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.

Game 12 against Hertfordshire at Hertford

Back to the cricket. On 24 June we travelled to Hertford to play Hertfordshire.

The match was played at the Hertford Cricket and Hockey Association ground.

Australia batted first and were restricted to 5 for 211 in 45 overs. Murray Harrison retired at 51 runs, Ian Petherick compiled 43 runs while Pat Logue made 41 runs. This was not enough as Hertfordshire scored 4 for 214 runs in the 43rd over.

During the game I went for a walk in Hertford.