Day 11 - Game 5 vs F.O.G XI (Loss No. 2)

2 for the price of 1...

A restful afternoon and evening in Ahungalla had the tour party in strong spirits for a Monday morning. For some tourists it was a little too restful as the proposed 8am departure time was pushed back to accommodate the now perpetually late Messers Hassell and McCoy - any and all suggestions to remedy this situation are welcomed in the comments below. Coach Toth floated the idea of a possible ban from the breakfast buffet, but even the most hard nosed of tourists felt this was too harsh. Nevertheless, the bus did finally depart for today’s game which was against the Foundation of Goodness XI and was played at the regally named ‘MCC Lords’ - it ended up being not quite a replica of the famous London ground, but it was still a beautiful venue for cricket. The sun was already feeling vicious by 9am and it was decided a 35 over per side game was appropriate given the heat and slightly later starting time of 10:30.

Captain Jack shadows the plaque representing the goodwill shown by the MCC Lords officials in giving FOG the funds to build this unique playing arena.

Skipper for the day Jack called correctly at the toss and did not hesitate in electing to bat. Openers Connor and Chayton started steadily against accurate bowling before wickets began to tumble. Connor and number 3 Angus departed in the same over to the opening quick. Ryan followed shortly after to an edge to first slip and the Reds (playing in our blue Batting for Change strip) were in real strife. Jenson hit some lusty blows in an attempt to arrest the slide, but wickets continued to fall around him and suddenly Barker was 7/40 in the 14th over. A late revival from Harry pushed our total to 61 at the fall of the 10th wicket.

The boys deciding whether fist pumps are still 'cool'.

A bit of worry amongst the tourist as wickets are falling quicker than the price of BitCoin.

Oscar and Campbell deciding whether sunscreen was required in toes on a day like today. Spoiler alert: it was!

Opening the bowling, a McCoy thunderbolt led to the first batsmen departing due to injury rather than a wicket (thankfully the young man involved was fine in the end). Thereafter the scoring was rapid and unrelenting as our total was easily chased. Sam provided a rare highlight by drawing an edge which was snaffled by Jensen in the gully. The 12.45 finish led to a decision to play a T20 game in the afternoon - hopeful thoughts of retiring to the hotel pool were swiftly extinguished.

It was so hot that these three dogs literally dropped down in front of us.

Chicken and rice NOODLES were on the lunch menu for a change and the boys tucked in heartily. Starting again after lunch the new game had slightly less intensity than this morning. Sam nipped out two quick wickets and Ben S picked up an early wicket too. This brought McCoy to the crease - our opponents needed an extra player after the earlier injury and Ryan volunteered to jump ship. Unfortunately for the Reds, Ryan raced to 50 with some huge sixes from Tyler Lang’s bowling. Seeing the run rate rising, skipper Jack threw the ball to Chayton. Together the boys hatched a devious plan - lull Ryan into a false sense of security in order to take his wicket. Chayton played the part perfectly, serving up juicy offerings which Ryan dispatched over the boundary five balls in a row. Seeking an elusive 36 run over Ryan skied the final ball to long off and the brilliant plan was executed to perfection. The innings finished at 8/202 off 20 overs.

Personally I thought this delivery should have been a no-ball due to the extra fielder on the ground at the time

The lads were soundly beaten on the day but the winner was cricket. The students of the Foundation who could not afford cricket gear were gifted with some lovely new and second equipment from the Barker boys.

New openers Harry and Justus set about climbing the run mountain with aplomb, moving to 22 inside 2 overs before Justus was bowled. Connor and Jack fell to the next two balls and a hat trick from nowhere made this strange day of cricket even stranger - as Alex would say “what the rare?”

As the afternoon wore on more Barker boys came and went from the crease. Max chipped in with a stoic 20 (including two massive sixes). It also turned out proceedings could get even weirder as one, then two, then three cows appeared in the outfield! As the innings drew to a close, number 10 Angus provided some long awaited fireworks with a speedy 57no featuring six towering maximums. The Reds finished on 134, well in arrears and thoroughly outplayed by a very talented group of young Sri Lankan cricketers (and Ryan).

Though it was a school day, many of the students found an excuse to come down and watch the cricket. In reality, there isn't too much difference between the 2 schools, at least when it comes to their love of sport.

Fortunately after two blistering defeats, the boys were reminded of the fickleness of sporting triumph and defeat when Anura from the Foundation of Goodness spoke of the impact their organisation has on less fortunate people in Sri Lanka. He reflected glowingly on Barker’s relationship with the foundation and it was wonderful to hear how far our fundraising and donated gear will go in assisting their cause.

Our mate, Anura, with travelling Headmaster, Prof Thomlinson.

The FOG coach, Dinesh, explaining to Coach Merven why his players were such good fielders. The answer 4 fielding sessions per week. Guess what First XI?????

The long day ended with a sunset dip in the Indian ocean before another exquisite dinner. Tomorrow the squad ventures to the international ground at Galle to play Richmond College - the chance to play at such a magnificent venue, coupled with the opportunity for redemption after a tough day, filled players and coaches with hope and excitement as they drifted towards the land of nod...

Lots of pics being taken at once. I'd be happy if one third were looking at the right camera.

Even this cow had enough of watching our boys throw away their wickets.

Written by Dr. Merven.