We are going up!

After a poor first season in which we struggled following promotion to the thrid division, Verwood have pulled off a stunning feat in managing to come 2nd in the league with the reward of higher grade cricket all over the New Forest next summer. The final game proved to be one of the easier matches as we played the bottom side, Ringwood, who I had believed to be placed last because of two forfeited games where they called off to watch the 2 England games during the World Cup. In fact, they were there on merit.

We bowled them out of 101 with Mark Anderson taking 5 for 23, his first wickets of the season which tells you something about their qualities. The openers, Mark again and Nick, knocked the runs off in no time giving us a 10 wicket win and the opposition grumbling 'embarrassing' as they walked off. The 24 points secured 2nd comfortably in the end and it was straight off down to the pub afterwards.

Already looking forward to next year!

Verwood grab second

Saturday was the penultimate fixture of the cricket season with Milford on Sea the visitors. They came with a good record but left empty handed after a 9 wicket victory for us which puts us back into 2nd and looking good for promotion. The result of the Bournemouth fixture where they took only 2 points helped enormously and their misfortune was fully exploited.

Dan chose to field first and Ali took three wickets early on despite some good batting on a difficult pitch. Dan toiled away for 12 overs without a wicket following some poor luck leaving the change bowlers an opportunity to make a contribution. That Milford were all out for just 86 was down to some good fielding, particularly from Kevin who took three catches during the innings. John took two wickets while I had a good spell, my best of the season, to take 5 for 13 off 9 overs.

Batting was never easy for the opposition who convinced themselves of the inadequacies of the pitch to such an extent that they played some poor shots in trying to cope rather than simply play straight and forward. That lesson was borne in mind by Nigel and Chris M who put together a winning partnership after the first and only wicket fell with the score on 10 made in 3 balls by Mark A.

One game to go - away to bottom side Ringwood.

South Devon Walk Day 5

Alison was happy not to complete the final walk of the week and reluctantly I agreed to forego the pleasure of tramping another 12 miles along the coastal path simply in the interests of keeping her company and absolutely nothing to do with wanting an excuse to opt out of more demanding clifftop climbs.

That meant Sandra and Jerry, who continued despite the worst blisters I've ever seen, were the only ones to finish the walk, all 46 miles. In the meantime the rest of us took a cruise up to Kingsbridge from Salcombe and spent most of our time there looking round the town museum which was very interesting especially about the role played in the area during World War 2 when Slapton and the surrounding localities were evacuated so that troops could prepare for the D Day Landings.

I also ended up having the world's worst pasty there as we waited for a bus to take us to Torcross where we would meet up with S & J.

The middle two pictures are on the boat to Kingsbridge while the bottom one shows Torcross and along to Slapton.

The first is of an American tank recovered from the sea a few years ago and now a permanent memorial to the hundreds of servicemen who died near here preparing for the invasion of Europe. More men died during the exercises than on the beaches of Normandy including the slaughter of 700 men caught by German E boats.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/3666355.stm

The link provides further details about the area and the memorial.

We had our final night in a pub which did offer some good food, a pool table and a dart board which made for a good way to round things off, although the world's worst pasty was followed by the world's worst bed. Now having been a student and slept anywhere I could at times, this was in a league of its own for sheer squeakiness, banging, creaking and sinking into the middle. It was awful.

The next morning couldn't come quickly enough but it also gave the tour company a final chance to show how poor they could be by not organising transport back to Plymouth where the train awaited Jane and Keith while the rest of us picked up Jerry's car from the station. That meant a £60.00 taxi fare back to Plymouth followed by three and a half hours driving back to Woodlands in time for cricket at lunchtime.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed the week and the pictures, I hope, give some idea of just how wonderful the scenery was in places making the walks worthwhile for that reason alone.

South West Coast Day 4 Evening

As mentioned in the previous post, Salcombe was celebrating the end of its 150th regatta when we arrived. After what seemed a long walk to the town centre, more steep hills, we had a meal in a pub with a boat suspended upside down from the ceiling which Jane seemed to think would be feasible for anyone to do.

During our meal we were entertained by the sound of drums from outside and a whole range of other 'instruments'. They were made from things like shopping trolleys and industrial piping. The young people playing them were excellent although I'd be hard pushed to say the same about the line dancers who followed. On the corner of the square a young lad got his kilt on and started playing the bagpipes, the first busking bagpipe player I've ever seen. He must have been about 13 and was minded by his dad and they both looked so happy when the crowds applauded loudly. That may just have been gratitude that it was over!

Just after 10 the firework display started and it was superb. There were two launch sites from the estuary with the fireworks synchronized, something that hadn't happened at the celebrations before.

South Devon Walk Day 4

Thursday was far more cloudy than the previous two days giving us easier walking conditions which was great bearing in mind the 13 miles to cover. That took us to Salcombe where we had the good fortune to arrive just as the regatta was coming to an end and were consequently treated to some special events.

For a change there is a picture of me about to set off from Challaborough. The top picture is of Hope Cove, which apparently means a small, enclosed valley in Old English, where we stopped for lunch. It was not quite half way and what followed was one of the hardest parts of the walk. There are two photos giving some idea of the climbs we 'enjoyed' but I did not take any of the worst part which took us close to the edge and left us all breathless. Bolthead was stunning as was the climb into Salcombe past a rocky outcrop.

It was almost 4 in the afternoon by the time we arrived at our B & B which unfortunately was up a steep flight of steps, just what we needed after such along walk. In fact Salcombe was full of ups and downs which were the only downside to such an attractive place.

South Devon Walk Day 3 Evening

The photos show, apart from Alison trekking through the wilderness before arriving at Challaborough, the scenery surrounding Burgh Island at Bigbury On Sea. We stayed at a B & B at Challaborough but set off to find somewhere to eat at Bigbury which was a waste of time as there was nowhere to go. It was time for the taxi again and we were taken a few miles to some fancy place where it cost £9.00 for a plate of salad and a bit of aubergine - not very impressive at all.

The tide sweeps across the strip of sand between Bigbury and Burgh Island which restricts access to the island for a short while. It's a great beach there and Jane and Keith explored more of it the following morning when we'd set off on day three of our adventure. Jane was determined to have a Famous Five type adventure and perhaps that's why she was so keen to visit the 'mysterious island' where Agatha Christie, no less, wrote one of her novels.

They did a seal which was stranded as the tide receded. I'm not sure if that counts as adventure.

South Devon Walk Day 3

Wednesday was as hot and sunny as the day before and we had planned to take a slight detour from the coastal route to reduce some of the walking given the discomfort Keith was feeling from the previous day. Our landlady insisted we do the full walk though and even offered a lift to the start. That meant Sandra and Jerry going their own way with her while the remaining four of us set out with the intention of meeting them at Mothecombe at lunchtime.

The views were fantastic but the walking was quite slow to start with. The first two photos show Alison and Jane, and then Keith coming to the end of the road and the restart of the coastal path. There are then two more pictures showing views from the cliff tops with Burgh Island, near our destination, in the far distance. We were covering some 12 - 13 miles that day.

By lunchtime Keith was in quite a lot of discomfort and he and Jane decided to travel the remainder of the way by taxi, a mode of transport they adopted for the last part of the week. We met up at lunchtime as planned and the rest of us struck out for Challaborough in the heat of the afternoon. Some of the hills (mountains!!) were very steep with coming down as, if not more difficult, than going up. I ended up running down in a couple of cases as it was easier.

I love the last picture which shows Alison to the right with Sandra and Jerry on the far left of the picture. It gives good indication of the weather which was energy sapping and left us all quite burnt, as well as the undulating nature of the walk.

Despite it all we were at our destination before 3.30 and Alison and I were quickly in the water enjoying a cooling swim followed by a bit of a kip on the beach. Looking up the beach later, we saw Jane and Keith along with Sandra and Jerry tucking into chips and soon joined them followed by a trip to the bar just across from the beach.

We'd been split up by the tour company for the night with Jane and Keith some few miles away leaving us with a very prim and proper landlady who made us feel pretty unwelcome despite her husband's best efforts.

South West Walk - Day 2 Evening

The sunshine continued throughout the day and saw us complete the first stage by arriving at Noss Mayo which, although so close to Plymouth, was somewhere I'd not been before. It is a well kept secret and as we approached it looked more like somewhere in the Caribbean than South Devon as can be seen in the second photo. The last picture, above, is taken on the ferry across to Noss Mayo but we found we'd gone too far and had to return to a third landing point near The Dolphin Inn where we had a very welcome drink just before they closed at four! Not used to pubs closing during the day nowadays.

The bed and breakfast was some 20 minutes further on still but was refreshingly ramshackle with an idiosyncratic landlady. Despite something fearsome about her, she was lovely and offered to take us for a trip to the pub in the evening in her boat as the villages celebrated the end of their regatta with a pub race. The rules boiled down to teams of 6 rowers rowing between three pubs with a pint being drunk in each one. The team with the most pints drunk won the race but to be honest it was just an excuse for a few(?) drinks and ended with boats being capsized and the occupants all soaked through.

The start of the race can be seen in the first photo while photo 3 shows the landlady transporting a local press photographer around after she'd dropped us off. We ended up at The Ship where the food was fantastic. There was quite a long time spent debating what to have as you can see with the four adventurers mulling over their choices.

South Devon Walk Day 2

Tuesday was the first day of actual walking and we were fortunate enough to enjoy some fantastic sunshine as we set out. The picture above shows Ali, Jane and Sandra waiting for the Mountbatten ferry to take us from the Barbican followed by a photo of four of the intrepid walkers on the ferry itself. We were quickly underway after that and covered the two miles that took us in line with Plymouth Breakwater which is shown in the first photo.

http://www.plymouthdata.info/Breakwater.htm

There is a picture of Alison making her way across the footpath leading to Bovisand where Keith, Sandra and myself had a swim.

http://www.lotstodo.co.uk/beaches-detail-a8.asp?area=8&beachserial=23 Bovisand beach

Unfortunately for me I stood on a weaver fish as I came out of the water. I knew what had happened straight away this time having stood on one at Bournemouth beach last summer. It was very painful and I hobbled up to a cafe a few hundred yards away and spent the next 30 minutes with my foot in a bucket of very hot water to draw the sting out. I did get a free cup of coffee and was very pleased when the woman in the car park told everyone how she had seen grown men cry with the pain and how brave I was! I wasn't sure how able to walk on I'd be but being such a brave soul I decided to press on. I'm looking for sympathy here lol.

The crowded beach scene is from Wembury where we stopped for lunch. The beach lends itself to the football chant at Argyle where they sing Wembury, Wembury. We're the famous Plymouth Argyle and we're off to Wembury. This is instead of Wembley and is a far more realistic proposition.

By the end of the day we had covered 7 miles which was just a taster of things to come.

South Devon Walk Day 1 Evening

The evening before setting off for the actual walking part of the week, we got together with Chrissie and Jamie along with various nieces, Roxanne, Rochelle, Charlotte, Emily and Grace. The Barbican was looking good with lots of activity about the place but we ended up at an Italian restuarant which quickly failed to live up to anything like the food in Rome.

I'd rather have had a pasty!

South Devon Walk Day 1

Welcome to the second half of our holidays away, for me and Alison at least. Having spent the weekend at home since arriving back from Rome, we set off on Monday morning with Sandra and Jerry headed for Plymouth where we would be walking the south west coast path alongside Keith and Jane.

The plan was to spend Monday getting to Plymouth along with some sightseeing followed by four days of walking taking us 46 miles to Torcross near Slapton.. Bed and breakfast had been organised by Contour walking holidays as well as the transfer of luggage. They were fine with that part but let us down in other ways starting with nowhere to park the car for the week despite claims by them that it could be left at the hotel. In the end it was down to Plymouth Station for the week and additional charges which we obviously weren't happy about.

On the way we stopped off at a picnic site where we managed to coincide with the emptying of the toilets and the opportunity for several dogs weary of travelling to relieve themselves as we ate our food! Still, Alison looks happy enough in the photo at the top.

There is then a picture from the Hoe across to Bovisand where we would be walking the following day. Smeatons Tower is next, the typical image of the Hoe in postcards. The sky looks pretty glowering there but it was actually a nice day and lots of kids were throwing themselves from ridiculous heights into the sea. They were a long, long way up and I really do mean a long way.

The there is picture of the fairly recently restored Tinside Lido, an art deco pool that had been closed for several years. Newly restored it looks great on the Hoe. Finally there is a picture of the other three enjoying refreshment as we waited for Keith and Jane to arrive in Plymouth.

http://www.plymouthdome.info/index.cfm?fsa=dspsmeaton - for information about Smeatons Tower

http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news_features/2003/tinside_pool.shtml - for information about the Tinside Lido

Iscape - the new Thirty Plus

Monday evening was the starting point for the new look Thirty Plus who, now sponsored by Iscape (see new tops and shorts!), performed well in defeat against younger, fitter, more skilful opponents. That is a theme likely to continue into the foreseeable future!

Dougie (goalkeeper 1st half) Dom (goalkeeper 2nd half) Matt I Matt C Iain Dave Kev

The team had a familiar look to it although manager Kev has signed Adie during the close season amid rumours of a deal involving a safari to Tanzania and a shared tent which will rule them out for several games. Hen's car had broken down on the Spur Road necessitating the interim goalkeepers sharing the duties between the posts.

One nil down early on, we fought back well with a sound passing game to equalise thanks to a combination move leaving Matt C in front of goal. He passed the ball into the net with consumate ease and rules the roost as top scorer at least for the a few weeks until our next fixture.

Just before the interval we fell behind again with a slick move leaving us wide open. Despite following his adage of going down early, Dougie was helpless as the ball was thumped past him. The second half was a little more disjointed for ten minutes during which time we fell further into arrears with the pick of the goals a left foot cross flicked home into the far corner.

This spurred us on again and we competed well for the rest of the game although without creating many chances. With that it was off to the Coach and Horses to catch up with Linford and Colin and the tale of Kevin and his scrap copper wiring deals.

Game two follows in three weeks due to no fixture next week and the Bank Holiday at the end of the month by which time the evenings will be well and truly closing in and I will be back at school.

Verwood win magnificently

Having lost narrowly the week before, it was vital we won on Saturday which we duly did with possibly our best performance of the season, one in which I did not bat and I did not bowl. Could that be the secret to success?

I'd just got back half an hour earlier from the walk along the Devon coast and was happy to simply wait around for the afternoon in the time honoured tradition of cricket all over the world.

We were put into bat and scored our highest innings for a couple of years ending up at 234 for 8 from 42 overs. Nick top scored with a whirlwind 92 and John got another 50 while Nigel hit 40+. I was meant to go into bat but declined thus allowing others to grab the glory. I was also meant to bowl but again, given the comfort with which we were winning, declined, giving young Michael, in his first competitive match, the chance to bowl. He took a wicket with his first ball as the delivery took the outside edge and flew to slip. I lunged forward (perhaps more of a fall) and pouched the catch, my only real contribution all game.

My legs were grateful not to have had to move much for a few hours and we ended up winning by over 100 runs with Dan the pick of the bowlers taking 4 for 52.

Only two games to go now and two wins would guarantee promotion to the seond division of the New Forest League. I am not sure how we would fare as the standard rises quickly as we found when promoted last year and struggling for the first half of the season. It would be fun finding out though and we all like a challenge.

Rome - Day 8

That's all folks! We made our way to the airport early on Thursday morning where we took our flight to Paris and then onto Southampton without of the delays or frustrations of the outgoing flight. Experienced travellers all!

The photos are from the aircraft as is pretty obvious I would say. The beach is outside Rome and the motorway is on the approach to Charles de Gaulle airport.

Rome - Day Seven

On our final day we went all over Rome for a fianl time, taking the boys to see the Colloseum which they missed the previous day along with lots of time sat in the various piazzas. The photo of Joe and Alison is at a restaurant in the Piazza Navona as is the picture of the three of them. We ate too much that day and the place we went to in the evening greeted us like long lost friends after eating there a few days previously. The food was excellent throughout our stay.

I think I took the bootm picture on the morning of our departure standing on the rooftop of the hotel. As I said earlier in the blog, the hotel was superb with very helpful staff.

Rome - Day Six (Part 2) Capitoline Museum

http://www.museicapitolini.org/en/index_msie.htm

The four of us went to the museum after walking round the hitorical sites and there are a selection of photos from the trip above. From the top down they are:

• Statue of “Capitoline Venus”
• Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius
• Statue of “Capitoline Gaul”
• Capitoline She-wolf Bronze 5th century BC
• Penitent Magdelene

The wolf is fantastic considering it was sculpted 500 years BC.