Tour Awards

/ stannesallstarsblog / 3 Comments

Yesterday evening, the last night of the Tour, we held the 2010 Tour Awards Dinner. Here are the results.

Tourist of the Year (on field): The Awards Committee found it surprisingly easy to dismiss the achievements of Paul Bowman, which proved very popular with the audience. But it was more difficult to pass over a number of others, including Paul Nicol for his all round effort, and groom-to-be Garreth Dunkan, for his consistently good bowling. Buy the award went to the Allstar who took wickets in both matches and achieved the unique feat of captaining the Allstars to victory abroad: VIVEK SETH.

Tourist of the Year (off field): This was an altogether much easier decision. There was an honourable mention for Chadders, in recognition of his contribution to Anglo-French relations. But the award went to the sine qua non of the Tour and indeed the Allstars as a whole; a man who enriches all of our lives: MAXIE ALLEN.

The winners:

Allstars v Eymet: as it happened

/ stannesallstarsblog / 2 Comments

11.15: Our bus departs L’Hotel de France.

11.46: Arrived at Stade Bretou. Ben Hampton won the highly controversial sweepstake to guess the time that the journey would take.

As we are a bit early, we’re going to do a bit of an Allstars Olympics. A bit like the Paralympics, only with less able bodied participants.

12.02: Ben won the throwing the cricket ball the furthest competition.

12.30: Team Bowman (Bowman, Abrahams, Hampton, Seth (sub: Jackson)) beat Team Chadwick (Chadwick, Allen, Dunkan, Rocket) at boules, final score 13-0.

12.35: Rocket was adjudged to have the most luxuriant sideburns.

12.41: In the changing room:

12.49: The team captains, Vivek and Sam Harrell:

Viv and Sam have agreed that Eymet will bat first in a 35 overs game.

13.27: A great start for the Allstars, restricting Eymet to 2-1 off 4 overs.

15.34: Tight bowling and disciplined fielding enabled the Allstars to bowl out Eymet for 112 in 33 overs. Skipper Vivek Seth led by example with figures of 2-10 off 4 overs. Paul Nicol weighed in with 4-9 and Jackson, Duncan, Abrahams, Hampton and Chadwick bowled parsimoniously.

A great team performance was marred only by the bowling of Paul Bowman, who opened the bowling with a disappointing spell of 4-2-3-2. He was charitably given another over at the death, in which he could manage only 2 wickets for 1 run.

For Eymet, Harrell top scored with 58.

The Allstars will now chase 113 to win off 35 overs.

15.52: James Hindle opening the batting:

16.22: After 9 overs, Allstars are 30-1, making stately progress towards the target. The man out is Ben Hampton, who hit some lusty blows for his 17.

16.37: Allstars are 46-1 after 14 overs. Run rate required 3.19.

16.53: Allstars are 71-2 (Hindle 25no, Bowman 14no) off 19 overs at the drinks break. Rob Jackson made a well judged 14.

As usual, GD is keeping score with the accuracy of a patent agent:

16.57: Allstars are 83-2 off 20. Run rate required is now exactly 2.

The tension is really building now as the Allstars sense the possibility of a first ever victory on foreign soil.

17.02: John Fabb has just come on to bowl for Eymet.

17.03: And he is Fabb – he’s got Hindle out off his first ball! James scored 38.

17.31: VICTORY! Your correspondent scored the winning runs and is too excited to blog!!

17.40: Allstars (113-6 off 28.3 over) beat Eymet (112 ao) by 4 wickets. Bowman (31no) and Abrahams (2no) saw the away team home, to record their first win on foreign soil.

The victorious captain:

Beer and Pizza with the oppo to follow.