Home Again!

Day 10 - Mount Lavinia

Another travel day today. We left Coral Sands, Hikkaduwa at around 10am this morning on the bus bound for Mount Lavinia - a suburb of Colombo.

Today is Sinhala, or Sri Lankan and Tamil New Year. The sounds of exploding fire crackers echoed in every street we drove down.  As we drove north along the coast, our guide told us about the impact of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami on this part of Sri Lanka.

We arrived our new hotel, Mount Lavinia around lunch time. This fantastic hotel was built by the Governor of Sri Lanka in the early nineteenth century.

In the evening we were treated to a fantastic evening at the house of a local businessmen. The food was incredible, and to cap it all off, the boys were able to meet Farveez Maharoof the Sri Lankan Test Cricketer. He gave a really stimulating and thoughtful talk to the boys on how they can achieve their full potential in life and as cricketers.

We returned to the Hotel ready to rest before our final game tomorrow.

Day 9 - 5th Match vs Uyanwatta-Matara U15, Matara

Mill Hill travelled south to face Uyanwatta-Matara School. On what was a slow batting pitch, Mill Hill went out to bat first. After a slow but stead start with Ben Scott and Luca Cicarle opening the batting, Mill Hill were 30 for 20 after 10 overs. Ben Scott ran well between the wickets. Unfortunately Kush Thakrar and Charlie Plummer were out to unplayable balls.

Lukas played a valuable innings, and was joined by Leo and Campbell for brief appearances. Jamie Davies played some good shots. Ethan Bamber came in at number 8 and played a fantastic innings, hitting 58 off of 26 balls (3 4's and 6 6's with a strike rate of 223.08). Ethan was assisted by Matthew Thal. Mill Hill ended their innings at 149 for 8.

Unfortunately, today's game was not to end in a Mill Hill victory. Fierce opening spells by Ethan Bamber (5.2-0-30-0) and Lukas Vanhaesebroeck (5-0-18-1) restricted Matara for the first 10 overs. However the opposition outperformed Mill Hill with the bat. Despite excellent bowling from Matthew Thal (5-0-34-2), Matara were able to reach their total with 7.8 overs to spare.

Another enjoyable day, even though the result did not go in Mill Hill's favour.

The match report is available here:
http://www.crichq.com/matches/127210

Day 8 - Match 4 Vs Mahinda College, Galle

Due to 'technical difficulties' this blogger is sad to report that there will be no photos for the foreseable future (or until I can fix my laptop).

Today's match vs Mahinda College took place at the Galle Test Ground. Badly hit by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, the ground was rebuilt thanks to the fundraising efforts of Shane Warne. Dominating one whole side of the ground is the colossal fort built by the Portuguese and renovated by the Dutch and the British. It made for an awe-inspiring backdrop to a decent day's cricket.

Mill Hill lost the toss and were put into the field on a slow wicket. Ethan Bamber opened the bowling with some lovely swinging deliveries. His slow ball claimed the first wicket of the day. Other wickets soon followed; Ben Balcombe took a catch and Matthew Thal claimed 4 wickets from 6 overs. 

For his performance Matthew also received the newly created 'Yellow Jersey' of the Tour. This yellow t-shirt will be awarded in future matches to the man of the match, and their figures will be preserved for posterity when they are written on the jersey.  Other helpful contributions came from Leo Isadore, who took a wicket, and Jamie Davies who took two wickets. Overall, Mill Hill fielded well and were able to keep the opposition down to a competive total of 96 all out. 

After lunch, Jamie Stewart and Ethan Bamber opened the batting. Jamie unfortunately was out in the first over. This was, unfortunately, to be a reecuring theme to the Mill Hill innings. The boys were unused to the quality of the spin bowling on a slow wicket.  Before long, Mill Hill were 25 for 4, which soon became 30 for 8. Henry Webster hit 16 runs, while Jamie Davies hit 14. Finally, Lorenzo  Tomasi put in a sprited performance as the game reached its conclusion. Mill Hill were only able to muster 40 all out. However, many lessons were learnt by the boys, who all reacted positively in the face of adversity. 

The match was followed by a trip into the Dutch fort along with a guided tour. We were shown the Dutch hospital as well as a Anglican church that had been turned into a Mosque and a Dutch Lutheran Church. 

On returning to the hotel, the boys cooled off in the pool before the now traditional game of catch on the beach. However, this time was different, and several of the boys were invited to play beach cricket against some local Sri Lankans. The invitation followed a fantastic piece of fielding by Ethan Bamber who caught a ball smacked for 6 by a Sri Lanka. 

From this blogger's position on the beach it was difficult to tell who won. One thing is certain - the Sri Lankans certainly seemed more adept at holding on to the carved piece of word being used as a bat. A number of times, people went scurrying for cover as the bat went hurtling over their heads.  However to aid future touring sides, Ethan Bamber gratiously denoted a number of bat grips to the local lads. 

The evening ended with dinner on the beach, fireworks and a bonfire as the Sri Lankans geared up towards their new year. 

Another great day. Less successful on the cricket pitch, but rewarding nevertheless. 

Day 7 - Kandy to Hikkaduwa

This blogger doesn't usually react to well to a 05:30 wake up call, however, today was a special occasion. We were due to catch the Kandy to Colombo train at 06:15, and had to make our way down to the central station from our hotel.  We piled into some waiting Tuk Tuks and within what seemed like a matter of seconds we were at the station. All sense of time and space were lost as the Tuk Tuks hurtled to their destination. Happily, we all arrived in one piece and in plenty of time to get comfortable on the train.  

Even at this early hour, Kandy Central Station was a hive of activity. We had seats booked into a special 'observation' carriage, which was luxurious by the standards of the whole train (mostly 2nd and 3rd class). Also the standards of comfort in our observation carriage were not far behind the rather enticing (but ominous sounding) 'super deluxe' class carriage at the front of the train. Anyway, I digress...

Our carriage was at the end of the train, where the guard's van usually is, and this gave us superb views of the beautiful landscape. This also segregated us from the rest of the train's passengers, who were probably a little relieved not to face another Mill Hill rendition of the now ubiquitous tour anthem 'Maw Lanka'.

Matthew Thal manages a 6am smile. 

As we pulled out of the station, the boys quickly devoured their breakfast packs provided by the hotel. After an hour or so of travelling, groggy morning bewilderment had given way to 'banter banter banter banter'. As we left the city behind us, and hills approached, the boys settled in for what would be a truly breath taking display of Sri Lankan countryside.

The hills outside Kandy.

Messrs. Plummer and Cicale take in the sights and sounds of the railway.

Kush contemplates his next double century.

Following a coordinated waving campaign unleashed by Mill Hill pupils upon the unsuspecting but compliant Singhalese rural population we arrived in Colombo at around 11:00. Here we met up with our coach and guide, Priya. Safely back on the coach, we headed for Hikkaduwa, using the newly opened Express Way.

We arrived in Hikkaduwa around 14:00, where we checked into our third hotel, the Sand Coral Hotel, located on the beach. The boys relished the opportunity to relax by the pool after what had been a long day. They were also able to hone their fielding skills with a game of catch.

If in doubt all jump - the ball will fall into someone's hand(s)!

All the boys went to bed rested, keen to maintain their winning streak tomorrow at the Galle Test Ground.

Day 6 - 3rd Match vs St Anthony's College, Kandy

Today's post comes from our very own cricket correspondent (and player) Lukas Vanhaesebroeck.

Today we played a very competitive St Anthony's team, however, we thrashed them. Luckily we had won the toss, and for the first time, we decided to have a bat. We had a solid start with Ethan Bamber and Ben Scott opening. Unfortunately, Ben was run out due to their brilliant fielding. However, we had the amazing Lukas Vanhaesebroeck in next who scored a professional 78 not out. This was backed up with a solid 40 from Campbell Castagna. This set up a good base for the lower order to have a bat. 

In the end we reached a score of 190. After, we came out confidently to have a bowl. Lukas got the first wicket in his first over from a catch from Ben Balcombe. The next few overs came from Kush and Matti Thal. They got 3 wickets between them. Jamie Davies took an excellent catch off of Kush. Their batting attack wasn't as strong as we expected but their lower order batsmen gave a good fight. This was backed up by Jamie Davies and Charlie Plummer. Unfortunately, their effort wasn't enough and were all out for 115. But we gave their number 12 batsmen a go to have a bat. 

This was an excellent performance from Mill Hill, giving the boys their second win of the tour. They bowled and batted exceptionally well and deserved their victory.

Photos from the game can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1438212086417382.1073741833.1437939786444612&type=1

Tomorrow we return to Colombo on the picturesque Kandy to Colombo railway. http://www.exporail.lk/maps.php

Day 5 – Kandy 2nd Match vs Dharmaraja College

All tour photos now available at https://www.facebook.com/mhcricket2014 

Keen to improve on the performance in the first match, Mill Hill left for their second match of the tour vs Dharmaraja college, Kandy,

The grounds of the College were situated on a hill overlooking Kandy and catered for over 4,500 pupils as well as Sri Lanka’s largest Scout Lodge.

Mill Hill lost the toss and went out to bowl. Excellent early spells from Ethan Bamber (6-1-23-2), Charlie Plummer (4-0-21-1), Adnan Rahman (2-0-6-2) and in particular Matthew Thal (5-0-13-0) restricted our hosts to 133-8 after 30 overs. All the boys fielded excellently, especially Luca Cicarle and Harry Rapley. 

Charlie Plummer takes a wicket.

Some excellent catches were taken by Cambell Castagna, Kush Thakrar and Ethan Bamber, while Jamie Davis and Kush Thakrar both achieved excellent run outs.

Scotty with his new pals!

After lunch, Mill hill, sensing that a victory was possible, went out to bat. Jamie Stewart and Ethan Bamber opened the batting, putting on 25 for the first wicket.

Charlie Plummer and Lukas Vanhaesebroeck took Mill Hill to within a fraction of victory. Charlie Plummer hit 26 off 27 balls with 4 4s before being caught, while Lukas scored 43 not out. Kush Thrakrar and Henry Webster helped to score the winning runs. 

Lukas contemplates a successful innings. 

Following the match, in a touching act of generosity our hosts presented the Mill Hill pupils with Dharmaraja College caps. The boys were ecstatic following their well-earned victory and all felt they had contributed to the team’s success. 

After returning to the hotel we all travelled into Kandy for a cultural show of dancing and fire walking. This was an incredible experience for the boys, who all really enjoyed themselves. 

A stimulating presentation was given by Kush, Charlie, Ben, Lorenzo and Lucca on aspects of Sri Lankan culture, including the dances we had just witnessed.

The boys went to bed early, hotly anticipating the prospect of a second tour win in their next fixture vs St Anthony’s College, Kandy.

The scorecard can be viewed here: http://www.crichq.com/matches/125609 (please disregard where it says St John’s College. This is tomorrow’s match!)

Day 4 – Kandy / Elephant Orphanage

After leaving the Lagoon Hotel at 10:00 Mill Hill set off for the elephant orphanage in high spirits. Before leaving, Matthew Thal was rewarded with his bow-tie, to be worn at all times except when playing cricket.

We arrived at the orphanage before lunch and proceeding into the grounds. We immediately came face to face with a heard of majestic Asian elephants. The orphanage was in beautiful surroundings and was home to around 70 elephants. 

 
The boys were allowed within touching distance of these wonderful animals and they had a great time feeding the elephants with pineapple, bananas and watermelons. 

The pupils were able to fill their own elephantine appetites when our lunch was served in a Hotel overlooking the river where soon enough the elephants were brought down to wash. 

 
After some great photo opportunities we returned to the coach and continued our journey into Kandy. Kandy is a beautiful colonial city, and it wasn’t long until we reached our next destination, the Suisse Hotel.

After two hours of relaxation time, we were treated to a visit to Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Tooth Temple in central Kandy. This is home to the tooth of Buddha, which was collected after his cremation and placed in a shrine in the Temple. 

We returned to an excellent dinner at the hotel, followed by an impromptu sing song in the restaurant by the boys. The guests of the hotel were treated to a rousing rendition of the Sri Lankan classic ‘Mau Lanka’ taught to us by our guide Priya.

Following dinner, the boys gave short presentations to each other on their highlights of the day. Adnan ‘the elephant man’ Rahman gave a stimulating talk on elephants with Ethan Bamber. Meanwhile Henry Webster and Matthew Thal spoke knowledgeably about Buddhism.

The 'Tuesday Teaser' is to add a caption to the following photograph: 

Day 3 – Negombo – 1st Match vs SSC, SSC Test Ground, Colombo

Hoping to feed off the back of Sri Lanka’s victory in the Twenty 20 final the previous evening, Mill Hill travelled to the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) test ground Colombo for their first match.

 

Although the pool looked really inviting a chance to play on the number one Test ground in the country proved too great. All the boys immediately settled into the away dressing room with their individual seats/lockers. Having lost the toss, the boys were soon fielding in temperatures of around 32 degrees. 

All the boys were involved throughout the thirty overs whether it was fielding or bowling and after a rusty start settled into a good rhythm and enjoyed the cool breeze. Although the well-honed academy players played well Mill Hill stuck to their task and reduced the opposition to only 217 for 7 off 30 overs. Good performances from Charlie Plummer 1-15, Ethan Bamber 1-30 and Jamie Davies 3 overs for 20 runs. 

Lunch in the changing room allowed Mill Hill to refuel and were soon to launch the counter-attack. Ethan Bamber and Lucca Cicarale put 44 for the first wicket. Great supporting roles from Henry Webster (36) and Cambell Castagna (40 not out) put the team within striking distance of the target. Although great running towards the end with Ben Scott helping Cambell, we fell short and ended on 182-5. A truly fantastic effort from all concerned. All of us teachers were really impressed with the way the boys coped with the adverse conditions. 

After a quick presentation we went to the Cricket Club Café for milkshakes followed by a quick trip to a Cricket shop where an Old Millhillian gave the boys a Sri Lankan cricket shirt.

We all feel that the boys have really gelled today and couldn’t stop talking about the game over dinner. Off to see some elephants tomorrow on our way to Kandy!

Day 2 – Negombo

After a good hearty buffet breakfast we boarded the air conditioned coach to a local school to practise in the conditions for a couple of hours. Having had a good workout we got back to the hotel and enjoyed a quick game of volleyball in the pool (with the off duty life guards joining in!)

To much relief the hot weather abated and with the threat of rain we played a game of quick cricket of 10 overs per team at a local Catholic school. Although we lost we entered into the spirit of the game by retiring boys in order that most could get a little hit before the serious cricket started. 

After another fantastic buffet meal, in the evening the boys watched Sri Lanka vs India in the World Twenty 20 final.

Day 1 - Saturday 5th April

Fresh off of a 10 hour flight, Mill Hill Cricket has arrived in Sri Lanka. Adnan definitely won the prize for 'most hours slept on a plane'!

After a generous and warm welcome from Sport Asia, during which the pupils were presented with garlands from our hosts, we left on a lovely air conditioned coach for the hotel.

At the hotel we were greeted with a traditional Sri Lankan welcome and within seconds the pupils were cooling off in the very small  (actually 100 metres) pool!

This was followed by a James Bond-esque boat ride around the lagoon where much wildlife was spotted. 

This was followed by a beautiful bbq meal accompanied by live traditional (and less traditional) music. Most of the boys learnt a new skill of eating with their hands. Note the bemused look of one hungry pupil when told 'no cutlery'!

The meal ended with a sing song and a fantastic rendition of the Sri Lankan national anthem.

We went to bed happy and rested, ready to begin our acclimatisation the next day.

Fearless and two friends!