The Adventure Begins

July 26 - the time for last minute packing for the trip to England for the Australian Over 70s Cricket Team tour of England. This was our second opportunity to travel to England with an Australian Seniors  Cricket Team - the last time was three years ago with the Australian Over 60s Cricket Team.

Timothy drove us to the airport and he and Aiden helped us with our bags. Aiden insisted on guiding my suitcase from the the car to the airport. Once we were in the queue Aiden gave me instructions as to how move the suitcase to the desk.

The first queue

Aiden filled in time eating ice cream, including dropping some on the floor. As Aiden had school the next day Timothy took him home. Aiden, however as they left, provided me once again how to look after my suitcase.

On this trip we flew with Malaysian Airlines. The plane was due to leave Melbourne at 11.25 pm. While we were waiting, we met two other team members waiting for the same flight - Brian Pooley and Ian Gibson.  We arrived at Kuala Lumpur early in the morning and had a three hour break before the next flight to London. Harry Solomons joined our flight at KL. We eventually arrived at Heathrow at 3.30 in the afternoon of July 27 after a long journey.

Waiting for the rest of our party to arrive

At Heathrow we met up with four other members of our touring team before travelling by coach to the Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel in Essex.

Waltham Abbey Marriott Hotel

We slept well that night.

Waltham Abbey

Waltham Abbey is a market town in Essex.

The township is approximately a 30 minute walk from the hotel.

We decided to explore Waltham Abbey late on a Sunday morning so not many people were about, especially as rain was threatening.

The passage way on the left leads into the grounds of Waltham Abbey church.

There has been a church in Waltham since Saxon times and the Waltham Cross was once considered a place of pilgrimage.

In 1060 Harold Godwinson had the church rebuilt. In 1184 Henry II raised the status of the church to an abbey.

At the back of the church is a stone purporting to mark the place of the burial of King Harold in 1066. A number of other locations in England also claim the burial of Harold.

Much of the abbey complex has been destroyed over time but there are still remnants of the walls of part of the structure in the grounds.

This section was the entrance to the former cloister passage.

A section of abbey walls showing the size of the complex.

The remains of the abbey gateway.

Much of the stonework has been reused in other building projects such as the remaining walls of Abbey House which was built by the Denney family after the dissolution of the monasteries. The house was demolished in 1770.

Birds enjoy the relative solitude of the abbey grounds.

A wooden carving of a monk stands among the trees.

Interior of the present church - Church of the Holy Cross and St Lawrence. This building was part of the west end of the abbey.

The church entrance today.

A history of Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey Church history

Chelmsford

A practice session had been organised at the Essex Cricket Ground on the day after we arrived in England so we set off in the coach to Chelmsford after lunch.

We were welcomed to the ground and then had a chance to view the oval.

The players then went to the indoor nets for their practice session.

I then set out to explore Chelmsford.

Walking through the back of the cricket ground you come to the River Can. Central Park is on the other side of the river.

It was market day.

An arcade in Chelmsford.

The Slug and Lettuce - one of a chain of pubs in England - on the River Chelmer.

And like all good cities there is a public library.

Tring - County Game 1

The first match in the Australian Overs 70 cricket tour of England was a county game against Hertfordshire at Tring.

Tring Cricket Club was established in 1836 and has been playing at its current ground since 1873.

It had rained the previous day so while the groundsmen continued getting the ground ready for play the Australians warmed up for the game.

The umpires supervised the toss which was won by Australia who decided to bowl on a damp pitch.

The Australian team photo was then taken.

There was also a photograph taken of both teams.

Hertfordshire, batting twelve, was all out for 101.

Australian bowling: Tim Spear 1 for 10 off 4, Colin Cooke 2 for 10 off 9, Robin Court 2 for 18 off 7, Stirling Hamman 1 for 11 off 5, Roger Edmunds 0 for 7 off 6, Alan Reid 1 for 34 off 6 and Tom Wood 4 for 9 off 7. Catches to Wavell McPherson, Alan Reid, John Terrell and Tim Spear (2), plus a stumping to John Terrell.

The Australian batsmen scored 3 for 104 in 20.4 overs. Australian batting: Tom Wood 52 retired, Stirling Hamman 17 no, Roger Edmunds 15 no, John Stackpoole 8 and Ian Petherick 4.

During the afternoon I decided to explore Tring.

As the sign states, Tring has been a market town since 1315.

The Memorial Garden is a pleasant, quiet place to relax.

Buildings of character line the main street.

The church of St Peter and St Paul is a prominent building in the town. This building dates back to the 15th century however there has been a parish church in Tring since 1214.

The archway to Sutton Court is an impressive structure built in 1825.

I also passed this narrow building but have not been able to locate any information about it. I am sure that there is a story to tell.

Back at the cricket ground the players had time to relax after the game.

After a meal at the ground the Australian contingent returned to the hotel after a successful day.

Lords Cricket Ground

Tuesday 31 July and we were off to London to visit Lords. The ideal excursion for an Australian cricket tour in England.

As we were a little early for our tour we went for a walk in the nearby streets.

The Lords Tavern is a pub near the Grace Gates entrance to Lords.

Alan and Robin outside the W G Grace Memorial Gates.

Our tour at Lords began with a visit to the museum.

We were told about the history of Lords and then shown the exhibit we all wanted to see - The Ashes.

There was also a special display commemorating the first tour of England by an Aboriginal team.

We then had a tour of the Long Room and the players rooms.

The Visitors' Room was a popular location with our players.

The players almost fitted on the Visitors' balcony.

Views of the ground.

We then visited the Press Gallery.

After visiting the Lords Shop we explored the local area and had lunch before returning to the coach.

Tim and Robin looking at the mural outside the cricket ground.

John and Robin at the Beatles Crosswalk in Abbey Road, St John's Wood - a popular tourist location.

The gardens opposite the cricket ground. We returned to Waltham Abbey after a very interesting day.