Fifteen Sutton Valence students, alongside Mr Head, Mr Cox and Mr Braddick, embarked on a memorable trip to South Africa on 11th February. After a much appreciated and efficient taxi to Heathrow (thank you Mr Harrison and Mr Alexander), and a cosy Virgin flight, the party arrived in Cape Town in the early hours on the Wednesday. Getting one of the first cable cars, the group ventured to the top of Table Mountain to enjoy its beautiful views across the South Atlantic Ocean and the city of Cape Town itself. Next up was a tour of the world-famous Newlands cricket ground, with Table Mountain as its back drop. The squad enjoyed a tour, some photos and a first stab at souvenir shopping.

Day 2 saw some more tourist style entertainment, the Sky-Hi ride, an open-top bus tour, a trip to Camps Bay and an evening at the beautiful V&A waterfront. Day 3 meant the arrival, finally, of some cricket. Following a slightly rusty net session and some interesting looking fielding, the boys played Reddam House Constantia. Sutton Valence batted first, posting 101-8 from 20 overs, with Tom D top-scoring with 44. Despite fielding well, we were unable to defend our total and Reddam House chased it down in 15 overs, finishing 104-4, defeating Sutton Valence by 6 wickets. The game was played in excellent spirits, and the boys were able to come away holding their heads high, a tough, but competitive and promising start – and plenty for Mr Cox to work with!

Day 4 saw strong winds cancel our planned tour of Robben Island, but after some on the spot planning from Mr Head, we still had an excellent day. A morning spent at the aquarium finding Nemo and Dory was followed by an informative tour of the harbour on Africa’s only amphibious vehicle, the Duck boat. In the afternoon sun, the boys enjoyed some active recovery, participating in a Padel tournament run by Mr Braddick, with Toby and Alex coming away with the spoils.

Day 5 and some more cricket, travelling early to play a development team from Langa Township, an eye-opening experience for the boys. With some excellent bowling from Langa on a tough pitch to bat on, Sutton Valence posted 101-8 from 25 overs – thanks in huge part to a first ball six from Nicholas S with the last ball of the innings! Some great bowling from Tom D and Brook H managed to slow Langa down, but unfortunately, they were able to chase our total down fairly comfortably in the end. Finishing on 104-5 after 17 overs. I would also like to mention two beautiful, heart-warming moments from the day; firstly, pre-game a few of the boys were using the nets and were accompanied by a local young boy who was not a part of the cricket team. The boys took it upon themselves to pause their warm up and instead teach the young boy how to bowl, they showed incredible maturity, patience and support in the process and were a credit to themselves and the school. Secondly, it was also great to be able to donate three bags worth of cricket equipment to the township team, thanks to all those who donated kit, the team were extremely grateful for it all.

Day 6 included a long but beautiful coach journey along the coast, finishing at Cape Point for a walk out to the look out point over the South Atlantic. After some lunch in Simon’s Town we ventured to Boulder’s beach to visit their African Penguins and despite Mr Braddick’s before efforts to lose his shoe in the enclosure, we thankfully all made it back to the hotel in one piece, well rested and ready for some more cricket.

Three games in three days began on Day 7 – but not before a trip to Hout Bay and Duiker Island to observe some wonderful Cape Fur Seals in their natural habitat. Our third game of the tour was against Bridge House, and with a few of the boys still on Duiker Island, we were quickly swept to 17-4 with the bat. Thanks to some patient and probing batting from Jack D and Fred M (both scoring +40 runs), we posted our highest total of the tour – 121-7 from 20 overs. Some tight bowling from Tom D, Will D and Harry D saw us get Bridge House down to 17-6, and despite their best efforts, the boys were able to take their first victory of the tour, bowling Bridge House out for 82. Thankfully, the boys were gracious in their victory, as they were hosted very generously by the parents and families from Bridge House.

Day 8 began with a fascinating and informative talk from a local expert about some of the wildlife on display at the Giraffe House, and the boys having the opportunity to hold a Python! Game 4 was up next, against Paarl 3rd XI. We bowled first, and in hot conditions, we restricted Paarl to 151-7 from their 25 overs. Thankfully the weather cooled slightly, with William D and Henry P getting amongst the runs, but despite some excellent batting, SVS fell just short, finishing on 144-6 in the 25 overs allowed. A team meal at the wonderful Cattle Baron was enjoyed and well deserved that evening.

The third game in three days came on day 9, after some exciting tobogganing at the Cool Runnings Toboggan Park! We then won the toss and had a bat against Somerset College 2nd XI, with Nicholas P and Joshua S attacking from the off, we finished on an impressive 165 for 7 after our 20 overs, with Joshua carrying his bat with an excellent 68 not out. However, we did try to keep the game competitive with some fielding and bowling that left plenty to be desired. But in the end, the side came out victorious in their 5th and final game of the tour, limiting Somerset College to 126-4, winning by 39 runs.

The party’s final day was spent paddleboarding along the canal – giving the boys a chance to enjoy the sunshine for the last time and cool off at the same time! We also returned to the local padel courts, and with the teams now seeded, Brook and Henry came away victorious! The touring party arrived back on Saturday 22nd, all, thankfully in one piece – albeit slightly tired!

The boys were an absolute pleasure to be with, representing the school superbly, with several passers-by and fellow tourists complimenting them on their polite demeanour and general behaviour.

A big thank you must go to Mr Wells, who despite not being able to join us on the tour, was there in spirit, and we’d have never made it out there without his help and organisation. Also, to Mr Head, who armed with the biggest travel wallet known to man, had us all in the right place at the right time for the whole trip, and to Mrs Cox, who’s cricket knowledge, reassurance and buzz ensured the team were competitive throughout all their fixtures.

Mr M J Braddick