The final game...

Dulwich finally won the toss against St. Kitts and decided to bat first on an emotional day for the leavers.

After a steady start Charlie Swinburn recorded his first half century for the College and Akil Greenidge, Patrick Stuff and Theo Gwyther added the impetus. Theo's final knock as captain was a quick fire 51.

Dulwich posted 220 in their 30 overs which always looked likely to be too much.
St. Kitts made a good start and again put the Dulwich attack under pressure, but all the lads bowled and fielded tremendously with Jaimin Sadiwala bowling with a lot of pace and hostility.
It was left to Pete MacCormack and Patrick Stuff to take 4 wickets in the last 4 overs to seal the victory.
Patrick took the final wicket with the final ball of the tour; a fitting way to finish such a memorable tour for all involved.

Dulwich leave the Caribbean having won all their matches convincingly, but above all they have enhanced the College's reputation. The boys have been impeccable throughout the tour and have conducted themsleves in a terrific manner both on and off the pitch and have made friends where-ever they have gone. For some it was a fitting way to end their illustrious College careers, as they move on to university confident and assurred young men, whilst for others it will prove the catalyst to have further success in life both on the sports fields and in the classrooms.
The past two weeks have certainly highlighted how important touring can be in bringing the best out of everyone and these past two weeks will be remembered for ever by those involved and by everyone we came into contact with.

Sunday - the penultimate game...

The touring party had an early start today as they had to catch the early morning ferry to get over to the beautiful island of Nevis.

The boat journey itself was an exhilarating way to start the day, as we went south and passed through the straight where Atlantic met Caribbean.

And the beautiful volcanic island of Nevis came into view.

We arrived in good time and waited for our opposition to arrive, a side that had never lost to a touring side.

The side was selected and once again we lost the toss and found ourselves in the field on a searingly hot day.

After early wickets with the new ball by Tom Purwar and Dom Fraser it was left to Darsahn to take another 5 wickets and a good team performance meant we had just 71 runs to chase. Some good spin bowling however had Dulwich under pressure at 28-5, but Ali Neden and Peter MacCormack led the fight back and saw Dulwich home for their 5th win on tour with just 1 game left.

At the end of the game we had the chance to enjoy the wonderful volcanic water on the island....

Even Mr Greenaway found time to enjoy it's healing properties...

before we embarked on the beautiful boat journey back to St Kitts and had a chance to reflect on another successful day, with just one game remaining ....

Saturday rest day...

The tour party managed to get up early on Saturday to experience a guided tour this beautiful island. After driving through the main town of Basseterre the boys travelled into the mountains to visit the rainforest.

Here they are looking at a tree which is over 1000 years old.

After a relaxing stop in the rain forest the boys moved on to the old British fort an extraordinary building to the north of the island designed by the British and built by the slaves to help keep the French at bay.

The views at the top were spectacular and the insight into life in the eighteenth century intriguing. After a fascinating hour we journeyed back to the south of the island to enjoy one of the most glorious views in the world as the Atlantic meets the beautiful Caribbean Sea.

After a wonderfully relaxing day and the opportunity to find out about life here on St. Kitt's both now and in its glorious past the team are ready for their next challenge against Nevis at Grove Park on Sunday. It should be yet another amazing experience for us all on this tour of a lifetime.

Dulwich v St. Kitts invitational.

The next game on tour was played at the picturesque ground in Verchilds 20 minute drive along the coast road from our hotel at the southern end of St. Kitts.

With the Caribbean sea offering the backdrop on one side and the mountainous rain forest on the other, Dulwich lost the toss and set about bowling first.

Dom Fraser bowled with pace and fire and took two early wickets to put Dulwich on top again. He quickly rearranged the stumps in successive deliveries to leave the St. Kitts boys really struggling.

This was a position that they never really recovered from and with some consistent bowling from all of the Dulwich attack wickets were taken fairly regularly to leave the St. Kitts team all out for 99.

Alex Rackow and Will Anthony led the Dulwich reply and put on 50 for the first wicket. A couple of silly run outs put the boys under a bit of pressure, but Alex Rackow held his nerve to carry his bat for 60 not out and deliver another convincing win by 6 wickets to keep the winning run on tour alive. After the presentations there was plenty of time to enjoy the Caribbean evening back at the hotel

Dulwich arrive in St. Kitts

After the disappointment of the rain yesterday the Dulwich 1st XI packed their bags said goodbye to the friends they'd made in Antigua (for some this took a little longer) and we made the short flight to St.Kitts, just 20 minutes in the air and we had arrived on another beautiful Caribbean island.

Once we arrived the boys quickly got their rooms straight in time for lunch and then an intense fielding session at the front of the hotel to prepare for tomorrow's game against St. Kitts national at Sandy Point.

The view from our rooms over looks the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean just 5 minutes walk to the East. After the fielding session the lads had some down time by the pool before their evening meal and an early night to prepare for the next challenge on this incredible tour.

Match day 3

After a rest day on Tuesday where the boys spent the day on a catamaran cruising around the island we prepared ourselves for the next games on tour against Southside Cricket Club.

After some overnight rain the conditions were wet and the start was delayed until after lunch. Unfortunately more rain came down as we had lunch and put paid to any chances of any play today.
So we all move on to St. Kitts tomorrow having played three and won three and with some outstanding memories of Antigua and this beautiful island. Where-ever we've gone we have met happy, welcoming people on this warm and friendly island.
It has been a pleasure being here and we look forward to the next leg of the tour with enthusiasm and a keen sense of anticipation. All that remains is for us to enjoy the Caribbean night the hotel staff are putting on for the boys....

Match day 2 was a real highlight as we played against the combined schools of Antigua in the Sir Viv Richards stadium.

After a comprehensive performance in the first game and excellent preparation the boys felt inspired. Theo won the toss and elected to field first. The senior boys were keen to impress in such an impressive ground.

Darshan was once again the pick of the bowlers as we bowled them out for 94. Darshan took his wickets on tour to 11 as he took another 4 following the 7 on match day 1.

Having done an excellent job in the field the boys were under some pressure batting against some hostile bowling but Akil and James Orford showed some calm nerves and a lot of courage after losing a couple of quick wickets

 and Dulwich won game 3 by 7 wickets with 6 overs to spare.

Mr Athey gave another comprehensive de-brief to prepare the boys for the next fixture on Wednesday against Southside Cricket Club before we move on to St. Kitts. The side are now unbeaten in 8 and playing with a lot of confidence. 

There was even enough time at the end of the day to enjoy the sunset back at the hotel and a final dip in the sea before the evening entertainment and a chance for the boys to enjoy the Caribbean hospitality and end another great day.