London Tour, Day Eight!

It took me awhile to get to writing this final post because of how sad I was to be leaving the grand city of London and some of the best people I've ever met. Here we go.

Morning:
We awoke with clear eyes and full hearts, ready to take on the Royal Household in our final match and thrilling rematch. The day started off promisingly (yet deceivingly) sunny. The bus took us to the still-beautiful grounds of Windsor Castle. Unfortunately, we again saw no royalty even though Meghan, Duchess of Sussex had told us that she would, "try to make it to the match."

Afternoon:
Shortly after our arrival, a downpour of rain cascaded upon the pitch. We faced a rain delay of around two hours, in which time it was decided we would take our mid-match tea and snack break. Eventually, the rain slowed down and the umpires decided to begin the match.

Our skipper lost the toss to make our percentage of tosses lost on tour 100%. An outstanding feat that only our team could have achieved. We were once again sent into the field first.

Alas, only a mere two overs could be bowled until the rain came pouring down again. The only play of note in our short time was an attempted boundary save by Jack which led to a slide so powerful it left skid marks on the grass. An anti-climactic and strangely comforting end to our 2019 cricket season. Both teams headed back into the shelter of the pavilion, where the lads waited for the bus to come pick us up. Many photos were taken and we reminisced on the wonderful season and tour. The seniors gathered to further reminisce on the past four years.

Evening:
The mates all headed to what I can only describe as a mall food court to have one final dinner together. Afterwards, the team was gathered by Coach Khan for one last team meeting. The co-captains were announced for next years squad: Kaito Nakatani and the Notorious DVB (Daniel Van Beveren). Their skill and leadership will no doubt lead the team to success in both the field and in everyone's hearts.

The next morning:
Because of Nate's early departure from London, a few of the lads met up to bid their farewells to him by sharing a lovely morning coffee. After we had all cried, the team all met up for breakfast before heading back to the hotel for the somber bus ride to the airport. Goodbyes were exchanged between those leaving and those staying in Europe.

My heart still hurts even days after the goodbyes. Thank you for following along with our 2019 London Tour, we appreciate all the support from our thousands of fans. Thank you to everyone who made this tour possible, (especially Wendy and Jason) and Curran for posting the blogs.

Cheerio mates!

Written by Paige Powell '19