During the Easter break 40 boys from Years 9 and 10 descended upon South Africa on a soccer and cricket tour. After the last day of School we took an 11-hour flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg, greeted on arrival with a sprint across the airport to check in yet again for another two hours. Our accommodation for the week was the City Lodge Grand West Hotel, situated inside a rather large entertainment complex. The rooms were great, there was more Sky TV than you could watch and a breakfast selection to make your eyes water. Some evenings were spent inside the casino, eating, bowling, ice skating and, for those not banned for over-excessive crashing, go-karting.

Whilst in Cape Town we played three cricket and three soccer matches. Our cricket opponents were Western Province, Bellville and Edgemead Cricket Club. The under 15s emphatically won their first match against Western Province by 9 wickets with Tom Deacon taking an incredible 6 wickets for 13 runs including 4 wicket in 4 balls and 6 wickets in 9 balls. The under 14s didn’t quite start off in the same manner, losing by 96 runs. Top scorer of the day was Osman with 46 runs, however this was slightly overshadowed by Josh Banks, receiving a first-ball duck. After the game all the players enjoyed a dip in the open air pool at WPCC in the shadow of Table Mountain.

It was a common theme that cricket would be followed by a brai (the South African equivalent to a barbecue) which consisted of chicken legs, chicken burgers and even chicken kebabs with salad and potatoes.

Our second cricket match V Bellville Cricket Club saw both sides return victorious, the Under 15s winning by 102 runs with myself top-scoring with 50 not out, and similarly the under 14s winning by 16 runs. Our last cricket match proved to be a mirror of the last with both teams losing by 6 wickets, with Osman continuing in fine form, scoring an admirable 68 runs.

Our three soccer matches whilst in Cape Town were against Edgemead, Vasco de Gama Academy and Durbanville Football Club. It was hard adapting to both the heat and the style of opposition play. However, both teams ran out victorious in their first game. The U14s came from 2-0 down to a well deserved 4-2 win and the U15s' solid performance saw them win 4-1m with Tunde scoring a hat-trick. The U15s' second match against the Vasco de Gama Academy was one of the hardest games of football I have ever played. Having played cricket earlier in the day and then moving straight to an evening football fixture, it was hard to find the motivation to run around for another 60 minutes in the heat. The opposition also proved to be the toughest we experienced on tour but to their credit, the U14s snatched a 1-0 victory with the U15s narrowly losing 4-3. Our last football match in Cape Town at Durbanville saw the U14s win 3-0 and the U15s lose 4-2.

During our stay we also experienced many of South Africa's famous sights, landmarks and fast-food chain restaurants. We went up Table Mountain, which proved to be windy but an impressive view. We also visited the penguins at Boulders Beach, the Institute of Sport, Newlands Cricket and Rugby stadiums, Seal Island and finally Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope.

A week into our trip we re-packed and set about on another one-and-a-half hour flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth wasn’t as affluent as Cape Town but was still a very nice city. Our first experience of Port Elizabeth was our last football fixture against Parsons Hill School. On a somewhat windy and bare pitch, the U14s continued their fine form with a 1-1 draw - victory snatched through a missed penalty from Adekoye. After a tame end to the previous match came a rather controversial U15 fixture – aided mainly by a somewhat biased match official. It is almost unheard of that a referee is substituted at half-time, but like a true replacement he came on and made an immediate impact within the game. I was unfortunate to feel the full force of his attempts at changing the game, being given my marching orders for a challenge which I can only describe as a fair attempt to get the ball. That evening we had another brai at the school overlooking the Nelson Mandela Bay Football Stadium where England will play Slovenia this summer.

Our final cricket fixture the following day proved to be a memorable ending for the U14s. After racking up 220 batting first, it was surely impossible to lose, with Adekoye scoring an explosive 50. However, after bowling nearly 60 extras it came down to the opposition requiring 3 from the last ball, giving John Lyon victory by 1 run. The U15s played their last game against Gelvandale Academy, consisting of a number of Eastern Province Junior players, and lost by 5 wickets.

The final part of our journey saw us check into the Kariega Game Reserve. We spent our time relaxing and on game drives around the complex. Time was also spent on the beach at Kenton on Sea and on the fantastic food in our all-inclusive package. That evening, in the pouring rain we took our first ride into the game park. Amongst the rain were some truly remarkable sights and over the next day we experienced many animals from no more than a stone's throw away. One of the highlights of the drive was a radio call from another party who had become stuck in the bad weather, asking us to help. It was almost inevitable that in the process of helping, we also became stuck on the edge of a rather steep valley and spent the next hour huddled under a tree – our rain jackets providing little use now. Luckily the following day the sun was back and even with a 5.30am start we enjoyed more of the park and wildlife.

After another 11-hour flight back to Heathrow, 40 boys were reunited with their parents, some having managed to go the full 12 days without a single phone call home! I think I speak for everyone who came with us when I say it was a fantastic trip and I would like to thank the four teachers who took us: Mr Leach, Mr Longhurst, Mr Ling, and especially Mr Parker for organising the tour. Thank you.
 

Scott Wilsher, Tour Captain

Here is a selection of pictures from the event.

To see an image at full size please click on it, then follow the instructions to move to another image.