Abergavenny

Once we knew that the ODI against Wales was to be played at Abergavenny, we immediately thought of the song by Mary Wilde (recorded in 1968), Taking a trip to Abergavenny. The song (YouTube) has a way of staying in your mind.

The town is surrounded by mountains. One of the mountains has a smiley face created in the vegetation. This proved to be a useful landmark when I went for a walk to explore the local area during the cricket match.

Just down the road from the cricket ground is an old cemetery. I have obviously read too much fantasy as had to take this photograph of a raven on a tombstone.

The war memorial is situated in the middle of the main street.

 Pedestrian access only on this street.

A series of paintings depicting scenes from the history of Abergavenny were painted on this building for the year 2000.

Town Hall building houses a market.

Inside there is an interesting collection of birdlife suspended above the market stalls.

View towards St Mary's Priory from back of the Town Hall building.

Part of the Abergavenny streetscape.

St Mary's Priory Church was originally founded as a Benedictine Priory in 1087 and therefore has an important place in the history of Abergavenny.

Renovated Old Tithe Barn next to the church.

View from carpark near the Abergavenny castle.

Abergavenny Castle consists of the remains of a Norman castle probably built in 1087.

Below is the view from the castle towards the Town Hall building.

Back at the cricket ground, this is one of the picturesque views.

Abergavenny - ODI against Wales

The ODI against Wales was played at Abergavenny on Wednesday 15 August.

Abergavenny is in a valley surrounded by mountains and the Abergavenny ground is situated in a picturesque setting.

The Abergavenny Cricket Club was founded in 1834.

A cup of tea was enjoyed by the players while the grounds staff finished working on the ground.

Then it was time for the practice session before the game.

The Australian and Welsh flags were raised.

 Alastair (or coach driver) and John Costello in deep discussion before the game started.

 The team photos were taken.

Wales Over 70s Cricket Team 15 August 2018

Australian Over 70s Cricket Team 15 August 2018

The scorers ready for the game to begin.

Before the match the players from both teams introduced themselves.

Then the game began. Australia batted first and at the end of the 50 overs had made 4 for 281. The opening batsmen, Tom Wood and John Stackpoole made 71 runs before Tom was out for 24. John made 64 runs, Ian Petherick 92 and Alan Reid 64. Wales was then dismissed for 94 runs.

 Robin (0 for 10 off 7 overs) and Ron Kasputtis (1 for 19 off 8 overs) opened the bowling. Colin Cooke (0 for 8 off 5 overs) and Bruce Pooley (0 for 9 off 3 overs) then took over. When Tom Wood (4 for 31 off 10) and Tim Spear ( 5 for 11 off 7.4 overs) the game quickly came to a close. Excellent bowling by all the Australian bowlers.

Tim Spear with the ball after the match

During the game a reporter from BBC Wales recorded interviews with players and officials about seniors cricket which was shown on BBC Wales news - a good promotion for Over 70s Cricket.

At dinner after the game a local Welsh choir entertained the players and supporters.

It had been another great day to remember.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

On 20 July we travelled from Wrexham to our next location at Leicester after stopping at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct at Trevor in north east Wales.

 Arriving at Trevor, a village in the County of Wrexham, we found a number of canal boats lined up on either side of the canal leading to the aqueduct.

We then set off using the walkway at the side of the aqueduct and looked at the great views below.

Colourful canal boats passed us as they travelled along the aqueduct towards Trevor.

At the end of end of the walkway it was possible to climb down some steps to view part of the structure of the aqueduct.

The stone aqueduct was built between 1795 and 1895 and is part of the Ellesmere Canal. Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was engineer of the project. The aqueduct has 18 piers with 19 arches and is 38 metres in height. The water in the aqueduct is contained in a metal trough. The Horseshoe Falls near Llangollen supply the water for the aqueduct. The aqueduct is an impressive structure.

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct forms only one part of the extensive canal system that exists throughout the UK.

Back near Trevor we watched the canal barges turn into another canal to continue their journey.

Wrexham (Wrecsam)

Wrexham, or Wrecsam in Welsh, in North Wales was our next base and we spent three nights at the Ramada Hotel.

On our rest day, on the Monday, we spent a couple of hours having a look around the town centre of Wrexham, a short walk from the hotel. The weather was cold and showery, similar to the weather we experienced when visiting south Wales four years ago.

Near the information office was an open air market outside the former Guild Hall building.

Like most other towns in the UK the streetscapes are interesting and varied with a variety of architectural styles.

View of roof tops and chimneys of Wrexham.

 One building that really stands out is St Giles Church. A church building has been on this site since the eleventh century but the present building dates from the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century. The 135 foot high tower was completed in 1506.

The brass eagle lectern has been used in the church since 1524. 

 Above the arch of the east wall is part of a wall painting from the sixteenth century.

The font also dates from the sixteenth century. 

A chapel dedicated to the Royal Welch Fusiliers contains the regiment colours, roll of honour plus memorials on the wall.

In the chapel there is also a memorial to the men of Wrexham who died during World War I.

The tomb of the merchant Elihu Yale (1649-1721) can be located in the church yard. He donated money to the establishment of Yale University, named after him, in America.