Neil Brand scoring 78 followed up by
some brilliant bowling from Sam Venn who
took 4 for 13. The Tigers unfortunately
lost to Dhamaraja College despite a 50
from Jack Samuels. We were then shown
round the Temple of the Tooth where the
tooth of Buddha is said to be kept.
The following day, we left Kandy and
travelled to our second destination, the
capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. En route
we stopped off at a herbal spice garden
and also at an elephant sanctuary. Here
we got the chance to ride on the
elephants and they treated us to a shower
in some very murky water!
The second hotel, Mount Lavinia, was
even better than the first! With wonderful
views of the Indian Ocean and a beach
just outside we never even wanted to
leave the hotel. Our first day in Colombo,
and we were straight back into action
with two games. The Leopards had a
fantastic win against Asoka De Silva
School with Harry Thomas scoring a
battling 46 and Neil Brand taking a
wonderful hat-trick to end the game. The
Tigers also won on a Test venue against
Gateway College. John Hall (50) set the
platform for the bowlers to bowl the
opposition out for just 153.
The next day we had a rare lie-in before a
taste of some Sri Lankan culture with a
trip to the bazaar, which gave us a
chance to practise our haggling skills.
The rest of the day was spent on the
beach, and the evening saw the quiz
night which provided some good laughs
and a chance to take our minds off
cricket. That night we were treated to a
stunning display of thunder and lightning!
The next day was our last before we
travelled to Bentota, by far the hottest of
the lot. The Leopards continued their
unbeaten run with Sam Underdown
scoring 87, but the Tigers came up short
in their game despite some good bowling
from Will Knill.
We then travelled to Bentota - on the
way we played our fifth games of the tour,
with the Leopards winning again and the
Tigers just missing out by two wickets.
Our new hotel, Club Bentota, was a
secluded beach resort which allowed us
to relax and brush up on our table tennis
skills. This hotel also gave us the
opportunity for some watersports which
were amazing.
Then we returned to Colombo where both
sides had their final games back-to-back
on a Test venue. The Leopards
completed the tour unbeaten, the first
English school to achieve this in 21
years, thanks to a brilliant 70 from Sam
Underdown, and some tight bowling
meant the opposition never got close.
The Tigers also finished with a win; we
smashed 172 thanks to a century
partnership between Charlie Brain and
George Retter, along with five sixes at the
end from Harry Magill. Prince of Wales
School never got close and it was a
fantastic way to finish the tour.
After an emotional final dinner, we were
in reflective mood as we returned to
Mount Lavinia for our last night. It was
an incredible 12 days with some great
cricket played, and some memorable
glimpses of the fabulous country of Sri
Lanka. We would all like to thank Mr
Lewis, Mr Woodman, Mr Florey and Mr
Butterworth for what was an
unforgettable experience. I seriously can't
ever imagine anyone going on a cricket
tour which could match up to this one!
Aluredian 29
… we stopped off at
a herbal spice garden
and also at an
elephant sanctuary
… and they treated
us to a shower in
some very murky
water!