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A most successful first tour for the Colts with victory in all five matches played. Everyone made a contribution and there were some outstanding performances on the field which I will go into with more detail as each day unfolds.
Monday 11 August The day started early with the two mini buses and Rover 75 being collected by Ken Godridge, Mick Clark, John Weatherly and Paddy O'Riordan. Everyone met at the club about 9.30 and we were off by 10am. The first match was against Diss and we were there in plenty of time. Put into bat, Springfield were soon put to the sword by Dan Tebble who went on to stroke 78 before falling to a soft catch off the back of his bat by Alex Blanchard who was keeping wicket. No one else on the Diss side managed to keep the moment going and they were restricted to 155 all out. Andrew Wordley and Matt Chalk taking three wickets each, ably backed up by Dan Unger, Liam Daniels and Rob Weatherley chipping in with valuable wickets. The Springfield innings also started at a canter with tour captain James Clark and James Latimer putting on 35 in 4 overs before Diss fought back to reduce us to 40 for 3. Rob Weatherley then joined James Clark and they took the score to 104 before both falling to consecutive balls. At this point Jo Saunders and Alex Blanchard dug in and took Springfield within sight of victory with the match finished off by Andrew Wordley crashing two fours to seal victory by three wickets with five overs to spare. An excellent start to the tour with an opening victory and we were very well looked after by our hosts, something that was replicated at every match. Man of the match was Alex Blanchard.
On then to the Norfolk Sport Village Hotel. Once booked in it was over the cafe at the Asda superstore next door and the tourists got the first demonstration of Ken Godridge discount negotiation style. Back at the hotel most made a bee-line for the Aquapark. A six lane 25 metre pool, flumes, and what became the mess about pool area. A reasonably early night for most and hardly a complaint about the behaviour of the lads. Tuesday 12 August In the pool early for a lot of the lads and a general mess about before getting into the restaurant for the eat as much as you like breakfast. 10 o'clock saw the first tour team meeting to sort out the arrangements for the day then the lads were in the sports hall for five a side football. A light lunch was prepared and taken out on the patio area beside the Aquapark. More time spent in the pool as we did not have to meet until 3pm to go to Postwick for a 25 over match against Norwich. Our thanks go to Norwich for providing a game at such short notice, Fakenham having dropped out due to contesting a cup final that day. With James Clark taking a rest, James Latimer captained the side and Springfield batted first. Following the early fall of a wicket Andrew Wordley and Chris O'Riordan put on a stand of 105 in 16 overs. With some quick scoring from Liam Daniels, Matt Chalk and Dan Unger a formidable total of 174 was posted. Norwich never got to grips with the run rate required and once their opener Tipping (47) was out it proved beyond the rest of the batsmen to push on and they finished on 97 for 6. A fine win by 77 runs and Andrew Wordley was given the man of the match award.
A short journey home and tea was provided for all at Asda (with Ken's discount!) before they went their separate ways for the evening. Matt Chalk and James Welshman nearly missing tea due to forgetting about it! Once again the Aquapark proved a big hit. Wednesday 13 August Another gorgeous day on the weather front. Less people in the pool this morning as late nights have taken their toll. Another large breakfast for those who made it in time. The team meeting did not take long as the tour had got of to such a good start and there was a hours badminton for everyone to enjoy before another lunch on the patio. Today we are joined by a few more club members and supporters before we set off for another beautiful ground, Great Melton. James Clark wins the toss and decides to bat and opens with Mark Hudson. they put on 32 before Mark is bowled and James Latimer comes in to take the score to 84 at the fall of the second wicket. There follows a flurry of wickets when we have reached 123 with 6 wickets falling for 10 runs before the innings is steadied Matt Chalk and Alex Blanchard. The innings closed at 164 with James Clark having scored an excellent 67. Great Melton probably felt they were in with a good chance of getting the runs needed as they had a few 16 year olds with representative experience. They made a steady start but Andrew Wordley and Dan Unger had sent both openers back to the pavilion with only 36 on the board. After 12 overs Matt Chalk and Tim Clancy were introduced into the attack and they kept the batsmen to a slow scoring rate before striking to take three wickets apiece and rip the heart out of the Great Melton batting. Troy Nice took a stunning catch and with a good run out it fell to James Welshman to complete the rout by bowling the last batter to see the innings close on 63 and a fine victory by 101 runs. Tim Clancy received the man of the match award. With the early finish there was time for a quick dip in the pool and then it was all on the mini buses for a meal out at a local fish restaurant. Some of the new arrivals took the opportunity to go into Norwich and have a few drinks (in one particularly unusual type of bar for them!). The lads were not particularly late to bed and the night security patrols by Ken Godridge and John Weatherley made sure that opportunities for misbehaviour were limited. Thursday 14 August The fine weather of the week continued and some of the tourists made it to the pool before breakfast. Some of the adults looked decidedly the worse for wear in the morning! Team meeting went well as it was getting to the point during the week when tiredness would be kicking in and behaviour might start to slip, fortunately this never turned out to be the case. Lunch was prepared and taken to the ground at Bradfield where it was enjoyed in the sunshine. Another beautiful ground with a large outfield. Bradfield had won the Norfolk cup on the Tuesday and were rated the strongest team we would face. Bradfield won the toss and elected to bat. Excellent bowling meant that it was the sixth over before they reached double figures, surely too slow a rate in a 30 over game. Once again Andrew Wordley struck to take the first two wickets and when Matt Chalk took two wickets in his first over Bradfield were in serious trouble at 23 for 4. Tim Clancy could easily have had both Bidle and Willgress caught but it wasn't until the score reached 53 that a catch went to Ryan Martin off Tim Clancy's bowling. Wickets regularly fell from there on in spite of an attacking 32 not out from Elliott Pinkham and Bradfield finished on 113 for 9 from their 30 overs. Springfield started their response against some non front line bowling with a partnership of 52 between Rob Weatherley and Chris O'Riordan, Rob going on to make 34, Chris 17. Matt Chalk made 23 and James Clark 16no and Liam Daniels 9no saw them home to win by 6 wickets. A disappointing effort by Bradfield but another fine win by Springfield. Matt Chalk was given the man of the match award.
The evening meal consisted of a take-over of the local Burger King before much fun was had in the pool. There weren't many signs of a late night by any of the tourists as we approached the last day. Friday 15 August Hardly anyone made it to the pool in the morning. James Clark needs to be mentioned for his efforts in getting into the pool and never leaving the corner! Breakfast and then it was time to pack away and load up the vans. A few hours spent at Great Yarmouth in the Pleasure Beach after another fine example of the Ken Godridge discount show getting a third off the price. A light lunch and off to Sprowston for a 20 over game. Springfield got off to a fine start to get to 56 before the second wicket fell but were then undone by some fine bowling from Maxey, Eves and Ellis to restrict the innings to a total of 107 for 9. I n reply Sprowston never got going after their first four batsmen were dismissed having scored a total of 11. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals with James Welshman taking two in two balls before the innings closed at 58 for 8. James Welshman was given the man of the match award.
There was a special award from the lads to Ken Godridge to thank him for the work he has put in organising the tour. Andrew Wordley was deservedly named the tourist of the week for the excellent way he played and conducted himself.
Thanks To everyone for all their efforts in making the tour a great success. Lets hope the next one is even better!
Match report courtesy of Paddy O'Riordan, Photos courtesy of Peter Clancy and Michael Clark. |
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