Gill and I make an early start to the laundromat to get some clean clothes organised before we leave our base here in Cheltenham.   There was a rumour of a pool recovery session this morning but appears just about everybody is pretending they didn't hear about that.   After a breakfast of porridge with sugar and honey - and some toast - we head off to the Eastnor Cricket Club, in the shadows of Eastnor Castle, we are once again treated to the vision of a beautiful village ground with marvellous old trees as a back-drop with glimpses of the castle on one side of the ground.

Our opposition today was intended to be the Herefordshire Over 50s but there has been a mix-up in the scheduling and the game will be against the local Eastnor Club . We were due to play them here later in the tour so now we will return in about 10 days to play Herefordshire. The Eastnor cricket club have their first and second grade teams playing in the Birmingham League while their 3rds and 4ths play in the local competition. Its is to be a mixture of their lower grades with a couple of 1st graders that we will play today. The club is very proud of the fact that they hosted the Lashings All-Stars in a game last year and defeated them, despite Lashings have the services on the day of Courtney Walsh, Andy Caddick and Ian Harvey.

I'm rested from the rotation today - and my legs are very grateful for that.   The pitch looks better than yesterdays but still screams out "low and slow".   We are batting first and Gill is bowled for 16 - a rare failure for him on this tour. Only John Dedman really gets going with a 34-ball retirement at 33no, while Dennis Axelby complies a steady (which means, slow) 30 retired off 77 balls faced - a tour record to date .
Bob Phillips comes in towards the end and makes an impressive 26no off 29 balls but our final tally of 5/162 off 40 overs is probably 20 runs short.

Following another wonderful lunch, our boys take to the field but the hectic schedule is obviously taking its toll and our bowlers and fielders are looking leg-weary.
Using their knowledge of their own pitch they are strong on the drives down the ground as our bowlers fail to get any lift from their deliveries. One opener retires on 30 (out of an opening partnership of 37) and at the half way mark of their inning the game is evenly poised at 2/73.
However the fall of the fourth wicket welcomes Darren Woodhouse to the crease and his 31 retired off just 19 balls completely changes the game.   Their skipper, Jim Sandford comes in at number 7 and also makes 30 no and Eastnor wins tha game at 4/164 in the 36th over.

More telling for us is the injury sustained by Tour Skipper Stirling Hamman . A solidly-hit return catch off his very first delivery results not only in a missed opportunity but Stirling is straight off the ground and on his way to hospital,   The diagnosis, we later find out, is a dislocated finger with a subsequent facture to the joint.
It will probably be the end of Stirling's on-field involvement in this tour.

A fantastic, sit-down roast dinner is provided by our hosts with pineapple upside-down cake with custard for dessert. Probably our best after-match dinner of the tour so far. Following the presentations, the Eastnor club president, a former choir boy, leads the entire room in a stirring rendition of Waltzing Matilda that is particularly pleasing to the Aussies.
Stirling returns from the hospital just before we leave the ground and appears to be in good spirits but the loss of our leader - and a very good all-rounder - may hurt us as the tour goes on.