The Stats

Hello again everyone

Well done to all in their exam results - here are the stats from the tour.
Click the image to enlarge

The full stats are here: St Lucia Tour Statistics

A huge thanks goes to our Tour Liaison Mr Roland Cox for the preparation of these statistics - an excellent record of the matches we played in St Lucia.

As we prepare to return to school next week, the tour seems a little while ago now, but we all have treasured memories of our visit to St Lucia and I hope it not too long before we return there.

All the best
MF

Homeward Bound

We said our last goodbyes to the outstanding staff at the Bay Gardens Inn - their hospitality, friendliness and desire to help in every way has been a big part of the success of this tour. We head for the airport in a few minutes and we shall be sorry to leave St Lucia behind. It is a shame that we couldn't end the tour on a total high with another game at Beausejour, but the boys have had a fantastic experience - thank you to each and every one of you for your company and for the superb way you have conducted yourselves. Watch out for the full photo collection appearing on Facebook! Enjoy the rest of your summer and see you all on the Results Days
MF & IAW

Last day

Unfortunately, as we feared, the weather has put paid to our final game as well. The boys are understandably gutted, but we just have to accept the situation. So that the day wasn't a total write off, we blew the last of the kitty on a repeat Jeep Safari. This time we visited the famous Sulphur Springs in the collapsed volcano (caldera) above Soufrieres, enjoying the (allegedly!) medicinal stink of sulphur and watching other less sane mortals bathing in the hot springs and rubbing mud all over themselves!

We followed this with a trip to a bigger waterfall than Monday where the boys wasted no time jumping in and posing for photos!

A superb lunch followed - the boys are developing quite a taste for plantain and cooked green banana!
A final game of beach cricket with the locals and then it was back to the hotel for the team and presentation evening.

Mr Fitzsimons ad Mr Wolfenden presented certificates for achievements on tour, Phil the Fine-meister made his awards and Captain Jordan made a fine speech and presented the staff with gifts from the squad. We also presented Roland Cox with some QEGS memorabilia to thank him for all his efforts on our behalf in difficult circumstances.

A few Pitons were consumed in a most companionable evening around the pool, before retiring tired but happy at the end of an excellent week in St Lucia.

Rain rain go away!

We awoke to a thunderstorm and more torrential rain - therefore it was no surprise that unfortunately the match today has had to be cancelled.

We made the best of it as the day gradually brightened, playing the newly invented game of swimming-pool cricket, shopping and relaxing on the beach.

We hope our match with the St Lucia women can still go ahead tomorrow ...

Water water everywhere!

Our skipper Wendell and first mate Errol collected us at Rodney Bay Marina and we set sail down the western coast of St Lucia. It was not long before we ran into an almighty rain storm and we were all soaked through long before the swimming stop!

The water was nice and warm when we eventually hauled anchor in a quiet bay for a swim and some exploration of the beach; stunning waterfalls and volcanic black sand being some of the features of this beautiful coastline.

Then it was further south to Soufrieres (Soo-fray) and a delicious buffet lunch of fish stew, chicken, lamb curry, pasta, vegetables, bread fruit, plantain, banana fritters - all local specialities.

Snorkelling was next, and although the water was not as clear as it might have been after the rain and with the dull sky, there was still plenty of fish and different types of coral to enjoy.

The journey back north took us through an even more intense rainstorm but the lads stayed on deck and sang lustily throughout the deluge!

A short detour into Marigot Bay allowed us to admire the homes of the rich and famous (who's Chuck Norris??!) and apparently this picturesque spot was once popular as a movie location too (Doctor Doolitle, The Blue Lagoon)

Our first mate Errol caught a snapper off the back of the boat, but just after this picture was taken he slipped and dropped it back unharmed into the sea - much to the delight of some of the QEGS anti-hunting league in the middle of the boat!


We pulled into the Marina at dusk, having had a good day despite the weather. This is a great day out for tourists in the Caribbean and Mystic Man Tours did us proud today - our thanks to Wendell, Errol and Caroline for their hospitality and friendly management of the day.

Pizza seemed to be the popular choice for dinner tonight and the local Domino's Pizza was kept busy supplying hungry cricket tourists. We hope that our matches on Friday and Saturday will be able to go ahead, but we shall have to wait and see!

Defeat :o(

Our joy at yesterday's epic victory was short-lived as we were well beaten at Gros Islet (pronounced Groze-ee-lay) today. We won the toss and put them into bat having agreed upon 35 overs per side. We didn't agree upon a 'free hit' after a front foot no-ball, or to a limit of 7 overs per bowler, much to our captain's later chagrin!

Gros Islet batted first and scored 195-6 in their 35 overs ... a few dropped catches and 36 wides(!) left us wondering what might have been! They were a good side, with several players who represent the St Lucia national side. QEGS stuck at their task well in blistering heat and were more than ready for lunch when it came.
The highlights from our bowling figures were: Braithwaite 3-0-21-2, A Smith 1-0-13-1, Busby 5-1-18-1, Sleightholme 7-0-20-1, Hawley 5-0-29-1.

The afternoon was hard going too, as Gros Islet proved as handy with the ball as with the bat: we were all out for 90 in 24 overs - the national U15 captain taking 4-18 in 4.4 with devastating leg spin. Busby 29, Sleightholme 12, Braithwaite 11, Hawley 8. We need to come forward to the ball more was the assessment of Mr Cox, watching the game.
The earlier finish meant a bonus trip to the beach however, where the banana boat was popular ride for the staff and some of the boys! Everyone is looking forward to the catamaran trip tomorrow and the spirit in the camp is good, despite the defeat today.

Victory!

We played our second match today - and we won! The boys were very impressed with Beausejour - we arrived early and had some time to look around and take it all in. It was wonderful experience to be able to play in such a fantastic stadium.

We won the toss and elected to field, having agreed to play a 40 over match. Our opponents Anse-la-Raye lacked depth in their batting order, but their captain made an excellent 60 before being caught on the boundary by Sleightholme off Brown. The extras count was too high again (35 wides!) and Anse-la-Raye managed 148 all out off 39.2 overs.

The conditions were once more very testing, with temperatures above 30 degrees in the shade, and the boys kept their discipline and work rate up throughout the innings. Lunch was more than welcome, with excellent sandwiches and the all important very cold water!

Our innings began fairly disastrously, with us sinking to 20-4 off the first six overs, before Sleightholme and Hogan steadied the ship with an excellent partnership of 63 for the fifth wicket. Some good bowling and questionable strokes brought us to 142-9 (including their 35 wides!), leading to a tense finish. As Mr Cox reminded us, the West Indies once required 1 run to win with 3 wickets standing ... and lost the match! But it was our day and Ben James and a limping Sam Hulley saw us home safely in 29.3 overs. Every member of the touring party was able either to bat or to bowl today so it was a real team effort!

Our special thanks must go to Messrs Shaw, Busby and Knowles - fathers of Liam, Nick and Richard - for their invaluable contributions to umpiring the match after the official umpire was taken ill before the start of the game ... we are very grateful for your efforts in such hot weather. Mr Busby also helped Mr Fitzsimons to develop his new-found scoring skills further so a big 'thank you' there too!

A quiet night in with another match tomorrow against local side Gros Islet, with perhaps a gentle game of water-polo in the pool to let off steam?! And great news - Mr Cox has managed to arrange that our last two tour matches will both be played at the wonderful Beausejour Stadium, with Saturday's game being against the St Lucia ladies national side! We saw the ladies practising in the nets today and they looked formidable - the boys can't wait for that one!!!

Jeep Safari!

The Jeeps came for us after breakfast and, having made sure we had plenty of water in the cool boxes, we headed for the jungle!

The man in the picture below is Chris, one of our hilarious and very knowledgeable guides for the morning. We had a fantastic tour up into the mountains which form the central part of St Lucia - the first stop-off was a 'fruit stop' was most welcome where we sampled the many fruits indigenous to St Lucia ... from green coconuts to mangoes, and from breadfruit to starfruit (or 'five fingers' as the locals call it). Delicious. The main fruit in the island is course bananas, and Chris explained how they grow and how the fair trade system works. We visited the largest plantation on the island, and Chris pointed out the Sainbury's sign - all the bananas from St Lucia end up in their stores back home.
Then it was further up into the mountains to find the waterfall. A short trek took us up to a beautiful natural rockpool where it was milliseconds before the flip flops were off and the lads were in!
We then journeyed to Anse-la-Raye on the coast, minding to duck as we passed trees bending down over the road, where we stopped for refreshments and a restroom break. The journey continued back along the coast, Chris all the while regaling us with tales and facts about his beloved St Lucia: an outstanding morning.

The afternoon has been spent relaxing around this excellent hotel, or at the beach and we will have a team meal this evening before an early night in preparation for the next match tomorrow. The tour couldn't be going better and everyone is having an excellent time.

Our first match ...

Today we played our first match on tour. Unfortunately we lost by 5 wickets, but the experience was valuable and memorable for all of the boys in many respects. The cricket field was unlike any they had previously encountered - slow outfield (long long grass!), boundaries marked by ravines, with goats and cows grazing on (and occasionally inside) the boundary!

As the picture shows, facilities were basic, but the welcome from the Choiseul Club was genuine. We batted first and, while the run rate could at times have been higher, we eventually managed 149-6 in our 35 overs (Sleightholme 34, Hoyle 22, Busby 15, Hulley 13 not out).

We had lunch in the local school and we were all struck by how different it was from QEGS. Without wishing to patronise, it is clear that many people on this island don't have much in the way of money or possessions; but it is also clear that St Lucians are a proud and happy people who have welcomed us warmly and genuinely wherever we have encountered them.

Then it was our turn to field. The very first ball was dispatched for 6 runs into the aforementioned ravine and it was clear that we would have to work very hard in order to win this game! Drinks breaks couldn't come quickly enough as the temperature soared to well into the 30s, but our lads stuck at their task in a most creditable fashion. Choiseul batted well, with one of their opening batsmen getting 61 not out, and they knocked off the total for 5 wickets in 26.4 overs. (Braithwaite 5-0-19-1, Hawley 5-0-6-1, Brown 3-0-8-1, Busby 5-0-24-1). All members of the squad were involved in this game, either batting or bowling, and we will look to keep this up as much as possible for the rest of the tour.

Mr Fitzsimons got to practise his newly-learned scoring skills under the tutelage of the master Mr Cox, while he almost got to grips with the advanced 'linear' scoring system - he might need a few more lessons yet! And thanks also to Mr Busby for his help with scoring today.

The long journey back to the hotel (the island is only 27 miles long, but the roads are much longer!) was broken up with a spirited (and mostly clean) singalong and we arrived back pretty much exhausted. Tomorrow is a 'rest day' and we are heading out to explore some more of St Lucia in a Jeep Safari. Despite the loss today, the camp is in good spirits and we are determined to make amends in our next match, which has been confirmed for Tuesday at the Beausejour Test Ground.

Let's hit the beach!

Firstly, let me apologise for the relative paucity of material for the Blog so far - a hectic schedule and patchy connectivity have made getting the details of our adventures actually posted quite tricky!

But I'm here now ...
A good night's rest was more than welcome after a long day travelling yesterday ... as was the excellent breakfast offered by our ever more impressive hosts at the Bay Gardens Inn. The proposed training session was called off due to lack of available facilities (there is a representative U19 tournament going on here that was switched from another island at the last minute). There was little opposition from the boys, however, and once we had sampled the pool and visited the supermarket, it was time to hit the beach! A short walk to our sister hotel at the Bay Gardens Resort was rewarded with beautiful golden sands and calm clear waters for swimming. Despite the lack of training session, it was not long before some beach cricket broke out, involving some of the local populace.

We returned to our own hotel in the late afternoon, where our liaison Mr Roland Cox gave a Masterclass on Cricket scoring - he was, after all, the Official Statistician for the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup! He has offered use his own system to score in our first match tomorrow and demonstrate how it is vastly superior to the traditional cricket score book! Watch this space ...

It is Tim Brathwaite's birthday today and after a satisfying, if rather slow, meal at Tequila Joe's, we regaled all within earshot with a sensitive rendition of Happy Birthday! Tim enjoyed his cake.

We all opted for a relatively early night in preparation for our first Tour Match in the morning - versus Choiseul at Piaye in the far south of St Lucia ... only 21 miles long, but it takes some 2 hours to traverse its length! Should be interesting in this heat!!