2004 Somerset Tour

Bloxwich Cricket Club’s first tour was to a rain sodden Yorkshire in 1979 and 25 years later Tom Revitt Travel resurrected this event and arranged our 2004 tour. Since Whitsun 2003 the possibility of a tour the following year was muted and throughout the season, particularly when the social section convened, the event took more structure. Eventually Tom had accommodation booked at Butlins Minehead, two games for a men’s side and one game for our ladies side. All we needed now was good old Bloxwich Cricket Club enthusiasm.

The party soon developed and was made up of the usual suspects and a distinct ‘family’ atmosphere developed. The Ackrill’s, Allcock’s, Pearce’s, Pitt’s, Revitt’s, Scott’s, Smith’s, Webster’s, Gemma and Stu, Faye and Lee, Lou and Lunny, Sarah and Jonesy, Bails, JD, Magsy, Salmon, Wooty and Wozza and our Pro, Royan, all duly paid a bargain price for 4 nights shared accommodation in Butlins famous self catering chalets.(Unfortunately Club President Terry Jenkinson suffered his heart attack and on doctors orders had to drop out so he and Marie stayed at home, but they’ll be there next year!! Glad to see the old fella is back to his normal self.)

So it began…..6.00am Monday morning 31^st May 2004…The vast majority of the tour party met at the club in order to travel in convoy down the M5 to the sun. Luggage was swapped between cars, cars were swapped and even taken back home, and more importantly the boxes of Carlsberg Export were packed…eventually we were ready to roll !!

It was a glorious morning and a safe, hassle free journey got us to Butlins Minehead by 10.00am.

Chalets were not available until 2.30 pm so we all went our separate ways and amused ourselves until chalet allocation…miraculously the majority of the party convened like homing pigeons in the ‘Sun and Moon’. Then the inevitable happened…it absolutely poured down with rain….what else is there to do?….stay in the ‘Sun and Moon’….unfortunately on leaving the Moose was floored by Mrs. Moose attempting to have a ‘donkey’…6.5 on the Richter scale !!

We met as arranged at 2.30 and our chalet keys were distributed. As we stood in the rain waiting for our keys Bails, Big and Little Ack limped onto the complex after having a blow-out in the outside lane of the M5 at 85mph. Thankfully Bails’s lightning reactions ensured they reached the hard shoulder safely and could continue their journey without further incident.

And then that was it…the end…Friday 4th June…
time to go home to brilliant Bloxwich and weekend cricket…
ah well…soon be next year !!