Second match falls foul of the weather

Unfortunately it rained overnight and therefore the full match had to also be scrapped. In fairness evidence of the night before suggested that this decision had already unconsciously been made as several of the players were much the worse for wear come the second day on tour….

Much to the credit of the tourists the excesses of the night before did not prevent the guys hosting a long training session for the aspiring Zambian cricket senior players, ironically in dazzling sunshine.

The afternoon was spent visiting the shopping Arcade, which conveniently backs on to the hotel. It was also fascinating over lunch to hear about the work that Chris Roe, an Old Cranleighan who left in 2001, does with Alive and Kicking – the charity that we are supporting on tour. Fines and dinner were relatively subdued – acknowledgment of the eight-hour coach adventure to Livingstone that awaits us early tomorrow morning.

I am writing the blog in darkness and heat due to a prolonged power cut and this just serves to emphasise how lucky we are to experience the upper end of life in Lusaka. It has been a real privilege to help out the Zambian cricketers who have not had the same support as us and we are thoroughly looking forward to visiting the Alive and Kicking factory on the way to Livingstone tomorrow. Rob Merry