Today saw the first mighty clash between BEWCC and Australia. It was a wonderful close game. Australia Won the toss and decided to bat. It was a muggy hot day and Australia set a total of 192 from 35 overs. BEWCC bowled and fielded like demons, wickets were spread throughout the team and every time a batsmen made progress the team came together and pegged things back. The bowling was particularly tight in the final overs. Anu bowled quite beautifully and was supported by a committed team.

BEWCC then batted well, JBS and ADM set the tone with a fine start before Anu hit a fine half century. JPR injected passion and pace into the scoring, but ultimately a very close finish fell to the bowlers to close. Harry stood firm and he and Deni scrambled the last few runs to win with a single from the last ball. The game ebbed and flowed a number of times. Fortunately for BEWCC the recent ashes pattern was maintained and BEWCC prevailed.

Tomorrow brings the West Indies. Another mighty game could follow.

BEWCCs original approach to touring was in evidence last night. Large parts of the squad forced themselves to stay awake until 4 am simply in a selfless effort to adjust their bodies to local time.
The venue for this magnificent effort just happened to be a local night club.

Not withstanding a demanding night, most squad members made it to practice at the Nehru Park.

Practice was hot. The team are resplendent in red training kit and worked through some demanding drills in characteristic cheerfulness despite extreme heat. A warm up game of touch rugby degenerated when Jamie Williams took it upon himself to revert to full contact. We only hope he shows such tenacity tomorrow in the face of the Aussies. 

After practice the opening ceremony was centred around an invitation match against a Judge's XI. The organisers surpassed themselves by pitching Lord Percy and JC against each other. Mighty blows and tricky spin were never more furiously exchanged. Serious injury was avoided, narrowly as two bullish cricketers locked horns!

The match was televised and illuminated by BEWCCs own JPR, JBS and Australia's Johno providing incisive commentary. The commentary high point must surely have come when JBS and JPR boldly declared a batsmen to be out despite a clear dropped catch. The bemused batsman dutifully walked only to be called back by an equally perplexed bowler!

Tomorrow the team take on Australia in a titanic struggle. Will the best traditions of a great Ashes summer be followed with a BEWCC victory?

BEWCC are simply coiled springs waiting to let slip the dogs of war. Who will prevail?

Oops, I'm sure that it was in my bag.

It was perhaps inevitable that such a focused group of single minded cricketers should overlook the occasional peripheral matter.

What is the big deal with passports? Such a small document can become so hugely significant. 

Sadly one of our number, and he should know better, was so overcome by the thought of a sea of red trousers that his elusive passport skipped lightly from his hand prior to arrival at Heathrow. The conversion to red has been a long and difficult path, but has now taken a firm grip within the squad.

Fortunately he had always wanted to return to Mumbai, the gateway of BEWCCs first passage to India, and was only too happy to take a later flight and connection.

Rumours that this was all a careful ruse to allow the final half of England's World Cup qualifier to be heard on the radio, and to miss a compelling seminar in India, are utterly false.

What a plonker!

Lift Off (In Red)

Finally the great day has arrived! Your mysterious correspondent returns, hoping to be the first to relay news of magnificent victories as BEWCC's finest bestride the sub-continent. Alternatively to get in the excuses before we land back in Blighty.

Yesterday was marked by the final arrival of our kit. We are truly magnificent. The colour red is sweeping through the club, red strides are very much the order of the day as essential number 1 wear. (Though one or two mutinous views have apparently been encountered). Kit delivery to London was slightly later than expected and the first confrontation of the tour was only narrowly avoided by the courier in question being too fearful to face the wrath of Lord Percy. He shot off like a rat up a drainpipe as the magnificent LP strode out with purpose to challenge him. Purpose we all hope to see again as LP sets about the Aussie attack with veuve and élan.

The playing kit is topped off by a shockingly red cap. Williams, if his routinely sedentary approach to fielding is to be seen again in the sub-continent, may well be mistaken for a letter box. His magnificent pre-tour weight-loss program seemed to suffer a sad reversal in recent weeks. Rumours abound that he intends, once again, to be the only tourist able to boast of a weight gain after the constitutional demands of Indian cuisine and hospitality. The cut of our playing trousers does seem to have been modelled on the JPR rump. But even billowing pantaloons will surely fail to slow down the urgent running between the wickets that shall be shown all of BEWCCs batsmen, and possibly even JBS! He of course has little to prove as in the words of Sir G Sobers "the boy can bat".

Pre-tour nets have brought the BEWCC Knights to a fever pitch of ability. Corinthian spirit abounds as we set out to put our opponents to the sword. Rumours of over confidence can be scotched though it has been suggested that our Mighty Skipper has reached a point of such confidence that he felt able to miss certain pre-tour preliminaries in order to cultivate his baby caring technique! He is, as ever, an example to us all.

Today we leave our shores for a wonderful adventure in the Orient. 

Sadly dearest Doddy is unable to join this tour, but his wise advice, "Never go out to bat on the middle ball of a hat-trick", rings in our ears!

The game is afoot...........

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