Articles 1998
Clayesmore Cricket Tour 1998 in Barbados
At 7.15 am on the 11th July the team left, bound for Heathrow, to catch a 1.00pm flight to Barbados. Everything was running to schedule until we hit the outskirts of London where we inevitably ran into a traffic jam. We finally checked in at 10.15. After checking in, we made our way to the duty-free section where we spent the following hour before making our way through to the departure lounge. Our flight departed on time, which came as a surprise to me because it was my first time flying and I am always hearing of delays. The flight went smoothly, and we touched down at Grantely Adams airport at 3.45pm Bajan time. As soon as I stepped out of the plane, the heat suddenly hit me, and I no longer wanted to be in a shirt and trousers.
Our buses were ready and waiting to take us to the hotel. Our hotel rooms were more than I expected - self catering flats with TV, two bathrooms, fully equipped kitchen and air conditioning. Soon after checking in to our rooms, most of the team made straight for the beach for a swim. I suddenly found myself in paradise, and I was not looking forward to leaving. Most of the team made their way to the local supermarket to buy essentials and food for the evening. The following day was spent relaxing before our first intense training session when we would try to acclimatise to the intense heat. Midday on Monday we made our way to a local ground called Dover where we trained for the next two hours. I began to realise that maybe playing cricket at home in cold weather was not so bad.
Tuesday 14th was our first match against Wilsons, played at Crab Hill, which was at the north of the Island. Clayesmore were set a fairly low target but were unable to reach it after being bowled out with 6 overs to spare - a game which should have been won.
On Thursday 16th we encountered Tranquillity College from Trinidad at Queen's Park. They boasted a strong batting line up and set a modest total (237), which proved too high as wickets fell early and we ended failing about 30 runs short.
The following day we travelled to Bridgefield to play Elderado, another team from Trinidad. Clayesmore bowled tightly and got the opposition out relatively cheaply (164). Clayesmore started off well and were 100 for 3 off 20 overs. This did not last long as a huge middle order collapse saw us lose our last 7 wickets for 42 runs.
Early Sunday morning there were several downpours which affected the pitch conditions. We were playing Shaguanas from Trinidad on a day where winning the toss was vital. Clayesmore lost the toss and were put into bat only to find it was not long before we were bowling, protecting a very small target. The team played out of their skins and only narrowly lost by three wickets,
Our next opponents were Granada at Trents. This game was eventually rained off after several attempts to start the game. The next day saw all matches being cancelled due to torrential rain overnight. The day's cricket was replaced by a luncheon trip to Mount Gay Rum centre which was a popular choice. Inevitably there were several rum tasting sessions.
A day with no fixture gave the whole team an opportunity to go ~snorkelling and see some of the Bajan marine life.
Thursday 23rd saw us play Canford, the second English side we had played. Clayesmore batted first and lost early wickets and never recovered, only being able to set a target a little over one hundred. Several chances were given early on but not taken, which meant that Canford reached the total comfortably.
Friday saw the worst defeat of the tour against St Leonard's School from Barbados. Clayesmore were bowled out for 70, and St Leonard's quickly knocked off the runs.
The whole team spent Saturday on the legendary Jolly Roger pirate ship, an action-packed morning and afternoon, making a nice change from playing cricket.
The Sunday enabled us to see part of the Bajan culture. We all went to the east coast for the Crop-over semi final festival (crop-over signals the end of the sugar cane harvesting season).
On Tuesday we faced the strongest side in our zone, Dominica. Dominica put us into bat. Our resistance could not prevent us being bowled out cheaply, and Dominica comfortably reached the target. The next day saw the playoffs against Elderado which saw us claim our first victory of the tour. Elderado won the toss and chose to bat on a wicket that looked sure to crack up later on. Clayesmore started off well with an 81 first wicket partnership (best of the season) between Deighton and Lack. Mark Harris played a captain's innings by comfortably leading us to a victory which was long awaited and well deserved.
We all went to see the final of the tournament between Dominica and St Vincents at the Kensington Oval. In a low scoring match Dominica became the eventual winners. After the match all the presentations were made by Sir Garfield Sobers.
The last match of the tournament was between England and the West Indies. England won with a Clayesmore player making the highest score for England. Friday was the last opportunity for members of the team to do any last minute shopping in Bridgetown. The whole team spent the last night celebrating, the most senior players making their way to one of the night-clubs.
Saturday morning was a mad rush for people to complete all their packing and leave their rooms and catch some last-minute sun. In the late afternoon we made our way to the airport. I was becoming a little sad as the tour had many good memories which would never fade. We left at 9.00 pm Bajan time and arrived in England at 10.00 am, exactly on time. After collecting luggage, our coach was ready and waiting. Most people on the journey back to school were fast asleep due to sheer exhaustion. We arrived back at 2.00pm. Many were glad to be back although most of the faces were those of parents. The tour had been a trip of a lifetime.
Tristan Deighton (94-98)