Cornwall Tour 2012

Although we missed the South West's one hot-and-sunny week of the summer, we didn't do too badly for weather. Dodging between heavy showers, we managed to get six full games in as well as a mid-game abandonment. Our tally of two wins - both at the start of the tour - two draws and three defeats reflects an aging, failing squad. A few of the established players were broken men by the end, and it was good to see a few green shoots of youth among the weeds: Varun's first tour, Joseph's first games and Fraser maturing into a proper Mystic.

Grampound Road's 254 (the first time that two centuries have been scored against us in a single innings) was too much for us, despite runs for Matt, Ernie and Duncan. At Pencarrow, Stuart Ellis and I managed to contrive a perfect declaration game, with the last home wicket falling in the last over, eight runs short of our score. Another victory at Boconnoc after Chris Healey and Duncan staged a rescue act with a big sixth-wicket partnership. Joseph took a wicket on his debut.

The rain caught up with us at Bugle, Saint Neot and Lanhydrock. It caused an abandonment at Bugle after we'd bowled Kev Spencer back into form. Saint Neot and Lanhydrock have covers, and so we were able to complete those two games: both comprehensive defeats. Cliff took wickets and Cooks scored runs, but we just didn't quite have enough energy left to turn things around.

We had much the best of a draw against the Erratics, with Duncan, Sam and a returning J-C making significant contributions. The Killerton pitch was flooded, and so we spent the final afternoon in the pub. Triin, who travelled across Europe for one night with the Mystics, regained her supporter-of-the-tour trophy; while Duncan and Fraser shared the player trophy.