The Best Day So Far

Last Saturday was a big day for me in the progress of the Everest Test. We started with a good training session on Battersea Park doing the normal Trim Trail. Appropriately tired, our minds then focused on finally getting down to playing some cricket - this is after all what we are planning on doing on Mt Everest. We headed to the home of cricket (Lords for the uneducated) for a 2 hour net session during the afternoon.

There was a good turn out with plenty of banter to get people motivated. Kiwi was quick to take control and asked several of us to get padded up, me included. Not really knowing the standard of the bowling I thought it safe to don the helmet. It was definitely needed with some very tight and aggressive bowling from Mark Waters (Happy Birthday by the way) which resulted in me 'edging' at least three deliveries. I like to think I placed them appropriately for the Twenty20 format of the game but in honestly I was truly beaten on several occasions. G-Man also had his say and peppered me with a few aggressive in swingers, so it was good to see there is going to be a competitive and feisty competition on the Mountain (I might add, both these players are on the same team as me - cheers fella's).

With nets over and my medium pace long hops being dispensed to all parts of Lords we where joined by some of the Trektaors for our first meeting of the year. This took place in the Lords museum so it took a while before order was restored and our minds were once again focused on the Everest Test (Thank you to Lords for letting us use their facilities).

Kirt and Wes got proceedings under way with the usual heckling from the crowd (good work Tooves) and introduced us to our PR agency, Creative Minds. Whilst we have been able to promote ourselves relatively well, Creative Minds have certainly taken it to another level. not only is our exposure due to increase within the national media but we have also received backing from none other than Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, each becoming a honorary captain of the two teams. It was great to hear a message from them both on Saturday and is a real motivator to come back victorious from Nepal.

We also had a run down on how Kirt and Curry got on over the Christmas period in Nepal and they had certainly put a great deal of effort in during their holiday's so thank you both (hope you have now recovered - take a look at the blog for a little more detail....). Other than the usual medical precautions you take on board when doing an adventure like this, we where also informed we better take a test for 'Sudden Death Syndrome'. I think the clue is in the title and it makes you think that if it is so sudden, how do you test for it but I will no doubt find out soon.

There was a great atmosphere at the end of the meeting, which resulted in a few of us heading to the local pub for a few well earned beers and a feed to top off a great day. I am truly pumped and looking forward to what we have in store this weekend at Kensey's Fantasy Farm Fitness Challenge.