A late sleep-in today. Out of bed around 8:00 and joining the other two boys downstairs for breakfast at 8:30. The rest of the contingent arrive today.

After a good breakfast we jump in the car to have a look at nearby Thatcham . Before we realise it, we have driven through the town. Ok, not much to see here.   So we keep going another 5 or 6 miles and find a park in the middle of Newbury.   Time for a mid-morning cappuccino.   That ritual out of the way, we have a wander down the High Street, a fair portion of which has been turned into a pedestrian mall.

We checked out a lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal and had a chat to a couple of guys bringing their narrow-boat down through the lock.   He tells us they have only used about 20 litres of fuel in 5 days of cruising thru the canals.   I guess they only move at about half an knot so its not too surprising - but it does look like a very relaxing way to travel (as long you aren't the person working the lock).

We then head off to Hambledon to check out the famous Bat & Ball Inn.   The pub dates back to the 1700s and is a place that Stoddy and I visited back in 2010.   There is some wonderful memorabilia on the walls of the pub, some dating back to the very early days .   We have an ale and a club sandwich sitting in the garden out the back before going over the road to check out the ground at Broad Halfpenny Downs.   From there its a 5 minute drive to the ground at Hambledon Cricket Club and we have a look at the ground where we will play our first tour match on Sunday.

We found a couple of cricket balls lying around so - boys will be boys - we have a few throws and catches.   Hopping back in the car we make the one-hour drive back to Thatcham.   For some reason the GPS decides to take us back through some very narrow backroads.   Pretty scenery for my passenger but a few hairy moments for me as we need to pass some vehicles going in the other direction.

Back at the hotel I manage to connect a Skype call to Bryony and chat for a while before my laptop decides to disconnect and start downloading some Windows updates.   Great timing, Mr Laptop. By 4:30 the rest of the touring party have arrived and after a quick beer in the bar we adjourn to the dinning room for our first team dinner.   Sea Bass for me. Nice enough but approx. $35 I bit pricey.   Hopefully we will find some other, cheaper places to eat in coming days.   By 10:30 its back in the room, sort out the laptop and then off to bed as Stirling has called for a practice session at 09:00 in the morning.