driving west now on the N2 all the way to Cape Town we first passed Jeffreys Bay, the surf capital of South Africa and there the clouds finally broke ( about 20 miles west of Woodridge) and we had sunshine the rest of the day meaning that we had good views of the beautiful garden route. We stopped for a break at the Storms river gorge where many photos were taken from the bridge and then drove slowly over the highest bungee jump in the world, not for the faint hearted!

Having checked into the hotel at Knysna Quays we were met by old friend Keith Cretchley who . runs the Knysna Sports School who led the coach to the ground - a new one for us . It is in a beautiful spot about 10 miles from Knysna - it is reminiscent of an English village ground! Keith has created this new ground from nothing.

His XI was a mixture of players who were either current or former members of the Sports school, three of whom were in the provincial side for their age group, but the team overall seemed to be a much more appropriate match for us. Bancroft's batted first against an attack which was very similar to that we would encounter on the school circuit on a greenish wicket where the ball did a little early on. Progress was slow and at 20 overs ( it was a 35 over match ) Bancroft's had reached 66 for 2 with Nigel Jacob not out 24. The loss of Nigel immediately after the drinks break at 20 overs heralded a bit of a collapse and eventually the team struggled to 111 all out, way below par against such an attack. Bancroft's young bowling attack failed to find its line and length, far too many balls were down the legside or too short and the opposition knocked off the runs in 25 overs losing only 3 wickets - two of those in the first over to Lakshman Sathananthan. Our modest total was not good enough and our bowling not consistent enough. The side is lacking in confidence at the moment, the result of the experience they had in Namibia. There are plenty of good cricketers but they are not yet standing up to be counted. We should have done much better against the opposition which really was not, overall, the standard of 1st XIs on the school circuit.

The evening was spent at the Dry Dock restaurant in the adjacent Knysna Quays following which most of the team watch the Man U v Arsenal match in the hotel!

Tuesday morning dawned fine and the team has just returned from the boat trip on the Knysna lagoon out to the famous Knysna Heads, the site of many wrecks over the centuries! The rest of the day is free before moving on our next leg towards Cape Town tomorrow. Our next game is on Thursday at Hermanus. Let us hope that the break will encourage better cricket then.

At Woodridge. Rishabh's ton!

After the disappointment of a very wet day at Woodridge we dined out at a new local game lodge - the lodge had an excellent dining area with a panoramic window over a water hole at which the game would normally congregate. Sadly the wet weather yesterday meant that the game had no need of the water hole so apart from 4 or 5 bucks nothing was seen. However there were many trophies inside the lodge including a buffalo head and a number of photos were taken with that as a background. An excellent African meal was served - two large potjkes ( I apologies if I have not spelt the word correctly.) provided the centre piece. A potjke is a large cast iron pot in which a stew is cooked over a wooden fire. We had a chicken and a specially delicious venison potjke which was supplemented by roasted butternut squash and a corn dish which looked rather like large pieces of rice! There was also traditional African bread which is eaten with jam! For dessert trifle and ice cream were served. No one went home hungry!!

Today dawned dry, if not sunny. We had 100% cloud cover all day but at least we managed to get a game of cricket against an Old Woodridgean XI - I use the word Old loosely as most of them left the school either this month or last December! They were supplemented by an Old Bancroftian - Liam Wood - who played in his Woodford Wells shirt!! Given that Woodridge is one of the premier School sides in the Eastern Cape it was no surprise that they proved very strong. Winning the toss they batted and amassed 282 for 7 - one batsman, now a professional rugby player dominated the early batting and hit the Bancroft's attack for 103 from 25 overs! The best bowling was Matt Tann who took 3 for 47 from 8 overs. The fielding was better thanks to the cooler conditions but still has not reached the standard we expected. Unfortunately during the bowling we had a couple of injuries, Neville Jacob cut a finger quite badly trying to take a return catch whilst bowling - luckily his Dad was on hand to provide medical aid! - and Rahul Patel pulled a side muscle when bowling.

At 25 for 3 things did not look good - the early bowling was fast and good and a collapse looked imminent. Enter Rishabh Shah and Daniel Willoughby who then added 124 in 21 overs - Daniel fell for 44 after a very determined knock. Matt Tann then kept Rishabh company for some time as Rishabh kept building his score until finally after 5 excellent years in the 1st XI he reached the goal that has hitherto eluded him - a ton!!! He finished on 124 not out - a truly excellent innings which demonstrated beyond any doubt what we have all known what a tremendous batsman he is. Thanks to a quickfire 20 off 5 balls from Rahul Patel Bancroft's ended on 223 for 5, whilst short of the opposition's score it was a much better performance to build on.

We move on to Knysna tomorrow saying goodbye to our old friends at Woodridge and hope for more good cricket in the days to come. The only problem is that the weather forecast tomorrow is not too good! It may be possible to post more photos tomorrow evening.

Namibia to South Africa

The last day in Namibia saw the temperature reach new heights - during the afternoon and the second T20 match it was 40 degrees - it was no wonder that the team were wilting a bit!

After breakfast ( the usual meal feast for most of the team as it was a buffet) we set off for the ground for the two T20 matches. The opposition was waiting for us - the only problem was that the groundsman had been told a 2.00 start ( both teams were there for a 9.30 start ) and no one had told the lady with the key for the pavilion!! We eventually got started at about 11.00 against what we expected to be an u15 side - well there were pretty big u15s and one owned up to being 18 when challenged about not wearing a helmet! They were another useful unit and posted 124 in their 20 overs. Bancroft's replied with 104 thanks to an excellent partnership of 60 between Tom Hartington ( 33 ) and Matt Tann ( 24 not out) - no the others did not really trouble the scorers - a series of silly shots and some panic letting them down. The second game was further delayed as the lunches had been sent to another ground - it has to be said that the strandard of cricket has been excellent but the organisation did not match up - JGB was heard to comment about inability to organise knees ups in brewery as the standard they achieved! This match was agianst the national u19 T20 team - yet again they were strong and the heat was getting to the team - 4 days in the Namibian sun was taking its toll. The bowling failed to get a grip and the fielding weas lethargic at best - the opposition posted 191 for 2. Bsancroft's reply of 82 - 5 was disappointing as only Rishabh Shah - now off the sick list - who scored 33, Rahul Patel (16) and Daniel Willoughby (15 not out) impressed with the bat. Afet the game presentation of Bancroft's shirts were made to the team we had played 3 time sover three days and a few words were said by JGB in which he commented on the vast improvement in u 18 Namibian cricket he has seen over his three visits to the country and also the excellent spirit in which the cricket was played. The Namibian team were a delight and excellent ambasadors for their country.

Back at the hotel a fines meeting was held - an excllent way to develop team bonding and again we discussed where things had not gone right. This was followed by the third eveing meal at the hotel buffet at which one or two tourist broke new records for the amount they ate!

Friday was a day of travel - first though was the hardest part of the day - getting 17 cricketers, without their Mums to do it for them, to pack and get ready to travel. After one or two wortds of encouragement we were just about ready for our 10.00 departure once once one or two missing items were found, usually in someone else's luggage! We thenb said goodbye to the delightful staff at the Country Club and Hotel , our base throughout the stay in Namibia.

That proved to be the easist part of our departure from the country! At the airport there were scenes of some chaos! We arrived there at 11.00 for a 12.40 flight - the small check in hall was full of people checking in for a jumbo flight to Germany which had been due to depart at 10.00!! Once our gear had been checked in it was off to immigratrion where we filled in the same forms as we had on arrival and then stood in a rugby scrum to pass one of the two officials on duty just to join the queue for the one scanner available at security. Having finally achieved that we burst into the departure lounge where there wasn't a seat to be had as the passengers were still waiting for their jumbo to load!! Arriving and departing from Jo'burg was much less stressful but it was not surprising that many of the party were asleep on the flight after the tiring early part of the day! At 18.30 we touched down at Port Elizabth to be met by Criag Neave, the Headmaster and an old friend, and the Woodridge bus. After a stop en route at a Kentucky fried chicken for supper we got to Woodridge and settled into our accommodation in one of their boarding houses. It was not quite the 5 stars that the team was used to but was more than adequate.

Saturday dawned; at 7.00, so JGB reported on his return from his early morning exercise, the sun was shining and all looked set fair! A false dawn.

There were two celebrations today, one for Bancroft's, it is Matt Tann's birthday and the team sang Happy Birthday as he was given his cards brought from England, and the other for the locals around Woodridge, because at about 8.30 the clouds built up and by 9.00 it was raining heavily thus breaking one of the worst droughts they have had! As this blog is posted, it is now 1.45 local time, it is still raining and therefore our chance to get our own back on Woodridge College has been abandoned without a ball being bowled. This was all on a day when the weather forecast had been for a fine dry day - it isn't only the BBC that get the weather wrong! The boys are now contenting themselves with a game of football in the rain and some may go swimming afterwards in one of the three pools on the campus - they wont get any wetter in the water. They can then relax in the commoin room and watch satellite TV, something they all have PhDs in! This evening we are off to a local game lodge hopefully to see some game but also to have an African style evening.

Tomorrow we have a match against an invitation XI, 10 of which are Old Boys of the school of a range of ages and the 11th player is an Old Bancroftian, Liam Wood, who is at Woodridge on a gap year scheme. He met us this morning at breakfastr and he is clearly enjoying an excellent year out here. Let's hope the sun will shine.

Last evening the team enjoyed the buffet supper ( eat as much as you like!) so much that we have booked in for the remaining two nights of the stay in Windhoek. Suitably fed and after a good night's rest we expected a better display on the field today.

The match ( another 45 over game against an invitation team) started in the same way as yesterday. Stand in captain, Nigel Jacob lost the toss for a second time and returned with the immortal words, I can't believe it was heads for the second time - what are the odds on that??!!

We were in the field and as it turned out we were there for the hottest part of the day. The opposition batted with some determination and the young bowling attack - opening today were Yusuf Sohoye and Samraj Sadra - did their best against determined batting and struggled to maintain line and length. The spinners didn't bowl badly but they did not give us the control we needed and the fielding often let us down with some of the younger players losing concentration. They have not quite made the step up from their year sides - it will come in due course. The opposition score of 258 - 5 off 45 overs was a big total helped by 100 from a most impressive batsman who had played for Namibia's senior side.

Our response got off to a bad start with Nigel Jacob running out his younger brother, and a number of other top order batsman not giving the concentration needed and playing as if in an u14 game! A positive stand between Alex Stroud and Tyrone Behari doubled the scorte but in the end we failed to do ourselves justice.

Back at the hotel we spent time analysing our shortcomings and working on the positive. The benefit of the tour will not be in the purely clinical terms of results it will be from what the younger players learn and how that improves their cricket. It certainly has been a steep learning curve for them over the past two days and it has to be said that the opposition have been very strong. Tomorrow we have 2 T20 matches to look forward to and the best news is that the captain has recovered from the illness that has kept him low and has declared himself fit to play.

First Post

We arrived safely on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Windhoek, Namibia. All was well and everyone was safe. Having all unpacked and checked in to the country club hotel and after having a brief training session at Wanderers we went out to the well known Joe's Beer House in Windhoek a tradition going back many tours. The food was scrumptious and many of the boys experienced tasting foods that they haven't tasted before for example Zebra, Crocodile, Kudu and Ostrich. It was apparent that everyone was tired and shortly after the meal we were all in bed and ready for the next day's training session.

We arose early the next morning and had a decent breakfast and went to the Wanderers cricket club to start our day's training. Soon everyone gauged just how hard it would be to play cricket in South Africa and Namibia due to the demanding conditions and altitude.

After a few hours of training and many dropped catches we returned to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the day and the hot weather. Many of the boys spent their time enjoying the hotels facilities such as the pool, rooms and for some the free Internet connection!

After a few hours of relaxation we decided to have dinner at a local mall in Windhoek. The favourites among tourists were the Spur steakhouse and a very tasty Pizzeria. Having been well fed and watered we got an early night at the hotel knowing tomorrow would be a big test and our first game of the tour against a Namibian U19 Invitational XI. Unfortunately the Wanderers Cricket Club Ground was deemed unplayable for 6 weeks by the Namibian Cricket Board. However this was not too much of a hindrance as we got to play at the United Ground which supposedly had a better deck than the one at the Wanderers Ground. We arrived at the ground on time and began our pre-match warm up, unfortunately our stand in captain, Nigel Jacob, lost an important toss. After some very disciplined fast bowling from the Namibian side we found ourselves 65 for 5. Then the spinners took a strangle hold on the game bowling us all out for 109, which in all honesty was a modest total. The highlight of the innings was Richard Barrett and Lakshman Sathananthan's hard fought 10th wicket partnership of 31.

After a quick tea the boys were out on the field raring to go. After a great start from Rahul Patel who took a wicket in the 1st over the boys confidence was flying sky high and luckily for Rahul, Jeremy Bromfield was not umpiring at his end so the LBW decision did stand! Rahul was well backed up by Lakshman Sathanathan and Samraj Sadra; consequently the Namibian side found themselves 65-5 which was identical to Bancroft's 1st innings score at this point. Despite some excellent spin bowling from Matthew Reid-Evans and Neville Jacob, which was backed up well by some outstanding fielding from the Bancroft's side, the might of the Namibian lower order was true and they coasted to a 5 wicket victory. As this may be dissapointing for the boys, it was none the less a solid start to tour considering acclimatization and in particular acclimatization sickness to captain Rishabh Shah and Tyrone Behari.

A notable performance from the match was Rahul Patel's 3-20 off 6 overs.

We have another game tomorrow and the camp are looking forward to it with high spirits and anticipation!