9th September – 12 noon, Stansted airport. Everyone arrived, checked in, passed through security, received an extensive frisking and found the bar fine. No lost passports/wallets/tickets/players yet.

9th September - 12.30 pm, Stansted airport Weatherspoons. Tim gives up ‘tour diary’ idea.

The party was to be split, with the hardened, tougher members roughing it in a youth hostel in ‘the squat’ (Russell, Geoff, Ben, Luke, Troy and Tim) with the slightly more delicate members staying Hotel Park (John, Jim, Tony, Paul, Richard Storky, Dan, Neil and Ian). After collecting our sheets from The hostel reception and the discovery of channel 12 and 13 (this is a family site!), everyone met up and went off to have some traditional Slovenian food, pizza. Food was eaten, and after a couple of buffalo-induced gins reducing one tourist to a quivering mess for a few of hours, Rusty led the party through Ljubljana, and into the first night club. This allowed for Luke, Jimmy and Geoff to indulge their love for dance, and Troy to indulge his love of smashing glasses. This was not, however everyones’ ‘scene’, and the group rapidly dissolving as they were, headed off to new ground.

For the first of many times, the city’s squat provided a good opportunity to sink a few Unions (the local beer), where cans were stored in fridge-freezers and you got given plastic cups (well, Russ did). Memories are lost of the culmination of the night, however there is some evidence to suggest a double bass was heavily involved as Dan showed off his singing voice to the doubtlessly confused locals…

As some members only reached their beds at 5 o’clock that morning, it was a late start for most. Almost everyone managed to meet up for lunch though in ‘Sokol’ where the mushroom soup came in a hollowed out bread cup. Ian defied logic and physics, by trying to eat the bread cup before the soup, and somehow succeeding! Everyone went their separate ways after this, as the tours only spots of rain fell for not very long at all. In the evening everyone headed in the direction of an old convent, for food, not nuns. After being shoved in the cellar next to the toilets, a waitress announced that they would only serve pizza. This was clearly not good enough for five or six tourists, and they drank up their Lasko and went in search of somewhere that would serve goulash. The rest stayed with the pizza, a decision they would regret the next day!

The plan was then to meet up with tomorrow’s opposition, and with a huge city wide pincer maneuver (Group One tried to meet them in the ‘Sax Pub’, whilst Group Two headed to ‘AS’ and general confusion reigned) everyone ended in the same place eventually. It soon emerged that what was originally a friendly drink had escaladed into a battle for pre-match psyche out points, with Ljubljana showing off their seven foot tall Australian opening bowler, and Jimmy taunting him “we’ve got the ashes” and offering him an ash tray to ease his pain. Springfield beat a hasty retreat to home soil soon after (home soil being the squat), where the night was finished off with more and more cans of beer until X o’clock once again.

The first match of the tour was today, and everyone was slightly unsure of what to expect. A brief pitch inspection confirmed everyones’ fears-a thin mat with holes in it on top of crumbling concrete. Unsurprisingly then, skipper Geoff had a struggle to find volunteers to open the batting. Well, that is until news arrived that Ljubljana’s seven foot tall bowler, Mark the Aussie, had fallen over the night before and broken his arm. Regardless, Springfield bowled first, Marrion removing one of the openers for 7. This brought Furness to the crease, who smashed 67 before being caught. The only other bowling of note came from Skipper Geoff, taking 3 for 47 off 5. Gregory, McDermott and Fell were all unlucky with their 0-fers. At tea however, a mistaken order by the local pizzeria meant that the tourists had yet more pizza to plough through, which was not as appreciated as it might have been considering the huge quantity that had already been consumed over the last few days!

Chasing a competitive 166, it was time for the Jimmy show. Opening the batting and after a very late night the night before, he flogged the Slovenians for 103 not out runs with little support coming from the other end. During this innings, the end of Ben’s tour hat also came, eventually going up in flames courteously of Luke. After the game, the group once again split. Russell, Ian, Tim and Paul all headed of to an ‘alternative’ (drum and bass) club, later to be joined by Claire Lambert and Angie Weatherly, who were ready if not able to mash up the dance floor. Everyone else went somewhere different, but due to undisclosed reasons, the location has been forgotten. It is however a fair bet that the night was wrapped up back at the squat, as every night was.

It was a buoyant party that turned up in Valburga for the second game, despite loosing Jimmy and John to the cruelties of the plane schedule. This reduction left the remainders dangerously low on kit, having only one set of pads left. Ljubljana however were very generous in lending their equipment, especially as it was used to thrash them all over the valley for the rest of the afternoon. Springfield batted first this time, and lost Mcdermott early on. Clancy hung around to score 15, but the long outfield did not suit his stylish and cultured stroke play. Big runs came this time from Nice, 53 before being caught by a fantastic catch, and Dan ‘the Plesh’ Fell, 57 before being retired. L. Southwell also chipped in with a good 20, before putting a helmet on and loosing the plot completely. Springers finished on 188 for 5, another good score. Ljubljana never really competed top score being the wides, 21, followed by Furney, not out 11. No one else made double figures. Wickets were for Gregory, two, Mcdermott, one and Roberts, picking up another four. However, the star with the ball was undoubtedly Storky, taking his first ever wicket in his first ever bowl…ever! More importantly, this meant that he ended the tour with the same wicket tally as Ben, first team bowler. After the game everyone hitched lifts down to the local bar, set on a stunning lakes backed by the Alps. It was an amazing setting for a post-match beer and chat, and no one could see this view and not fall in love with it. It was late when everyone got back to the capital, and following several complaints that too much noise was being generated from other Hotel Park guest, the team headed into the centre in search of some horse to eat. After this, it was back to the squat and back to the beer, and yet another late night from the victorious Springfield…

After doing the double over the hosts, Springfields’ heroes had another day to potter around the city. The weather was fantastic, Tony and Tim pairing up to try and capture some of the city by camera, and everyone else just enjoying the sun and the beautiful old town. Lunch was taken at a small Italian restaurant by the river, although surprisingly no one opted for pizza. The group dispersed and rejoined again in the evening for a meal. There was no messing around at the table though, with the waitress’s eastern European accent and stern looks, even the Springfield bad boys didn’t play with their food! She didn’t however stop Ben from moaning about the steak being turkey, something that seemed to really, really bother him. The group moved on to a bar by the river, and then another, minus Russ and Tim who went off in cloud of mystery for two hours. As was only good and proper though, the night ended at the squat, where Dan was asked if he was English, then if he was gay, and then finally offered some mystery meat (tongue?) out of the back of a twenty five stone taxi driver’s cab. Only in the squat!

The last day of the cricket tour, and all except Russ, Geoff and Richard were due to fly back. After checking out (this involved giving in your sheets to the hostel reception), the group was finally ready to indulge in more pizza. The argument had been raging over whether the best mode of transport to the airport was taxi or bus. The bus-ites came out victorious, a mad dash ensued to locate and board said bus. Of course, there was still time for a quick Lasko at the airport…and then another three or four due to the plane being delayed. The tour’s last buffalo was called somewhere over Belgium, shortly before the touch down of the new world champions, Springfield CC…