Washington CC on tour
Last year, The Washington CC set off to Malta for the the first weekend of October for our first End of Season tour since 2019.
We called it The Comeback Tour 2022. We came back from our Covid induced tour hiatus and we came striding valiantly back to take on the might of the local Maltese teams. Cricket in Malta has really expanded in the years since we were last here. There is another ground being built on the island and there are many teams playing a big hitting series of 20:20 games throughout the year. We chose to "come-back" to play against a couple of teams at the lovely Marsa CC sports ground.
Who can forget the last time we toured Malta. That tour had everything. Our first ladies playing in Wash colours, massive hitting over the long boundary by Navid to secure a dramatic last gasp victory and heroic batting stands by Mr Mike Turner on several occasions. Then there was the cold beers and cocktails by the pool after the game, amazing swimming and beach days, fantastic meals and a few random shenanigans that had nothing to do with cricket, but kept us all entertained.
This time around, our '23 edition tour manager Mike Egan - who didn't actually attend the tour and was fined heavily for that btw - found us a lovely hotel in the heart of St Julian's and right on the bay too, so there was plenty of bar crawling and food options within close quarters. And being Malta, nothing is very far away. A trip to Valletta or the northern beaches is easy and relatively cheap and a tour bus to the ground takes less than 15 minutes, which I can attest is actually too long when you're carrying a ridiculously heinous hangover.
Anyway... onto the games, and it is fair to say they were hard fought. Well, maybe not for the locals, but they were for us. In the first game we bowled out the oppo inside their allotted overs, which is a magnificent feat for a touring Wash side playing in sweltering heat. Unfortunately our chase got off to a very slow start and we soon drifted behind the required run rate... leaving the middle order and tail too big of a wag to make up the deficit. In the end, we lost by about 30 runs, which on this particular tour was deemed as good as a draw, especially given our heroics with the ball. A great start to the tour and much swimming and cold lager was enjoyed... along with a trip to the Casino which seems to becoming a Wash Tour habit. A few of us won big, a few us lost big, but one of our number just actually lost his money... like, directly out of his pocket. At least that's the story he's telling.
With Richie being nominated as Full Kit Wanker for Day 2, we were off for the second game which was a 20 over affair, and this time despite our late night festivities from the night before, the Wash posted a score, which at about 130 seemed like a defendable target, but the strength and depth in their batting was just too much. Although we took a few great wickets, they had us at 6's and 7's around the boundary, and eventually in a sporting gesture their captain started retiring their players for having the temerity to hit boundaries. The Wash went down again but the beautiful pool and ice cold Cisk's followed by the traditional end of tour dinner and a heavy fines session led by VC Molly brought the action to a fitting close.
Malta is a fantastic destination and I'm sure we'll be back there in a few years!
We called it The Comeback Tour 2022. We came back from our Covid induced tour hiatus and we came striding valiantly back to take on the might of the local Maltese teams. Cricket in Malta has really expanded in the years since we were last here. There is another ground being built on the island and there are many teams playing a big hitting series of 20:20 games throughout the year. We chose to "come-back" to play against a couple of teams at the lovely Marsa CC sports ground.
Who can forget the last time we toured Malta. That tour had everything. Our first ladies playing in Wash colours, massive hitting over the long boundary by Navid to secure a dramatic last gasp victory and heroic batting stands by Mr Mike Turner on several occasions. Then there was the cold beers and cocktails by the pool after the game, amazing swimming and beach days, fantastic meals and a few random shenanigans that had nothing to do with cricket, but kept us all entertained.
This time around, our '23 edition tour manager Mike Egan - who didn't actually attend the tour and was fined heavily for that btw - found us a lovely hotel in the heart of St Julian's and right on the bay too, so there was plenty of bar crawling and food options within close quarters. And being Malta, nothing is very far away. A trip to Valletta or the northern beaches is easy and relatively cheap and a tour bus to the ground takes less than 15 minutes, which I can attest is actually too long when you're carrying a ridiculously heinous hangover.
Anyway... onto the games, and it is fair to say they were hard fought. Well, maybe not for the locals, but they were for us. In the first game we bowled out the oppo inside their allotted overs, which is a magnificent feat for a touring Wash side playing in sweltering heat. Unfortunately our chase got off to a very slow start and we soon drifted behind the required run rate... leaving the middle order and tail too big of a wag to make up the deficit. In the end, we lost by about 30 runs, which on this particular tour was deemed as good as a draw, especially given our heroics with the ball. A great start to the tour and much swimming and cold lager was enjoyed... along with a trip to the Casino which seems to becoming a Wash Tour habit. A few of us won big, a few us lost big, but one of our number just actually lost his money... like, directly out of his pocket. At least that's the story he's telling.
With Richie being nominated as Full Kit Wanker for Day 2, we were off for the second game which was a 20 over affair, and this time despite our late night festivities from the night before, the Wash posted a score, which at about 130 seemed like a defendable target, but the strength and depth in their batting was just too much. Although we took a few great wickets, they had us at 6's and 7's around the boundary, and eventually in a sporting gesture their captain started retiring their players for having the temerity to hit boundaries. The Wash went down again but the beautiful pool and ice cold Cisk's followed by the traditional end of tour dinner and a heavy fines session led by VC Molly brought the action to a fitting close.
Malta is a fantastic destination and I'm sure we'll be back there in a few years!
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In October 2019, The Washington CC returned to Portugal for the end of season tour...
7 years after our first visit in 2012, this time as the Desperadoes. And what a motley collection of fictional and non-fictional bandits, criminals, cheats and vagabonds we made.
The tour was based in Figueria da Foz on the west coast known for its wide sandy beaches with decent waves, and with its small town teaming with bars and restaurants, made an excellent impression. With 24 tourists flying out this was the largest touring party to date and made for a great Wash end of season get together.
Two games against the Amigos CC were played on the last weekend in October, one on the Saturday and one on Sunday. A Warmer welcome on tour is probably harder to find with welcoming blackboards, warm handshakes and friendly opponents, and this made for two great days of cricket. Add to this the wonderful facilities at the Woodlands ground at Pousaflores in Ansaio, and the amazing teas, and a rare on tour win, and it’s easy to see why this was a fantastic tour.
Overall we had an amazing tour, and we salute Russ Pendry for organising an amazing event. Massive thanks!
7 years after our first visit in 2012, this time as the Desperadoes. And what a motley collection of fictional and non-fictional bandits, criminals, cheats and vagabonds we made.
The tour was based in Figueria da Foz on the west coast known for its wide sandy beaches with decent waves, and with its small town teaming with bars and restaurants, made an excellent impression. With 24 tourists flying out this was the largest touring party to date and made for a great Wash end of season get together.
Two games against the Amigos CC were played on the last weekend in October, one on the Saturday and one on Sunday. A Warmer welcome on tour is probably harder to find with welcoming blackboards, warm handshakes and friendly opponents, and this made for two great days of cricket. Add to this the wonderful facilities at the Woodlands ground at Pousaflores in Ansaio, and the amazing teas, and a rare on tour win, and it’s easy to see why this was a fantastic tour.
Overall we had an amazing tour, and we salute Russ Pendry for organising an amazing event. Massive thanks!
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Wash CC - TrainingThe Washington C.C. trains pre-season in the fantastic indoor facilities at Lord's Cricket Ground, and weather permitting the Paddington Recreation Ground in Maida Vale. We've been training at Lords for years during the pre-season. This is a great way to shrug off that extra layer of winter warmer that may have been added over the Christmas and New Year period, and allows us all to test ourselves and prepare mentally for the season ahead. Newcomers to the club are always welcome.
Lords Net times for Spring 2023 were: Saturday 21 January at 6pm for 1 hour (fully attended) Saturday 04 February at 6pm for 1 hour (fully attended) Saturday 18 February at 6pm for 1 hour (fully attended) Saturday 04 March at 6pm for 1 hour (fully attended) Saturday 18 March at 6pm for 1 hour (fully attended) The cost will be £10 per person per session, and there are 12 places up for grabs each session. Keep an eye out for emails from the Nets Manager to book your slot. Ideally, there are no more that 5 / 6 players in a net at time - so each batsman will face a good variety of bowling. All players should wear appropriate sporting clothes or regular cricket whites and of course Spikes are NOT allowed. Address: Lords Cricket Club St John's Wood Rd St John's Wood London, NW8 8QN Paddington Recreation Ground Net times for Spring 2023 These will be advised over the Wash Banter and Bull WhatsApp chat group. |
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