Barbados Cricket Tour 2012
It was late July 2012 when The Forest School cricket team landed in Barbados for their maiden tour of the island. All arrived safe and well and stepped into a wall of heat! The heat was something that the touring party was going to have to get used to very quickly. We picked up our kit and then took a short bus ride to our hotel which was in the south of the island in a place called St Lawrence Gap. St Lawrence Gap is a famous tourist destination so much fun was expected and the lads were not disappointed!
Following a training session at Dover cricket club-which made the Forest Oval look like Lords - the lads were under no illusions of the task that faced them! Having sat through a white knuckle ride of a bus trip into the hills the lads played Alleyne School in a 35 over match. Forced to field first in the heat of the day the local lads took no pity on their visitors reaching 275 for 6! 5 dropped catches didn't help but Hamsa Butt was the pick of the bowlers. In reply, we got off to the worst possible start losing both openers early. There was some resistance in the middle order but we were dismissed for 96! The opposition had reached the Barbados School Championship semi final so they were a top team!
The following day the lads re-grouped and had a very positive training session in the morning followed by some time to relax by the pool and on the beach. They also had time to sample some of the local cuisine. Curried goat and ‘Mac Pie’ became firm favourites as the tour progressed.
Following defeat in the opening match, the lads performed very well in our second outing. We faced a club called the North Stars based in the north of the island. The pitch was very good and the setting amazing. Asked to bat first, the boys were happy. So, when we were 3 down in no time we were expecting an early finish. But Matt Loxton hit a fine 64 supported by Ollie A-Wood, Aiden Larsen and Alex Pearce. We finished with a competitive total of 214 all out in 34.1. Although the bowling was erratic to say the least, we took wickets at regular intervals and had victory in our grasp until Kayani came to the crease! Aqib had volunteered to play for the opposition and performed very well. He and the captain of the North Stars took them to a requiring a run a ball with 3 overs left. Jake David took the final 2 wickets when it was getting too close to call. Victory in Barbados!! Hard earned and well deserved!
One of the most memorable 'rest' days was the catamaran trip. We boarded the vessel at the famous Bridgetown port and then set off on an amazing day of good food, good music, amazing scenery topped off by snorkelling with sea turtles. A truly amazing and memorable experience.
Our 3rd 35 over match was played against another school team namely Coleridge and Parry School. Chasing 185, The Forest team reached their target with overs to spare thanks in the main a superb 85 not out from Aiden Larson.
The final fixture of the tour was played against Dover Cricket Club. We played a very exciting form of cricket called 'tape ball'. The game is played under floodlights using a white ball. Dover Cricket Club is the centre of the community so there was a real atmosphere for the match. The Forest lads made an excellent start and had the opposition in real trouble reducing them to 80for 9. But the hosts recovered to post 160. In reply The Forest lads lost wickets at regular intervals and were not really close to challenging the Dover CC total. Still, an amazing experience!
As we made our way back to Heathrow, the lads although extremely tired, were able to reflect on what had been a truly incredible trip. They had played cricket in Barbados! That is what dreams are made of!