Not a great night's sleep after suffering a nose bleed last night before dinner . Too much clearing of the nose due to this damn flu, me thinks. Anyways I finally doze off about 3am then up at 7:30 for a light breakfast. Starting to feel a little stodgy after some big meals over the last few days so time to ease back on the intake.

At 9am we head off to a local cricket ground for our first training session. We are at the tail end of the convoy and lose sight of them briefly and then realise they have turned a corner that we have missed.   It takes a while to get back on track and cop a blast from skipper Stirling when we arrive at the ground.   The skipper spends a half hour or so setting expectations and explaining the routines we will follow on match days etc. This is then followed by a 20 minute warm-up routine before go on to various skills drills.

We finish up at about 11:45 and return to the hotel for a 30 minute recovery session in the pool - fortunately heated. The pool work appears to have improved my flu - I certainly hope so, because I struggled for breath during the morning session .

After a quick shower and change the group splits into two.   Two vehicles will be heading off to Newbury. Our mini-van and the other driven by Murray Harrison head to Winchester.   Murray has spent some time there previously so we are going to rely on some local knowledge.   Lunch is at some pub on the banks of the Itchen River.   A couple of ales and a minted lamb burger and all is good with the world again.

We head off for a walk along the path beside the river, checking out a couple of cricket matches being played in the grounds of Winchester College.   Founded in 1382, it is believed to be the oldest continuously-running school in England. They have fabulous looking playing fields.  
 
After that, we wander into Winchester Cathedral (made famous by the 1966 hit by The New Vaudeville Band). It is awe-inspiring. The Cathedral's exterior features a fine Gothic facade, but it's the inside that steals the show with one of the longest medieval naves (164m) in Europe, and a fascinating jumble of features from all eras .

Today's cathedral sits beside foundations that mark the town's original 7th-century minster church. The cathedral was begun in 1070 and completed in 1093, and was subsequently entrusted with the bones of its patron saint, St Swithin (Bishop of Winchester from 852 to 862). He is best known for the proverb stating if it rains on St Swithin's Day (15 July), it will rain for a further 40 days and 40 nights.

Our last bit of history for the day is a visit to the Great Hall. Winchester's cavernous Great Hall is the only part of 11th-century Winchester Castle that Oliver Cromwell spared from destruction. Crowning the wall like a giant-sized dartboard of green and cream spokes is what centuries of mythology has dubbed King Arthur's Round Table. It's actually a 700-year-old copy, but is fascinating nonetheless. It's thought to have been constructed in the late 13th century and then painted in the reign of Henry VIII (King Arthur's image is unsurprisingly reminiscent of Henry's youthful face).

This hall was also the stage for several gripping English courtroom dramas, including the trial of adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh in 1603, who was sentenced to death but received a reprieve at the last minute.

Returning to the hotel, Gill and I decide that we really don't need too much more food, so a hot chocolate and a bit of fruit suffice for our evening meal.