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Ashes ODI Tour: In a word...AWESOME!
by AST Tour member Karen Benfield
Well this was my first AST tour, actually the first time that I had been overseas, and what an amazing experience it was at that.
I was tossing up whether to do the Test Match package or the ODI package and boy am I glad that I did the ODI. Although after the second day I was wondering if I had walked under a ladder or something! After our visit to Durham Cathedral I managed to roll my ankle, so for the remainder of the trip I hobbled around London! Since returning home I have found that I did indeed break my ankle! But everyone in the group were really good and looked after me and for that I am especially grateful.
The cricket was exceptional as well - we saw the Aussies go through the tournament undefeated, including that heart stopping final at Lords (a game that I still think the Aussies should have won!)
The sightseeing around London was amazing, I especially enjoyed the tour of Old Trafford - the home of Manchester United Football Club - it was the best football stadium that I have seen!
A thankyou to Merv, who was a great tour host, his pre match and post match briefings on the bus were full of information, and something that I really looked forward to! No in all seriousness Merv was fantastic and made the holiday that much more enjoyable, he did almost all of the sigtseeing as well (even if he didn't enjoy it!) So thank-you Merv, and keep that middle finger in your pocket!
And Sam also, thankyou for a fantasticlly well run tour, although for next time probably don't need to spend 4 hours in Bath! You played a huge part in me enjoying my holiday, so thankyou for that.
To my other travelling companions - thankyou, having a good group of tourists makes the time away that much more enjoyable. Hopefully we can all stay in touch and meet up again on another tour!
And as I said before thank-you for taking care of me and my ankle, you were all very considerate and helpful, I did appreciate it!
Yours in cricket,
Kaz |
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Beer, Bombs and Babies
by AST Tour members John and Callie Foran
The whole trip was unforgettable. First day at Lord's, 17 wickets and nearly 300 runs, then a bomb scare at Warren St Station next to our hotel. Off we go to a hotel at Heathrow in just the clothes we were wearing. The AST organising was terrific and done with a minimum of fuss and no complaints from the tour group who just accepted the situation as unavoidable and got on with having a good time.
Lord's was a great experience and very exciting to see Australia win and to be there for Glen McGrath's 500th wicket (pictured right).
The last day at Edgbaston was a real hoot, singing down the runs required with the Fanatics, so close. I actually backed Brett Lee to top score at 25/1 with Ladbrokes thank you very much.
We had a great time in Ireland and caught up with our daughter who is on a working holiday in Dublin. She works at the Eamon Doran Hotel in Temple Bar so we had two nights of Guinness and River Dancing. I tried every local beer I could find and didn't find one I didn't like - even though most watering holes had Fosters, but you can drink that at home.
On the way home a lady went into labour between Heathrow and Singapore. Callie is a midwife and attended to her. The flight had to be diverted to Delhi and half an hour after getting off the plane she gave birth to a healthy girl. The couple are from Ghana and wanted an Australian baby, now they have an Indian baby. After that we were upgraded to 1st Class which was pretty special.
We met some lovely people on the trip and look forward to seeing them again on a future cricket tour.
Our thanks to the AST team for the professional way they went about things, the needs of the tour group was their priority and special thanks to Matt Franc, our bus leader. |
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A long way from Nowra
By AST Tour member Bill Huntriss
17th July 2005, the day has finally arrived to leave behind all the good preparation made by Kristy and trek the new frontiers. London - what a vibrant city! Well anywhere is after Nowra! The sightseeing was fantastic,all those places to visit that one reads and hears about.My travel companion Big John and I are keen walkers but even the tube was no threat after a few days. We covered one end of London to the other including London Tower to South Kensington, Science Museum, a beer in Ye Olde Chesire Cheese (the oldest pub in London, rebuilt in 1667), and all the other places in between.
The Lord's tour with Terry Alderman and David - what a sensational afternoon and well done crew for organising that effort. A bonus for Big John and I was a QUICK beer in the Lord's Tavern - normally closed during matches due to the hastles for the locals, but thanks to our stragglers we squeezed one in. Thanks for the patience Jamie!
The first Test then with so many highs and lows,190 all out(ouch), Glenn McGraths fight back, good second knock and then the nail biting finish fighting the weather and the crowd.
The deferred welcome function at The Oval - how good was that with all the quicks? - Merv, Terry, Geoff Lawson and Funky(medium), all getting stuck into Goochie! Thought he held his end up well and batted well on a sticky wicket.The meal was good as was the wine and company. Well done AST.
Paris was a flying visit, but once again the Metro came in very handy to cover a fair area in a limited time span. Game plan here was map the morning coach tour, mark places of particular interest, (Rodin,Bastille etc - you know the drill), and then backtrack using the Met to get a close up look and take some photies.
How good were the pub locations that we got? Certainly put new meaning to De-Luxe Tour! Leicester Square Radisson was fantastic with Nelson driving the ship from the concierge. What a great help he was to make the London connection for Big John and I such a success.The Marriott in Paris - absolute luxury. Pity I didn't get much bed time there! Loved jogging up the Champs Elysses to the Arc and surrounding palaces, all because of the fantastic location. Another well done AST.
Trip home was very tiring going against the clock but who cared? It was worth every cent and minute.
Thank you to all the crew at AST - it was fantastic. |
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Limericks
by the "Clarke's Clowns" bus
The sightseeing in Ireland took us through the Irish city of Limerick on our way back to Dublin. The "Clarke's Clowns" bus decided to run a limerick competition to help pass the time on the bus that day. Here are some of the offerings:
On a tour in a coach with Clarke`s Clowns
Through Irelands lovely landscapes and towns
There`s plenty of drinking
And occasional stinking
Just to mention the ups and the downs
Their once was a lad named Sam
Who wanted to lead like a man
But alas, a night on the town with Mal, Jeppo and Dan
That was the end of poor poor Sam
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Ode to Clarke's Clowns
by AST Tour member Sharon Beavis
The Ashes we all wished to see
So we booked a trip with AST
A true lifetime dream for all of us
We toured to the cricket and Ireland on our bus
Led by the best of them all
Sam Harrison the man we could call
Then there was Henry, Merv and Flem
Anything cricket we could ask of them
Social Director "Funky" too
Would join us for the occasional one or two
How could we guess how exciting it would be
The test at Lords none better than thee
Until Edgbaston's big run chase
Our hearts all pounding at rapid pace
Well to the end it has come
One test lost, the other won
Homeward bound many stories to tell
Some great new friendships built as well
We shall tell lots of other folks
About all the fun and the jokes
But a true lifetime memory few better we've had
Farewell for now please don't be sad
While today we say goodbye
Remember Clarke's Clowns till the day you die |
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