A very varied and enjoyable tour to Grenada and Barbados was superbly organised by Sun Living Travel. The 2007 tour was such a great success that we are now in the initial stages of planning another Caribbean tour for 2009 and we will certainly use Sun Living again ahead of the larger and more impersonal tour operators. The personal attention and knowledge of Richard Webster , the tour escort, were invaluable.

The Forest Nomads touring party made up of eighteen (18) players (whose ages range from Under-20 to Over-60) and twenty-eight (28) followers, arrived in St Lucia from Barbados via two Liat flights on Thursday, February 05, 2009 at the George F.L. Charles Airport, Vigie. The first group of 26 came in on Liat flight 766 while the rest of the group, including Josh Tetley, came in on Liat flight 756.

The tour lasted nine (9) days, ending on Friday, February 13, 2009 when the group departed for the United Kingdom from the Hewanorra International Airport, Vieux Fort. The Harmony Suites Hotel, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet was home to the group.

Forest Nomads’ nine-day stay in St Lucia was a truly memorable occasion.
The cricketers began their three Limited Overs matches with an exciting sixth-wicket victory over Dennery on Saturday, February 07 at the Dennery Cricket Ground. The highlight of that match was undoubtedly the visitors’ skipper, Tony Cottey who delighted the crowd with a brilliant 114 not out.
The home team batted first and totaled 212 for 8 from their allotted 40 overs and then Forest Nomads replied forcefully with 215 for 4 in the 38th over.

Two days later, they travelled to the Gros Islet Playing Field where they comfortably defeated a Gros Islet Representative Eleven by nine wickets. The home team began with an opening stand of 61 before they were dismissed for 159 in 32.4 overs. The target of 160 never looked beyond the reach of the visitors, as they began with a century opening stand that paved the way for an easy victory which came in just 25.2 overs.

The famous Beausejour Cricket Ground where the senior England teams have played both Test matches and One-Day Internationals and where the 2009 final One-Day match between West Indies and England is scheduled for April 3rd, produced its first ever tied match on Wednesday, February 11th when the Forest Nomads and a local Seniors Eleven ended up with the same totals in their forty overs per side encounter. The Forest Nomads did well to contain the local Seniors to 199 all out in 39.5 overs even though they had lost the initiative when the openers had put on 96.

Just when the home team seemed to be running away with a win, Forest Nomads’ eighth wicket pair of captain Tony Cottey and Kevin Innes contrived to snatch a tie. They came together in the 37th over with 28 required for victory and they whittled that down to six from the final over. The first two balls produced three runs; they were restricted to one from the next three and so needed two from the last ball, but could only manage a single.

When they were not engaged in cricket matches, the group used the time to get a good mix of what St Lucia had to offer. Such planned activities included (i) a Half-Day Jeep Safari expedition which gave them the chance to see rural country life and fascinating scenery. They passed through banana plantations and saw the tallest mountain (Mount Gimie 3145 feet) in Saint Lucia. Along the route they got the chance to sample local farmers’ freshly picked fruits (grapefruits, oranges, golden apples, ripe bananas) and coconut water. After some time hiking through tropical bush and along a river bank they came upon an exquisite waterfall. From there they proceeded to a natural pool for a cold refreshing bath before heading to the fishing village of Anse-La-Raye. This expedition was really enjoyable. (ii) a Half-Day Bus Cruise; (iii) a Round-the-Island Bus Tour and(iv) a Boat Cruise along the West Coast of the island down to the historic town of Soufriere. The Boat Cruise included a close-up view of the twin Pitons, a visit to the Sulphur Springs (the World’s only drive-in volcano), a cold refreshing bath under a popular Waterfall, a sumptuous lunch, swimming and snorkeling and a cruise through the beautiful picture perfect, Marigot Bay.

The relaxing nature of the Boat Cruise gave those who were there every chance to wind down following a demanding but very enjoyable nine days. On return from the excursions everyone gave yours truly the “Thumps Up” signal followed by the word “Fantastic”. From the positive remarks received, I am sure that the group will remember how much their cricket improved, the wonderful persons they met and the places they visited. Whatever the memory, the players as well as the supporters were a superb advertisement for Forest Nomads.

Media coverage was very high throughout and the Lord smiled on us with very sunny weather. It was a rewarding experience working with this group as well as with Josh who assisted in co-coordinating the activities.