7th IFCR World Festival at Vapi-Daman 

11 intrepid touring Rotarians ventured to the sub-continent to represent their nation at the wonderful game of cricket.

(From the left) John "Your Highness" King - "Mr Mikey" Mike Jackson - Roy "the Boy" Sperrings - Ganesh "I can see!" Ganesan - Mike "the Man" Gillingham - "Stormin" Norman Brown - Gerald "I'll count the money" Anderson - Rupert "Cocky" Cox - Paul "Basher" Walsh - Stuart "the Gent" Williamson and Keith "Hopper" Hopkins.

No team of fine upstanding active athletes could tour without a smattering of loyal WAGS, so thank you to Margaret, Jo, Diana, Laksmi, Liz, Mary and Anita for your support throughout the tour.

The opening ceremony was full of life - noise, drums, music, dancing - and that was just "The Man" on the dance floor! As one would expect the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of India were even more exhilarating than our cricket!

Cricketing Rotary nations were represented from New Zealand, Australia - with 2 teams, South Africa, GB&I, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and the hosts India - with 4 teams.

Cricket got underway on Monday 19th February with GB&I taking on Hyderabad in the sweltering heat of Daman College. A 25 over game was scheduled, which was plenty for the pale-skinned winter-honed Brits.

Batting first, GB&I got off to a flyer with Mr Mikey & The Gent both retiring on 35+ runs each followed by The Man, flirting with his hamstring on Day 1, hobbling to a useful 31. A couple of crafty clouts from Cocky and a deft "not out" from Stormin' saw us to 185.

Feeling confident of a first day win the GB&I team off to a flyer once more - this time with a succession of wides from all bowlers, notably Stormin' who, having bowled an incomplete over of 6 wides, promptly "took his sweater" and disappeared into the outfield. Little did we know he would return later in the week to grab a hatfull of wickets!

Unfortunately our confident looking 185 became less of a target as the slightly more youthful and vastly more talented Hyderabadians clipped us around the park to win with 2 overs remaining.

Anyway, the lunch was great, as was the sight of the Kiwis being mullered in the following game - this us gave us great heart for our encounter with our island cousins the next day..............

More news to follow.... although we will not be reporting on the alledged reports of Greenpeace invading a beach in Goa to rescue a rare "pale-skinned whale" stranded on the beach being frazzled in the sun!