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| So we survived another ten day tour in the Southern Hemisphere....this time recording both no breakages or points! Again the hockey was great, the weather even more fantastic and the hospitality of all those we met incredible. The only down side was that unfortunately this time we did finish the tournament in last place! For the duration of our stay in the 'Mother City' our accommodation was provided by the Cape Castle Hotel, part of the Protea Hotel chain. It proved a very good choice for its location was near the Victoria and Albert Waterfront and many other main attractions. It obviously is a popular choice for touring sides for while we were there so too were the Glamorgan County Cricket squad and a team from the Western Junior Cricket Union, Scotland. |
| We almost lost one group member before we had even left the country, when because of flight over booking, Tom May had to briefly endure a wait on the standby list. Fortunately he got on, then as with the rest of us, had the ten hour flight to look forward to. Events kicked off with a party on our first night back in Cape Town. Hosted by relatives of our South African club member, Garnett Jones, it proved a great evening with those new to the South African experience being introduced to the fantastic hospitality that the rest of us had become accustomed to. The night was rounded off with a visit to the Grand Western casino, where some enjoyed considerably more success than others. Mark Braybrook and James Wroth, the Dereham duo, striking it lucky at the roulette table. |
| We suffered our first casualties on Monday morning with Martin McBlain and John Palmer simultaneously feeling the effects of the previous night. This set the tone of the holiday for Martin, who was seen most mornings there after looking quite the worse for wear! The rest of the day was spent sight seeing, first to Boulders Bay and its large colony of African penguins and then onto the Cape of Good Hope in the Cape Peninsular National Park. We had made it down to the Cape the previous year only to find that the park closed at 5pm! Tuesday involved little travel with a trip up Table Mountain with the rest of the day spent on the beach at Camps Bay, soaking up the sun and playing football. |
| On the Wednesday morning a group of ten of us decided to go on the Robben Island tour, however finding this fully booked we had a look around the V&A Waterfont. Stumbling upon 'Atlantic Adventures' we undertook a thrilling inflatable powerboat ride around the bay reaching speeds of 80 km/ph. Concluding with a visit to the Waterfront's world renowned 'Two Oceans Aquarium' we then went back to our hotel to prepare for the first hockey of the tour, an 8pm friendly fixture against the tournament hosts 3rd XI. Eventually running out 5-2 winners (the only victory we have so far managed on South African soil) the rest of the night was spent at the Sports Bar Cafe where we watched England lose to Italy 2-1. |
| Thursday was spent wine tasting at two of Stellenbosch's wine farms - Lanzarac and Spier. On Friday the real tour business began with our first two games in the tournament. Our first match was against 3D Gelvan from Port Elizabeth (the 2001 hosts) and was scheduled for 2.15pm in the withering heat. Playing in temperatures higher than anything we experienced in 2001 we finished the first half 1-0 down. The temperature taking its toll we eventually ended the match 4-0 losers. Our next match took place in contrasting conditions at 10pm against Fish Hoek. We judged this to be our best chance to garner a tournament win, but unfortunately important decisions went against us and we lost 3-1. Our one fixture on the Saturday was at 3.45pm against tournament hosts Central. This proved to be our best performance and in an end to end game narrowly lost 5-3, despite us receiving our only yellow card in 2 years in the tournament. Our final game on the Sunday was on the stadium show pitch at 10.30am. Considering that most of the team were out partying until the early hours and drunk it was surprising that we only lost 2-0! |
| Monday was a very early start as we had to be in Gansbaai for 9am (170 km east of Cape Town). This was because we were going to spend the day bobbing about in a smallish boat 6 nautical miles off the South African coast near Dyer and Geyser Islands, aptly known as 'Shark Alley', awaiting the opportunity to jump into the water with Jaws! It proved to be a truly unforgettable experience and not just for the number of people bent double over the side of the boats throwing up!. We concluded the sight seeing with a tour of Robben Island on Tuesday before flying home later that evening. A fantastic time was had by all and if nothing else the cocktails in the News Cafe and few other evenings entertainment will be remembered by many for some time to come. |
| Despite finishing last we were the first team that tournament winners, and next years hosts, Technikon Witswatersrand (TWR), invited back.when it is held at the Randurg National Astro Stadium, Johannesburg. Planning is already underway for the 'Durban/Johannesburg 2003 tour' and we hope to fair better in the hockey with help from 'ringers' from clubs such as Canterbury, Southgate and Loughborough Students. |
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| Hartleyville is the headquarters of the Western Province Hockey Union. The water based pitch at the stadium was the venue for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 1995. Earlier this year a new pitch was laid alongside the existing one. Both pitches were used for the Easter Tournament 2002. |
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