During the Easter holidays, 37 boys and 6 staff went to St Lucia for a cricket and football tour. Everyone came to the airport with smiles on their faces, bags packed and ready to enjoy the Caribbean heat. When the boys arrived on the island, there was a quick dinner followed by a lot of rest for the next busy day.
On the first day, there were no cricket or football matches, therefore we enjoyed time in the pool and then visited an orphanage with many boys and girls to donate clothes and toys for the little children. After learning about the charity and donating, the boys played with the little ones, teaching them how to catch and throw. It was humbling to learn about the lives of these children and we all enjoyed playing some games together. In the afternoon, we headed to the beach.
On day two, the boys woke up early ready for their first cricket match of the tour. All the boys played amazing cricket and enjoyed it against a tough opposition. The next day came and we had our first football match against national players. In the first game the boys were very close to winning and in the third game the boys played exceptionally well against a team that included 4 national players. Everyone enjoyed themselves and played really well. After the match we had a surprise as the staff had secured us all tickets to watch St Lucia play Dominica at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in a World Cup qualifying match, with St Lucia finishing victorious in a 3-1 win. At the end of the game some boys managed to get a few of the players’ shirts and boots.
The next day, the boys woke up bright and early to play some more cricket. There were 3 teams who all batted very well and there were some stand out performances by many boys. After the exciting cricket matches, the boys went down to the beach to watch the sunset and eat some pizza, many boys describing this as the best night of the trip.
On the fifth day, the boys woke up really early again to go on an amazing boat trip around the island to do some snorkelling and go in a mud bath, which were both great fun. While snorkelling, the boys saw some amazing creatures like a sea snake. However, the most interesting animal was seen by Mr Strudwick which was a massive snake sleeping in a tree. Many boys screamed at the sight of the giant snake! They cruised home dancing, singing and talking about the amazing day. The boys also celebrated Daniel H’s birthday.
After a well-deserved lie in, the boys set off to another cricket match, as well as having a rematch against the same football teams they had already played. The first game saw a SHS win with three amazing goals. With a 1-1 draw in the second game, the boys were going for an unbeaten day which was so close, but a last minute goal saw a 1-0 victory to the opposition.
The next day would be one of the best with a trip to the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, to play one final match of cricket. In the first game, the boys bowled very well but could not reach their target against some rapid bowlers. After the matches concluded, the SHS boys all gave their shirts to the hosts on the other team who were ecstatic with their new shirts. The boys then spent their final night having a delicious dinner on the beach.
Everyone enjoyed the trip so much and want to thank Mr Baker for leading this trip, Mrs Radhakrishnan for challenging herself to learn how to swim, Mr Males for coaching some free flowing football, Ms Baker for teaching us some amazing cricket and almost catching a brilliant catch on the boundary, Mr Strudwick for taking about 1000 photos of animals and plants, and Mr Eaves for taking us on this trip and looking after us. Thank you for organising our amazing trip and taking time away from your family and friends to look after us in a faraway, beautiful island, somewhere in the Caribbean… called St Lucia.
Written by: Zach P, Archie R, Amar S, Arun S and Jax W.
