G'day everyone,
Welcome to the report on the 2014 Awesome Glenmore Cricket Tour. Why is it awesome apart from the fact that it is totally awesome and has been for the past 8 awesome years. Well because when I look at the scorebook this year the first game against West Vancouver some as yet unidentified team mate who filled it out wrote Awesome Tour when asked to pen in which Competition the game was being played.
Lets back up a bit as this year things were a little disjointed in the departing and returning of those on tour.
So for the journey there, I can only wax lyrical about the infamous trio of Chris Williams, Bijju Mohankumar and myself - at least for the first day. Saturday the 28th June after one of the most severe defeats in Glenmore history at Riley Park (there will be no match report to relive the horror) we took off rather thankful of the early end to the day's bloodbath so that we could get to Kelowna at a relatively decent hour. After a brief stopover at Bray's place for provisions (5 cases of beer, 4 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of whisky) the intrepid trio took off on the open road. The 12th man and the 12th man again later with Bijju all but deafened by the massive tweeter/subwoofer combo over his head booming out Richy Benaud and Bill Lawry non stop, we reached Golden and had a welcome bite at the Legendary Legends Diner. Beer and burgers succesfully negotiated Bray took over for the much longer haul to Kelowna ;-).
Rita's is now a must for future tours with a huge pool and hot tub, views of the mountains and a welcoming hospitality that is exceptional. Out to the Twin Eagles Golf course the next day with Glenn and Trevor joining in on the fun and half the touring side trying their hand at hitting a much smaller ball. Bijju mastered the art of the cover drive and there were many shouts of "four" as his balls sped to the boundary. Trevor was on fire and cleaned up while Chris was left calling for continually more desperate bets in an attempt to salvage something.
Back to Rita's for an amazing BBQ and the first big dent in the touring stocks. All the wine, almost half the whisky and 2 cases of beer somehow went missing as everyone had a great time getting to know the locals and sitting by the firepit or soaking in the hottub. What an outstanding start to the tour. For those that flew in or missed out on the Kelowna connection it's highly recommended for next year.
Off to Vangroovy and the inevitable bonding that takes place on tour started to kick in. Revelations a plenty in Optimus Prime (Chris's Jeep). We found out that Bijju used to be a champion professional Charades player, Bray was a professional breakdancer and Chris earned a new nickname of Miyagi - wax on, wax off - nuff said.
Trev did well getting us accomodation at the Best Western Sands in English Bay. Beautiful beach and tons of awesome pubs and restaurants handy. The 3 brits seemed to be the hub of tour life while in Vancouver as it was just across the street from the Hotel. Alex and Lisa joined the tour along with Regan and Jill, Ashok and Mike.
Great night at the 3 Brits had by all especially Chris who had to bail at some point and go find Pizza leaving a half empty beer. Up to the room for a few extra Wild Swan pints which became the free beer of choice on the tour and then dreams of cricketing glory as we prepared to face up to West Van to seek revenge from last years defeat.
What a glorious day, 28 degrees, full sun and the West Van ground was stunning as usual. Joining us were Dave HJ, Nicola and family along with the Smudgintons and Heather's sister. We had a veritable cheer squad something seldom seen on tour.
Trevor was offered the toss and quickly decided to bat. Heading out to such gorgeous conditions both Bray and Storey were hoping to make the most of it and spend some time in the middle. 35 run enforced retirement was the goal and the openers got off to a good start scoring at 4.5 runs per over and bringing up the 50 stand in the 11th over. The West Van opening bowlers had been tightish but allowed the odd bad ball. With the boundaries long and the grass short but extremely thick it was hard to reach the rope. After 3 triples in quick succession Storey was yelling "tell me its going to get there" when Bray pulled one to backward square. Alas another 3 was the result and the pair were sweating it up in the middle but having a ball. Shortly after breaking 50 the partnership ended when Storey went to loft Mitchell down the ground and was stumped for 27. Trev followed suit stumped the very next ball. Black and Bray put on 15 before Bray only needing 2 to retire tried to play one off the stumps and missed. DHJ gave Regan some good support and together they stitched together a partnership of 23 before DHJ was caught. Bijju was next in and played extremely well. Even after Regan was bowled trying to hoik Hanif to cow corner for 28 Bijju continued on taking the singles and hitting the odd double. Lord Smudgington joined Bijju and also batted well as they put on the second highest partnership of the innings 33.
Smith was eventually bowled for 18 quickly followed by Chris for a globe and Glenn for a matching globe. Bijju continued to eek out the runs and when Ashok came and went for 4 Mike who was supposed to be relaxing in support mode came to the crease in the last over and managed to keep out 4 balls before slapping one to cover to close the innings 2 balls short of the 40 overs for 151.
Sal had taken 4 wickets and Mitchell 3 in a really decent bowling display by West Van.
Dave started a fiery spell bowling 4 awesome overs for only 4 runs including 3 maidens and the first wicket with a beautiful delivery that cleaned up Richards.
Bijju also started well before Jadhan took to him in his 4th over hitting 10 from it with 2 boundaries. Mann and Jadhan put on a really dangerous partnership and at one point it looked like West Van might pull off a repeat of last year. DHJ made way for Glenn who partnered with Bijju and bowled very tightly conceding only 8 runs from his first 4 overs. DHJ not to be left out swooped on a tight call and ran out Jadhan just when it looked like things were getting away from the Glenmore tourists. McKay joined Mann and together they also started building a partnership. McKay however was left in the lurch by his partner which brought about one of the funnier incidents of the game. The ball was fielded by Bray who was midway through the action of throwing the ball to the bowler when the loud "keeper" call was sounded. Trying to stop the throw but off balance Bray basically threw the ball into the turf a bare meter from his feet but still in the general direction of Bijju who was able to collect it and toss it easily to Trev who took the bails off. The scene brought some laughter, smiles and a "Ruprecht" comment from DHJ (author is guilty as charged Oaklahoma, Oaklahoma, Oaklahoma, Oaklahma......)
Chris came on and bowled without luck as Mann continued to chance his arm and seemingly try to run out his partners. Mann hit 35 and retired to the boundary to await a possible recycled return. Jiwa was looking good before Chris had him hitting a flat shot to Storey who pouched it easily. Adie went quickly after and was Chris's second victim this time pouched by Bijju. Ashok came on and had a stint but Kassam and Pereira piled on a nice partnership keeping West Van in the game and building the tension as the overs wound down with the total easily in reach and Mann waiting in the wings to return. Kassam tried a quick single too many however as Bray effected a more conventional run out from cover. West Van only needed 5 runs per over but Regan was thrown the ball and immediately made an impact picking up Gillani caught and bowled and then the dangerous Steve Milbourne who tried to hit over the top but could only find Storey at mid on who took a good sharp catch. Glenn came back on and picked up Mitchell caught by Chris and Mann made his way back to partner with Pereira who was on 12 and looking good. After the new partnership hit 4 doubles in a row the game was in the balance and the ball was thrown to Smith. With Mann facing, Jonno slipped through 2 dot balls before Mann threw his bat but only managed to sky it to cover where Bray who didn't backpedal quickly enough eventually had to dive backwards to take the catch and give Glenmore its first victory on the 2014 tour.
Honors were shared amongst the bowlers with Chris taking 2, Regan 2 and Glenn, Jonno and Dave one each with runouts being the most often chosen method of dismissal for the West Van batsmen. All out for 133 Glenmore were home by a mere 18 runs.
Jerk Chicken BBQ, Table Tennis, Foosball, Beer and a great clubhouse and bunch of guys made for a very enjoyable after game windup.
We love playing at West Van and can hardly wait for next year. Cricket doesn't get much better with the game being played hard but in great spirit and an even competition ending up nicely on the touring side of the equation.
Thanks West Van for hosting us yet again. We will be back for more next year.
With a free day to kill due to the Brockton oval match being cancelled everyone chose a different way to spend their time. Glenn and Tony headed to the par 3 course in Stanley Park. Some enjoyed the beach and the glorious sunshine. Chris, Glenn, Bijju and Bray soaked up the atmosphere and the fish and chips at Bridges on Granville Island. A great day had by all especially Bijju and Chris who took the opportunity to go on a bender into the wee hours after already stoking the fires at the 3 Brits.
Off to Victoria via the ferry and Chris and Bijju looked very sad and sorry. Bijju spent the crossing huddled up against the booth wall looking decidedly green while Chris who seemed to be recovering better was still not very chirpy.
Glenn and Trev caught the early morning ferry and filled in for West Van against Cowichan both equitting themselves extremely well with Trev retiring on 30 and Glenn also amongst the runs and picking up wickets including taking an excellent catch.
No sooner had most arrived at the Island Inn than everything was hastily thrown in the rooms and out the door for the quick jaunt down the road to the Sticky Wicket.
Afternoon darts and beer were the order of the day spilling over to billiards more beer and a really fun evening culminating in Glenn and Bray finishing up at the Irish Times for some live music and you guessed it more beer.
Friday was a day off in Victoria and everyone split up to find their own fun. Whale watching, fish and chips by the pier, wandering around the beautiful harbor were all accomplished as life's little stresses just melted away.
Saturday it was once again time for cricket and the touring party reunited at the Shawnigan Lake ground to play the old foe Cowichan. With Glenmore a couple of matches ahead on the win loss ratio Cowichan were eager to close the gap with a win.
Cowichan won the toss and elected to bat. Lord opened the batting and the left hander got onto a short ball from Bijju which flew to the boundary but was out shortly after when he and Gooda had a mixup and DHJ swooped in to effect the runout. DHJ also started were he left off in Vancouver with the ball, his first 3 overs going for only 2 runs including picking up Gooda with Bijju taking a good chance in the slips.
Ross King had a reprieve from Bray in cover who couldnt hold onto a slapped drive but Bijju had him 2 balls later hanging onto a good C&B chance. When DHJ had Heaps caught behind by Trev the score was 4/17 and Cowichan were in trouble. Mahen and Karthik came to the crease and immediately looked to build a partnership. They punished anything short and were quick to hit down the ground being especially harsh on Bijju hitting 6 boundaries off his last two overs. With DHJ finishing with 2/30 and Bijju 1/43 it was time for Black to get into the action. Partnering with Chris they slowed the scoring but not before Karthik retired for a well made 40. Black then bowled Mahen with a beauty for 38. 5/105 quickly became 6/105 as Buchanan was caught by Trev off Black in the same over. Simon who had made 50 last year against Glenmore provided more of the same belting the ball to all parts of the ground on his way to to another retirement in quick time. John Black spent some good time at the crease supporting Simon but shortly after the retirement of his partner got himself runout by Smith who put that arm of his to good use getting one quickly into Trev who took off the bails. Banks and Bala didn't hang around long with Banks caught by Bray off Jonno and Bala caught off Glenn by Ashok. Vippen their 12th batsman threw himself on his sword to be run out giving both Simon and Karthik the opportunity to recycle back into the game. They quickly made an impact hitting another 35 partnership before Simon was caught by Storey off Black for a well made 62. Karthik finished not out on 54. Regan finished with 3 wickets, DHJ 2 and the rest being equally shared at one apiece by Jonno, Glenn and Bijju.
Cowichan is a great place to play and even more fun when you are a batsman. Looking for a repeat of the same as West Van Storey and Bray were looking forward to spending some time in the middle and setting a platform to chase down the 209 runs for victory. Alas things did not go according to plan. John Buchanan cleaned Bray up with one that clipped the off bail. Storey looked good however smashing a cover drive off Gadan. Tony also started getting into the action with a couple of lovely boundaries. It looked like a partnership was growing but Gadan cleaned Tony up with a beauty and then repeated the dose an over later cleaning up DHJ who was looking good on 7 with a corker that beat him all ends up and took the top of off. Bijju, Ashok and Jonno all fell really quickly as the wheels completely came off for Glenmore. Bijju was cleaned up by a Simon inswinger and then Ashok was bowled by that man Buchanan followed 3 balls later by Jonno who could only hit one to cover. At 6/38 Glenmore were really looking to Storey who was on 17 and looking good. Partnered with Black the two looked like they might get something going until Buchanan again found the stumps this time knocking over Storey and really putting a nail in the Glenmore coffin. Black was looking really good however and was soon finding the fence. Lord and King both found the going tough with Black smashing long and high down the ground. Trevor provided some support but couldn't find the form he had shown against Cowichan a few days before for West Van and was caught for 11. Black retired shortly after for a whirlwind 40 but didn't stay off the ground long as Glenn came and went for a duck caught off Mahen.
With nothing to lose nose Reagan worked hard with Chris to do the impossible. Smashing boundaries became a regular habit as Chris stonewalled at one end and Regan threw the willow at everything. A win was a long way off however and when King cleaned up Chris with a lovely yorker Glenmore were 79 runs short and had suffered their worst defeat at Cowichan in 7 years. 7 batsmen were bowled which was quite telling on a pitch that plays very true and gives ample reward for playing straight.
Glenmore are still a win ahead and will look to extend that lead next year with a lot more straight bats.
Despite the loss the camaraderie on the ground was fantastic and as usual the spread put out by the Cowichan lads was awesome.
Black received the Cowichan shirt for his awesome innings of 66 and his spell of 3/37.
DHJ presented Gadan with a Glenmore cap for his spell of 2/16 and innings of 54 not out.
Everyone gathered at the local pub for the first fully attended Tour dinner. It was nice to have everyone there and share the great fun and friendship that is a hallmark of these tours. Out to the Irish Times for a fun evening of live tunes, pints and of course busting out some audacious moves on the dance floor.
Wanting to close out the tour with a win and finish with 2 wins to one loss everyone arrived at Windsor park the next morning fresh and ready to go. Storey unfortunately missed out heading on a road trip to Tofino but Glenmore were determined and with Ashok's friend Ravi filling the ranks had a full team on the pitch. Chris and Bray opened and the going was slow and steady as the Vagabonds openers gave nothing away on a very lush and slow wet outfield. Picking up the singles, doubles and a 3 down the ground Bray and Chris made their way to just 2 runs shy of the 50 opening when Chris hit a hard drive back to the bowler Lord who couldnt complete the catch but by happy chance was able to deflect it into the stumps leaving Bray backing up too far and on his way for 20. Chris followed shortly after bowled by Navjeet for 18. A good start and with a target of 150 being difficult to chase on the big ground Glenmore looked set to deliver a difficult target. A lot of work still to be done however as Ashok played a valuable innings of 15 and Glenn came and went for 4 not quite making it back for a quick second run. Jonno got off his habit of getting out for a duck in front of the family with a quick single that had him raising his bat to the looming Windsor Park pavilion. Ashok was out shortly after Jonno came to the crease Caught by Guy Drake off Navjeet who looked the most dangerous of the Vagabonds bowlers.
Regan joined Jonno and quickly got into stride clearly loving life on tour and the slow medium bowling that Vagabonds had at the wicket. Regan smashed Drake, Holt and Sandhu who went for two massive sixes including one that hit the road at square leg and took a good 10 minutes to find. Regan was loving it and in quick time put Glenmore firmly on the road to 150.
When Regan retired for a sensational 38 Trevor was bowled by Navjeet and then Ravi was out caught off Harris. Bijju came together with Jonno and they closed out the innings picking up ones and twos and making sure that Glenmore got over the 150 mark. Smith finished with 20 not out and Bijju 7 not out.
6 for 155 was the final result and the Vagabonds were going to have their work cut out.
Craig was the destroyer last year while playing for the midweek select and delivered more of the same this time with a little more luck. It seemed that all the late nights and beer drinking had finally caught up with the Glenmore boys as both Craig and Navjeet were repeatedly dropped. DHJ created a ton of chances but Craig rode his luck and hit one towering 6 down the ground. with 48 runs coming off only 9 overs Glenmore were looking for answers. It came when Black who was having an awesome tour was thrown the ball. Navjeet who hit long to deep mid on was finally caught by Chris who took an excellent catch under pressure right on the boundary. Finally the partnership was broken and with Crain retiring shortly after the flood gates were opened. Dave who was bowling really well threw together two awesome overs removing Matt for 1 and then Germit and David in the same maiden over both with their stumps in shoddy condition. Glenn chipped in with a wicket maiden picking up Lord caught by Jonno for 1. The score had gone from 1/48 to 5/62 in a flash and the Vagabonds were struggling. Chris came onto bowl and Bijju came back for a second spell and it didnt take long with Chris picking up 2 wickets and Bijju picking up 3 as the rest of the Vagabonds batting order collapsed in spectacular fashion. Even Craig who came back on with a runner as the recycled batter couldnt save the day finishing on 39 not out. All out for 76 and Glenmore home by 79 runs to wrap up the cricket portion of a very fun tour.
A big BBQ on the deck with family and friends over a few coldies with cricketing yarns the order of the day. Craig picked up the award for Vagabonds and DHJ picked up the beloved Vagabonds cap for the second year in a row.
This night was spent relaxing in the room knocking off most of the remaining Wild Swan.
Up and on the early ferry with a golf tee time waiting everyone was tired but happy after finishing as the tour started with a good win. Most of the team went their seperate ways with only a core group heading back together.
Tony, Trevor, Bray and Ashok had a round in Kelowna before heading back to Rita's again for another fantastic BBQ and soak in the hottub with Chris and Erin.
Fun and games ensued with Erin first one to draw blood knocking her sister Heather into the pool. Not to miss out on a chance to join the action Chris found it necessary to seek revenge for Heather by throwing Erin in. Amused by all the antics Bray watched on as Chris again grabbed Erin and threatened to add a second dunking. This time however Chris found himself rather surprisingly being pushed off balance by Bray and rather than saving Erin from the same fate made sure to take her with him as he toppled head first into the depths.
The evening culminated in a lovely fire and a full moon. What a great way to end the trip.
The drive back to Calgary was safely negotiated the next day by Trev, Mike, Tony, Ashok, Bray and Azeem.
Nothing to do now but clean the whites and put them safely away until next year.
Hope to see you out for the most fun you can have with your clothes on in 2015.
A massive thanks again to Trevor who is the unsung hero of this now Glenmore tradition. If you have not been on a tour yet then you owe it to yourself to book in for 2015. Seriously these are times that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Cheers
Jonathan