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Cricket Tour to Trinidad & Tobago 2005
To view the Tour Brochure and statistics from the tour scroll down to the bottom of this page
Tour Manager’s Report (Click here for pictures of the tour)
Arnold School’s first ever overseas cricket tour was a huge success and a joy to organise. The 18 boys and 3 staff enjoyed some fantastic cricket, wonderful hospitality, magnificent venues and unforgettable memories during the two week tour to the twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago.
The fundraising and organising had started a full 14 months before departure and the efforts displayed by all of the squad members and parents were fantastic as we all tried to raise as much money as possible for the tour kit and the various excursions and trips that would make the tour memorable. Departure time finally came and with all our TT dollars packed we were off!
I will leave Mr McKeown to talk in detail about the cricket side of the tour but suffice to say that the tour led to one of the most successful 1st XI seasons in years and made all of the hard work seem well worth the effort. Mr McKeown and all of his squad must be congratulated for the endless hours of preparation that they put into their net sessions which ran from November.
So, what of the tour? We boarded the Waltons Express at some ungodly hour of the morning for our long trip to Gatwick for what would be the trip of a lifetime. The trip went fairly quickly with Mr Evans and Mr McKeown scoring full marks on all of the sporting trivia fired at them and we landed in Port of Spain, Trinidad right on time. We got a rude awakening when we stepped off the plane. It was close to 30 degrees and it was 10pm in the evening! What would it be like at midday?
Trinidad was by far the most urban of the two islands. With each of the cricket matches taking up a full day and with the odd practice in between, the time to explore the island was limited but we used the time available to get a good mix of what the Trinidadians had to offer.
The boys enjoyed an afternoon strolling round the massive Savannah Park. Their coconut haggling skills improved dramatically and their was even time to pop up to Brian Lara’s mansion which overlooked the entire city to see if he was in! Sadly, Brian was out that day and missed the chance swap team tactics with the likes of Mithun Parekh and Peter Keith. He must be ruing the loss of such an opportunity today.
A hike into one of the oldest rainforests in the world followed by a visit to an idyllic beach with a view of South America gave the boys and staff ample chance to show off their swimming and football skills. One thing that was becoming apparent was how friendly all of the islanders were. Everywhere we went people were keen to talk and ask where we were from and why we were there. They even joined in a mass ‘keepy up’ competition on the beach where the Arnold School football skills were severely tested! We were also fortunate enough to obtain tickets for the Trinidad & Tobago equivalent of 20-20 cricket during the evening and the standard of cricket on display was absolutely fantastic to watch.
A visit on April Fool’s Day to Maracas Beach was memorable for a number of reasons but it was the drive up through the mountains with a view over the coastline that will forever stay in the memory. Beach cricket was the order of the day in baking sunshine on another perfect beach and with each member of staff retiring on 50 the day just could not get any better. The boys even found time to start getting a bit ‘risky’ with their choice of food. Burgers and chips were out and shark and dolphin sandwiches were in! Could this be a new addition to the cricket lunches back home?
One of our final days out in Trinidad was a truly memorable occasion. Through various contacts (namely Dwain Bravo being Dwight Yorke’s cousin) we had managed to get tickets to the World Cup Qualifier between Trinidad & Tobago and Costa Rica. Hardened PNE supporter, Phil Moss, was in for a rude awakening if he thought it would be just like Deepdale! This was a great day even though the score finished 0-0. The fans from both sides were like nothing back home with their dancing and singing from the first minute until the end. There was even a sprinkling of Premiership players in both sides – plus one guy who played for Wrexham!
If we thought Trinidad was beautiful then we were in for a shock when arriving in Tobago. Tobago was heaven on earth. It was perfect. Far less developed than Trinidad, the pace of life was even slower (if that was at all possible!) and the scenery was like something found in your average James Bond film. Every beach we went to was stunning and every person there was always smiling and pleased to see us and ask how we were.
Boat trips, snorkelling, hiking, swimming under waterfalls and team days at the beach were very much the order of the day and the relaxing nature of the island gave the boys every chance to wind down after three full days of cricket. The boys were even given a chance to give their vocal chords a once over during our final meal of the tour but it is doubtful whether they were able to match the Three Tenors (Evans, Jones & McKeown) for all round ability.
I hope that all of the boys will remember their two weeks in the Caribbean. They may remember it for how much their cricket improved or how the tour led to a very successful season back home. They may remember it for all of the hard work they put into the preparation whilst fundraising or for the wonderful people that they met and the places that they visited. Or it may simply be that they remember it for the team mates and staff that they toured with and the fantastic times that we all had. Whatever the memory, the boys were a superb advertisement for Arnold School and all of the staff were very proud of how they conducted themselves both on and off the field.
My thanks to all of the boys for their efforts both before and during the tour and a huge thank you to both Mr McKeown and Mr Jones for their expertise and invaluable support throughout the whole 14 months from start to end.
Mr M. L. Evans
M i/c Cricket
The Coach’s Report
There had been a huge amount of hard work put in off the field in terms of fundraising and sponsorship but the players knew that this work needed to exceeded for preparations on the pitch. Nets and practice started in November and went through twice weekly to the middle of March just before our departure. The attitude in the nets was good and the boys realised that they would have to perform at their best in the Caribbean. As we left to go, questions like how fast will the bowlers be, what will the wickets be like, what will the conditions be like and will the teas be good, filled the boys minds.
On arriving in Trinidad one of the first things that was obvious was the heat and how we were going to be able to adapt to the conditions. Due to a massive downpour our first net session was inside at the Queens Park Oval prior to the first game. We were well looked after by local player Darren Cruickshank who was coming to play in Manchester in the summer of 2005 and he also gave the boys some coaching from a West Indian perspective. The boys also got a chance to look around the stadium that they would be playing in the next day. Some seemed nervous, others could not wait to get out there.
The first game was against Queens Park Under 19 XI at the Queens Park Oval (the Test Match venue in Trinidad). Selection was tough as everyone wanted to play, but we decided to go with the more experienced players who had had 1st XI game time. The others who had not been selected needed to play a vital role as water was constantly required and so this involved everyone from the start and added to the moral of the squad. The opposition won the toss and elected to bat on a patchy wicket that was due to house a test match in 10 days time (West Indies v South Africa). The games on tour were all to be limited overs, in this case 40 overs. We started well and at the first drinks break at 15 overs we had the opposition at 68-4 with good bowling from Blackburn. By 25 overs Queens Park where 106-9 after Moss and Cowburn the spin twins had pinned the opposition down and taken wickets. However the heat took its toll at the hottest time of the day and we let them off the hook as they posted 191 all out after 38 overs. With our first three batsmen all being bowled for very little it was up to Heald and Blackburn to stay in and build up the runs. Both batted well but were not supported by the lower order. We finished on 103 for 9 after 40 overs with lots to work on. Onlookers included Dwane Bravo the West Indian test cricketer who along with local hero Brian Lara were currently on strike!
The next game was at a small village about an hour south of Port of Spain. It was a beautiful ground with one strip on the square that resembled a motorway. Most definitely a toss to win, however the opposition won the toss and elected to bat. Some very tidy bowling from Storey early on removed the opener and Holt was unlucky not to dismiss the other opener with a hard caught and bowled chance. However it turned out that he was a West Indian Junior international and had already scored a fifty in the Under 15 World Cup Final against South Africa - he went on to score 132! Blackburn was the pick of the bowlers taking four hard earned wickets. The opposition ended up on 297 all out. Unfortunately our bowling had been too short and we had failed to take our chances in the field. We were always going to struggle against such a large total and ended up on 104 for 7 with Cowburn and Heald the only two batsmen to front up to the bowling attack that included two very young but talented spinners. This was a big defeat against a very strong team and the boys had plenty to learn about the wickets and the way the game is played in the West Indies.
The third game was against Aranguez CC and again the opposition won the toss and elected to bat on another very firm wicket. They scored 242 all out with Storey, Blackburn and Moss the pick of the bowlers. The fielding was improved and the boys responded well to the comments made after the previous game with Tracey, Lee and Barnett backing up their bowlers. The bowlers were learning that anything loose at all would be dispatched for a boundary and that there was not the same leniency with wides. Again we struggled as many batsmen did not move their feet enough or played across the line with the first four all bowled after an encouraging start from Cain and Wells. We ended up on 144 for 8 with only Moss, Tracey and Storey showing any real resistance. Again this had been a tough game but the boys were starting to learn good habits from the opposition and our cricket was improving all the time.
We then moved to Tobago for the second three games and it was obvious that they had a slightly more laid back approach to their cricket. In the first game we played the Windward XI at glorious Goodwood with the sea and palm trees for a back drop. The wicket was typically English and was quite green. Arnold won the toss and inserted the opposition. A good all round performance bowled the opposition all out for 85 with Blackburn taking 6-25 and Parekh 2-28. The fielding was good and everyone was involved. However we made hard work of the batting as too many played across the line, but Storey scored a flamboyant 29 and Wells showed his worth by occupying the crease and taking some good sharp singles. We won the game by three wickets.
The next game was at Plymouth against the Leeward XI as the waves crashed in below us, a very beautiful setting. Sentiment aside the opposition won the toss and asked Arnold to bat on a reasonable track, with an unpredictable out field. We posted a good score of 195 for 7 with skipper Cowburn leading the way with an excellent 81, he was backed up by Blackburn 34 and Cain 23. This was the first time that we had really looked confident with the bat as we followed through on shots and put pressure on the fielding team, traits that we had picked up from the opposition. We bowled steadily in response but soon the opposition were on top and well above the run rate. The spinners Cowburn and Moss changed the game as the score went from 105 for 2 after 20 overs to 129 for 7 after 32 overs. The fielding, encouragement and desire in these 12 overs will not be forgotten. However by not taking our chances in the deep the game slipped away in the last 2 overs in an exciting finish that left the boys very down as they had battled hard. The opposition won by 2 wickets as they ended on 196 for 8 after 38.4 overs. This had been a great day’s cricket and it was just a pity that we had lost out at the death.
The final game was at Shaw Park in Scarborough the islands main town. After netting here during the week the boys had got the feel of this massive ground. Unfortunately we had to play the day after the Leeward game and there some tired and sore bodies. This match was against Tobago Under 19 and was going to be tough. We bowled first and restricted them to 195 for 6 with Nigam, Blackburn and Heald the pick of the bowlers, but no one will forget Peter Keith’s first ball on his birthday as he had a dangerous batsman caught. In reply we could only manage 103 for 7 of our allotted overs against a strong bowling attack. Wells was the pick of the batsmen as he stuck around and waited for the bad ball. The game was not only significant to Arnold but also to Tobago as it appeared on the local TV station that evening.
All in all to only win one game from six may be seen as a disappointing tour, however this was not the case. The improvement that the boys showed in their game and the way in which they approached it was fantastic. They learnt from every experience that they had on the field and used it to good effect in the next game and it will hopefully pay dividends in the season to come. The tour has made them all better players as well as giving them an experience that they will never forget. From a squad point of view the moral on tour was excellent and this sort of atmosphere within a team does not just happen, it has to built up over time. This will make us a very strong outfit for the season ahead.
Mr A. J. McKeown
1st XI Coach
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