Here is the 2010 tour report from Luke Gachet:
Bop spatting on tour !
Tour started for several of us in the early afternoon at Canford Magna Golf Club where Phil Hales came in with 32 points to take the singles title and Nigel Stratton and Luke Gachet walked away with the team event which no one seemed to understand.
Our first game of cricket on tour came against Broadstone in a 20/20 evening match where Mike Warner (tired from a stint of caddying on the golf course) was captain. He lost the toss after a game of rock, paper, scissors and we were given the task of fielding against a very short boundary. The opposition posted a score 109 all out with Ian Wyatt (2-0-3-2) and Nigel Stratton (2-0-9-2) being the pick of the bowlers. We completed our run chase with 4 overs to spare with Ian Wyatt in Broadstone mode getting 29 and a 3 wicket win was completed and a 1-0 record for tour 2010.
Game 2 was against New Milton in another 20/20 and since Mike Warner did such a sterling job on day 1, he retained the captaincy for day 2. We were asked to field first and on what appeared to be a batting track. New Milton posted 182 for 5 with D. Wheeler making 66 not out before retiring after Wooly had some choice words for him. Ian Wyatt was once again the pick of the bowlers with 4-0-18-1. Our reply saw Paul Goodall open with the only recently arrived Richard Armstrong. Goodall got caught for 13 and Phil Hales went for 34, but a partnership of 86 between Richard Armstrong (59*) and Phil Woolston (54*) wasn’t enough to secure victory as we fell 13 runs short of New Milton’s innings and make us 1-1 on tour.
Day 3 saw us play at sunny (this time) Portland for the 20th year. Nigel Stratton was our captain and was told that we would be batting which meant Mike Warner and Dan Moore would be starting our innings. We went at a decent rate of a bit more than 6 runs an over off our 40 overs as we posted 249 for 7 with the highlights of the match being Phil Woolston hitting 113 before being run out after suffering from a back injury and Dan Moore’s straight 6 back over the bowlers head. We defended our total well as we bowled Portland out 168 in the 29th over and we won by 81 runs. Pick of the bowlers were openers Dave Pendleton (5-1-17-3) and Richard Armstrong (3-1-8-2).
Before our final game against Wimborne, most of us took a walk down towards the town where we found ourselves at the crazy golf, the host of the most historic golfing even in Bournemouth. A very good score of 14 under par was posted by Phil Hales in the first group out. However, that was not enough as reigning champion Paul Goodall retained (for the first time ever) the Cerise Jersey with a nervous 5 foot putt for birdie on the 18th to take the title with a score of -15.
With the serious business out of the way, we made it over to Wimborne in the glorious sunshine to their new ground not before passing a horrid Waitrose which is being built over the old ground and taking customary positions on the church wall after visiting the bakery. Phil Hales was captain as always for our game against Wimborne where we lost yet another toss and were elected to bat. 183 for 6 was posted off 40 overs with Ian Wyatt just missing out on his half century with an unbeaten 48. Two of the most bizarre dismissals of the tour happened in the space of 3 balls as Dan Moore went back and cut away into the top of off stump to walk back to the pavilion for a golden duck followed by Nigel Stratton who left a ball that clattered into his stumps. Wimborne, in reply, could only muster 141 for 5 as they batted out for a draw. Pick of the bowlers was Dave Pendleton once again with 12-4-20-3 with the Ian Wyatt and Richard “ever so deceptive, he must have been holding back” Armstrong taking 1 wicket each. This left us with a 2010 tour record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
Here are some photos from previous tours while we are waiting for the 2010 pictures to be developed!
