Stanford-le-Hope Cricket Club: 
125 Anniversary Tour to Spain – 4th to 11th April 2012
Stanford-le-Hope Cricket Club has just returned from its first ever international tour. A party of 33, including players across its teams plus wives & girlfriends journeyed to Calella (near Barcelona) in Spain for a week around Easter as part of the Club’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
Both its matches we’re played in unique venues, the first against Poble Sec C.C. being on an ECB (artificial) Flicx wicket within a sand based stadium and the second against Barcelona International C.C. on a coconut matting surface within a grassed baseball ground in the Olympic complex. Unfortunately the tourists found their inexperience of the local conditions counted against them & so despite a magnificent 82 not out by 1st XI Captain Lee Knight against Barcelona, both matches ended in defeat for SLHCC. However, on the plus side it did provide some useful match pre-season match practice against decent ex-pat club players from England, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan & other countries. It also gave SLHCC the chance to test its new coloured kit that will be used in the Shepherd Neame Essex League T20 competition this season.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable trip for the tourists with plenty of time to take in the sights & even a journey to see FC Barcelona play a La Liga match against Getafe at the Nou Camp.
Ahead of the new season, SLHCC will soon be publishing its special 125 Anniversary edition fixture book.
