The tour organisers (Tour Boss Throb and his side-kick Pav) have felt that it might be a good idea for all of us, and especially new tourists, to write down some of the understandings that we take for granted on tour. We’ve included quite a lot of our routine arrangements, but there are one or two additions that should help things run more smoothly.
- Tour membership is open to all members of the club over 18 on the first day of the tour. Guests are welcome, but club members take priority if membership rises above 23 because of travel arrangements.
- We confirm the tour membership for the hotel well in advance. From 2010 this will on March 1st, a month earlier than last year. All tourists pay their tour fee by that date, or at least a deposit of half the cost, so that we can plan and make financial arrangements for the tour with confidence.
- The fee includes the cost of a good quality tour shirt and cap, of a standard colour and design (still under discussion) but with the year displayed. These are distributed during the breakfast stop on the journey down.
- A tour magazine, edited by Huffy and produced by Pav and Throb, is distributed at the same time as the tour kit. This includes information about fixtures and clubs, the teams for each match, the tour reports and averages for the preceding year, the tour songs and plenty of scurrilous comment on each tourist. Contributions here are always welcome.
- Updates on the tour membership and other arrangements are published at regular intervals on the club website. From 2010 team sheets, with captains and scorers, will be published on the web site by Pav a week or so ahead of the beginning of the tour.
- Tour travel arrangements are delegated to Finers and String. We normally need two drivers in Devon, while Finers does the long haul to and from Torquay. String plans interesting routes to the grounds.
- Those using the tour bus meet at Corbans Gallery in Hale Barns at 6.45 for a 7.00 lift-off. This slightly earlier departure has worked really well, allowing a relaxed journey down and turnaround at the hotel before the first match.
- We’re in an ideal hotel, the Cimon, with Will, Jane and Tina as a most helpful staff, and we respect the needs of other guests to maintain the excellent reputation we’ve built up. Returning from wherever in the early morning is fine, but do remember that it takes a lot of care to shut doors quietly when we’re five sheets to the wind.
- There is a Tour Dinner in the hotel on the Wednesday evening, with a buffet meal promised by Will for 2010 to replace the takeaway meals we’ve had so far. This is a time for enjoyment, but it also gives an opportunity to discuss as a touring party any suggestions to improve the tour still further.
- Everyone gets down to breakfast by 9.00 or thereabouts, which helps the staff and makes it easy to let everyone know lift-off times for matches or any changes in procedures.
- If players find before the tour that they are unable to play as arranged on any day, or want for any reason to have a particular day off, whether playing or not, they let the tour management know as soon as possible. This makes it much easier to organise teams and arrangements for scoring and umpiring before the tour.
- Umpiring and scoring responsibilities are shared out fairly, undertaken by those not playing on the day and non-players, and do not involve more than one innings per match. We have enough qualified and experienced umpires to share this out informally, ideally doing half of our innings each. A scorer needs to be responsible for the whole of an innings, and as it is a less popular job Throb and Pav will allocate two scorers per match in advance.
- All tourists normally travel to each match, to support the team and help out as and when we have an unexpected emergency (injuries, hospital admissions and arrests so far). We all have a free day on Tuesday (before leaving for the evening 20/20 match at Stoke Gabriel). However those who find during tour that for any reason they want to have any other day off let the tour management and the captain for that day know well in advance. We don’t ever want to turn up with less than a full team, or without back up if needed.
- Captains for the day ensure that they have match balls and spares (available from Pav), liaise with umpires and scorers, and arrange for collection of tea monies.
- These are meant to be helpful guides, so please don’t take them as rules! Any suggestions for additional items are most welcome.