Days 11, 12 and 13, Final match for each team & journey home

 Days 11, 12 and 13, Final match for each team & journey home:

Kunal Muhambrey scores century in final 1^st XI game

              The days have flown by, and now all that is left on our trip is our last match and our long journey back to England. With the boys finally flagging on Day 11, breakfast was a slow affair, but they managed to muster their strength and leave on time for their respective fixtures. The 1^st XI would be playing at the Moratuwa De Soysa stadium, and the 2^nd XI made the short journey to the MCC Lords ground in Hikkaduwa.

              The 2^nd XI faced a strong opposition in the “FOG Academy”, and the game proved to be their most difficult challenge yet. Again, the start was delayed because of a damp square, and with no Sri Lankan super soaker on hand, it was down to the weather to harden the wicket. An hour later, the Sri Lankans had elected to bat and our boys were preparing to field. There was some classy batting from the Sri Lankans, and we soon found ourselves chasing an impressive total of 185 in 30 overs, despite Teddy Reed’s fine bowling display of line and length. Tiredness clearly began to set in, and the 2^nd XI only managed 71 all out in response, with some tricky spinners making it difficult to score runs.

MCC Lords Ground, Hikkaduwa

Sri Lankan National Anthem at MCC Lords, Hikkaduwa

              By now, we were used to the odd stray dog interrupting play, but for the first time ever in my cricket career, there was a lizard pitch invasion during the opposition’s innings. And there was more to come: later on in our innings, we discovered where the phrase “cow corner” had come from (credit to Mr A.Carney for the joke) as some cattle emerged from the jungle and onto the pitch.

Lizards everywhere!

Spot cow corner… left hand side in front of banners

              Despite losing the final fixture, the 2^nd XI had a very successful trip, and our captain, Oliver Meadows, was presented with a plaque from the FOG Academy coach.

Oliver Meadows receives plaque at MCC Lords ground, Hikkaduwa

              At the Moratuwa De Soysa stadium, the 1^st XI finished with a fine flourish, scoring 285-5 in 40 overs before bowling the opposition out for under 100. Kunal Mahambrey’s century was the highlight of the day: a most mature and impressive knock from the tour’s leading run-scorer.

Kunal Mahambrey – Centurion

              It was back to the hotel for the last time this evening. The boys had their final curry buffet (probably with some relief!) and discovered a pool table at the hotel, and then there was time to chill before bed. Some of the 1^st XI decided that they would rather be beached dolphins than cricketers, and amused themselves by inelegantly traversing the shallow end of the swimming pool.

A different sort of pool… for a change!

Auditions for the next “Flipper”

              Day 12 was upon us, and our final few hours in Sri Lanka were to be spent relaxing in the pool and by the beach at the hotel in Hikkaduwa, a far cry from the early morning starts for most of the tour. At midday, Mr Sutcliffe presented prizes to each of the teams: the best batsman, the best bowler and the best fielder were all awarded with a trophy, and there were prizes for champagne moments and player conduct. Our boys were packed already, and there was just time to say goodbye to our final hotel and the beach.

Goodbye, beach!

Oliver Kelly says goodbye to our driver’s assistant

              It was farewell to the Coral Sands Hotel, and farewell to Sri Lanka, as we embarked on our 3 hour journey back to the airport. Thank you to all the parents for their support on the tour, to the boys for their good behaviour and enthusiasm, and to Mr Sutcliffe for enabling us all to have such a fantastic experience. Thank you for following the blog, see you again!!

Our cricketers in all their glory!