Chronicle April 2016

15 ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE

Indies when they play on the island, to the 3Ws Oval in Bridgetown, home of the West Indies Performance Centre, and Wanderers CC, the oldest cricket club in the Caribbean. Along the way, they were able to mix with some of the household names of West Indian cricket – encountering the likes of Collis King, Desmond Haynes, Sir Garfield Sobers and Tony Cozier, as well as being joined on the field at the Wanderers by current West Indies captain Jason Holder. At the same time, the boys got to taste an authentically Caribbean cricketing atmosphere, as healthy crowds of knowledgeable locals came out to populate rickety stands and whitewashed boundaries, and lend (typically vocal) support. Between games there was the opportunity for some much-needed relaxation, and a chance to explore Barbados, with catamaran cruises, reef diving, swimming with turtles and even a morning round of golf on offer – not to mention an evening sampling the carnival atmosphere at the famous Oistins Fish Fry. At the beach, Simon Roche, the Master-in-Charge, did his best to proselytize all and sundry to the ways of Waboba; his AHM, in particular, was found wanting. The party was fortunate to be hosted fantastically in the evenings throughout

the trip; special thanks must go to the sizeable entourage of parents who, having begrudgingly accompanied the squad to paradise, supported boys and staff so warmly and generously both from the boundaries and after games, as well as to Henry Oakley OSE for hosting the party at the stupendous Cobblers Cove Hotel. Tired, happy and considerably browner than when they arrived, the party readied themselves for their departure back to the damp and gloom of a British February, where their own cricket season seemed an age away. Much had been done, however, to prepare them for the more familiar tests of the Summer Term. Thanks must go to Mr Howitt for marshalling his troops with typical zeal, to Mr Simpkins for his (seemingly boundless) passion and insight, and to Mr Roche for his meticulous organisation of the tour. Former schools of featured pupils: James Woodcock ( Dulwich Prep London ), Harrison Ward ( John Mason ), James Curtis ( Cherwell ), Brandon Allen ( Aylesbury Grammar ), AJ Woodland ( Davenies ), Ben Charlesworth ( Our Lady’s Abingdon ), Will Deasy ( Dulwich Prep London ) and Rory Hipwell ( Pinewood ).

Picture by Simon Hipwell

‘But secretly, we swore, That we would never leave the island Until we had put down, in paint, in words… Each ochre track seeking some hilltop and Losing itself in an unfinished phrase, …boiling with life’ Derek Walcott