It took an effort to get a tour party together, and it was a shame that the reward for those who made the effort and composed one of the more dedicated tour parties of recent years was the most reduced tour in history. Not by any means the wettest – there were only about 3 hours of rain in total during the actual tour – but the damage had been done in the previous weeks with the flooding of most of Gloucestershire. With the first game being at Oldbury-on-Severn it was hardly surprising that that game was called off very early on, though it might not have been had the home side not recently moved from the hillside ground of fond memory for older New Ash Green tourists to a larger and more sensible (though less characterful and more vulnerable to floods) ground in the village

As a result the tour party travelled to Bristol rather later than planned on Sunday and met up at Clifton Hill House for an evening meal in Clifton followed by the first of many games of poker during the week, interestingly won by two people who's stake was provided by others, perhaps proving that the freedom of not worrying about your own money makes for better play!

The further bad news was that the rain on Saturday night also brought an end to the hopes of a game on Monday at Coalpit Heath, who it seems could not prepare a wicket although the weather on the Monday was actually good. The absence of the game prevented Alan Cottrell from playing his 19th consecutive final retirement match at Coalpit Heath, but no doubt he will be back next year to try again. Deprived of the annual sound of jingling change as the Plumster skips up to bowl the bulk of the tour party headed for the pitch and putt course at Ashton Court, with some surprising results. The three threeballs produced a huge mismatch as Joe Elisak (c.75), the bandit of the group, raced to a 30+ stroke win over Matt Bushe and Joe Baker (both well over 100), a slightly closer contest between Marc Klus (c.85), Arron Ward (c.96) and Andy Cox (c.100?) in which the professional Cox started strongly but then faded under pressure from the brute force of Klus and the rapidly improving technique of Ward. The final threeball produced a contest which ebbed and flowed with the lead changing hands almost hole by hole between Matthew Quantrill (96), John Howland (101) and James Thorn (103). Remarkably only one ball was lost, when Mr. Thorn hit a ball into a tree and it apparently never came down. It was the Thorn affinity with trees that eventually took him out of the contest which he had led early on when he insisted on regularly visiting the rough around most of the trees on the course, and the decisive moment eventually came when John Howland decided to keep him company on the 16th. The visits to the rough paid off, though, as the group came away from the course with six balls more than they had started with. Still a good morning's entertainment, followed up by an intention to play snooker. However the discovery of a Poker tournament at the snooker club hooked enough of the tour party to ensure that was the main entertainment of the evening, with Andy Cox coming through the field of 32 to finish 3rd at about 1.30 in the morning, some six hours into the contest.

The consequent late night no doubt produced plenty of clear heads for the morning's ten pin bowling, an occasion that was momentarily delayed by the discovery that the bowling alley that was initially in the plans had been demolished. A trip across town to Avon Meads was thus required, and was rewarded by some of the highest scoring tour bowling in years. Olly Harding led the way in the first game with a score over 180, though his fall from grace in the second was spectacular, managing a score in the 50s. The second game saw seven consecutive strikes on one lane, a sequence ended by John Howland, but he had his revenge coming from way behind Thorn and Quantrill, who had both started with three successive strikes, to end with four in a row (a “four bagger”) and a score over 190.

Sadly this scoring wasn't translated to the cricket field once the team had made their way to Failand via the Black Horse (except for Andy Cox who dined in the Failand Inn). Winning the toss and choosing to bat was an optimistic course, but on a lifeless pitch New Ash Green found it hard going. Matthew Quantrill made a very slow 32 before skying one that should have gone over the fence, but none of the rest of the top seven could make double figures. Andy Cox made some move toward respectability with 35 and Arron Ward lasted till the last ball in making 14, but a total of 148 never looked likely to be enough with the bowling available.

Marc Klus and Andy Cox did pose some problems opening the bowling, but the all Clevedon opening pair of John Bachelor and Mark Pykett went for their shots and although on another day they might have found the fielders or been run out a couple of times they survived. Bachelor had to leave early and retired on 36, but Pykett carried on making mincemeat of all the bowlers' figures and brought up his hundred and the winning runs with a six in the 20th over and a dispiriting 10 wicket defeat. The size of the defeat was dispiriting in itself, but the lack of application probably made this one of the more depressing performances of tour history. To a degree this was made up for in the socialising afterwards, but overall it was a game best forgotten.

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And so, via various different eateries, pubs and clubs without great incident to Wednesday. Aside from arranging the collection of the chairman and captain for the day from the railway station little went on in the morning and the team had plenty of time for lunch at the Ring O' Bells, other than Dick Ellis who had to guide his lady friend to the pub and ended up being late to the ground, and Pete Burke who couldn't get away from work until 3.00. This was the game the party was still a man short for, but as it turned out Temple Cloud had a few to spare and with the addition of two of Temple Cloud's under 11's to the touring party the game turned into a 12 a side match. This time the tourists had the sense, whether by negotiation I don't know, to bowl first, and the 'fearsome' opening attack of Klus and Quantrill was soon under pressure. Qunatrill was replaced by 11 year old Dane Edwards, who at least reduced the scoring rate, but it was Klus who eventually made the breakthrough, the first wicket falling for 66 in the 11th over. Vaughan John produced a tidy spell of bowling himself, and Joe Elisak, tutored by the doyenne of spin bowling coaches and umpire for the day James Thorn produced probably his best spell of the season going for only 40 in 8 overs despite the relentless attacking play of the home batsmen and bowling the only maiden of the innings. Pete Burke was bowling within minutes of arriving and took a couple of expensive wickets, and David Baker also picked up two in a short spell. Several catches were missed, but Vaughan John took a good one only to step over the boundary in doing so, unfortunately right in front of the spectators so giving him no chance to lie about it. The final total of 248-8 was lower than has been scored in the past, and the attitude in the field was far more positive than the previous day.

The initial response, though, was almost as poor as the previous days. By the 13th (legitimate) ball of the innings the score read 7-3, with the top three batsmen all out for ducks and all the runs coming in wides. John Howland and the two borrowed 11 year olds, George Allwood and Dane Edwards, led a revival of sorts, with extras contributing very generously. By the end of the 18th over, though, the score was 58-6 and the game seemed to be drifting to a close. One of the consequences of tour batting orders, though, is that there are often very strong lower wicket partnerships, and with Marc Klus at 7 and Vaughan John at 8 this was one of those games. They started steadily, Klus taking an uncharacteristic 14 balls to get off the mark, but steadily worked away at the young Temple Cloud bowlers, picking off boundaries with great regularity. With extras still galloping along (a final total of 60 including 34 wides must be another potential record from this game) they started to make the apparently impossible look doable, and gradually forced Temple Cloud to take the game slightly more seriously. A club record 143 had been added for the seventh wicket and the total taken past 200 with 6 overs remaining before Klus was stumped for 76, and John followed soon afterwards for 49. Although Joe Elisak launched a few brave hits in making 14 the remaining batsmen couldn't quite get going and the victory which had seemed momentarily in reach slid again from the touring team's grasp. The game seemed all over when Arron Ward was given out LBW to the last ball of the 39th over, but somehow the decision was retracted and the president, Mr. Newmarch was wheeled on to bowl the last over. The batsmen having managed to cross on the LBW decision this was also bowled to Ward, who managed to pull a few away to mid wicket for some scampered twos, and with the aid of some more wides the final margin of defeat was reduced to 13 runs. The odd nature of the game also allowed for another unique distinction as in addition to the club record 7th wicket stand the 11 added for the last wicket by Ward and Matthew Quantrill was also a club record, and likely to remain so, 11th wicket stands being few and far between.

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The game was followed by a barbecue and socialising including the first game of stumps for some years, with a team of stumps virgins from New Ash Green consisting of Klus, Ward, Elisak, Baker and Bushe managing a heroic dead heat as Bushe recovered a small deficit on the final leg. The team eventually returned to Clifton and a visit to the new favourite watering hole, the Lansdown. Mr. Thorn having been chatting up the landlord he provided a jug of complimentary Somerset Champagne, a concoction which certainly included cider and then possibly some or all of lager, peach schnapps and brandy, and maybe any other dregs left in the bar. It was intended to be shared around in small doses, but with some choosing not to drink David Baker possibly over indulged, which put a beatific smile on his face at the time, but for which he later paid (quite literally) by way of an additional cleaning bill for his bedroom, the gruesome details of which we shall draw a veil over. What with that and Vaughan John waking up the entire building at 2.30 when he was unable to find his room it wasn't the most peaceful night for the touring party.

There were some doubts about how many could make the necessary 9.30 start planned for a round of pitch and putt before the 30th anniversary game against Barrow Gurney, but the depressing sound of solid, steady, grey rain put all plans on hold. The golf was abandoned quickly, and the cricket sadly followed after three hours steady downpour. A gloomy meal at the Princes Motto substituted for the expected end of tour meal in Clifton, and the majority of the tourists departed for Kent after a few hours snooker (in which Arron Ward was appalling and everyone else was even worse) intended to avoid the rush hour. Of the Clifton party only Matthew Quantrill and James Thorn remained to join the President and the First Lady as well as Elaine, the tour groupie, for a final meal at the Walrus and Carpenter in Clifton.

It was a sadly damp end, but the enthusiasm of those who attended together with several clear expressions of intent to tour next year offers hope for the future continuance of tour in the event of kinder weather next year.