2022 Tanzania Tour
Captain: David Proctor
The 2022 tour of Tanzania was a truly memorable experience, with a heady mix of competitive cricket, hot conditions, the Indian Ocean, friendly opposition, lovely food, and all washed down with a sizable helping of interesting characters we met along the way. We succeeded in flying out 15 tourists, an impressive achievement given the maelstroms of modern life, and our stay at the beachside villa just north of Dar proved to be a very restful HQ. Our opposition were a mix of youthful and mature club cricketers, and our overall scoreline of two wins out of five marked a welcome improvement compared to previous tours. The highlight of the tour came at its midpoint, with our ferry trip to Zanzibar and a memorable and somewhat bizarre floodlit match at the Mao Zedong football stadium. As always with Strongroom, our performances off the pitch were of equal importance, and this proved to be a wonderful social experience with good times occurring on a daily basis. Long may it continue.
Date |
Opposition |
Venue |
Result |
Card |
Report |
Video |
Sun Oct 30 |
Dar Legends |
Annadil Burhani stadium, Dar es Salaam |
WON |
LINK |
LINK |
|
Tue Nov 1 |
Dar Combined XI |
Leaders Ground, Dar es Salaam |
LOST |
LINK |
LINK |
|
Wed Nov 2 |
Zanzibar CC |
Mao Zedong stadium, Zanzibar |
WON |
LINK |
LINK |
|
Fri Nov 4 |
Dar Combined XI |
Gymkhana stadium, Dar es Salaam |
LOST |
LINK |
LINK |
|
Sat Nov 5 |
Dar Legends |
Leaders Ground, Dar es Salaam |
LOST |
LINK |
LINK |
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End of Term Report:
David Proctor
DP captained our two victories on tour, and in particular showed great belief in our first game at Annadil Burhani when defeat looked far more likely than victory. Sadly David didn't get a bat or a bowl in either game, but managed to get onto Zanzibar national evening news, before heading off to a safari in the Ngorongoro crater.
Ujjal Roy
After missing out on Rwanda, Ujjal burst back onto the scene with a high-energy barrage of pace bowling, power-hitting and intense fielding. Ujjal also packed an impressive wardrobe for Tanzania, revealing some dynamic tropical shirts in the second half of the tour. He must come on the next tour - that much we all know.
Joe Rahman
Joe maintained his record of having played in every Strongroom overseas tour match (31), and again his bowling class was the mainstay of our attack. Joe played the shot of the day at the Gymkhana ground (classy cover drive), but had an uncharacteristic off-day on match 5 (along with the rest of us). Off the pitch, Joe again revealed his penchant for hunting down branded sportswear and eating fussily, familiar character traits we still delight in observing.
Tim Moore
Tim again showed his commitment, flying in from Sydney, and didn't disappoint with his hustling batsmanship, whippy bowling and strong arm in the outfield. Tim's dry sense of humour (that gets drier with age) was particularly useful in helping him through his struggles to control the white ball at times. Put in a very strong performance on Andy O's power ballad evening back at the villa.
Mario Picceri
Mario was simply happy to be back on African soil, and was a pleasure to have around. He bagged a two-fer on his first match, and did well in trying conditions. A lover of African sunrises and sunsets, Mario could often be found in the sea at dusk and dawn, and propping up Mbongo's bar.
Ben Hartridge
A first-time overseas Strongroom tourist, Ben's batting transcended to a higher level in Tanzania, where he demonstrated class, a tight defense, and at times, blistering attacking shots. Although Ben skippered and lost two games, his captaincy skills were evident for everyone to see. Ben brought a strong and exuberant shirt-game to Tanzania, closely rivalling JG in the collarless shirt category.
Jon Gower
Jon had a disappointing tour with the bat, and paid the price for opening against often high-quality pace bowling. As chief tour organiser, Jon had plenty on his mind to ensure all the moving parts moved correctly, and overall they largely did just that. Often heard to be shouting "Bus leaving in five minutes!" on match mornings.
Josh Fitzpatrick
At just 17 Josh was very much the new kid on the block, and showed a love of cricket and a determined attitude that served him well. His batting highlight came in a defiant innings at the Gymkhana ground, where others failed, and his bowling highlight came in the final game at the Leaders Ground, with a well controlled spell in the face of a batting onslaught.
Jimmy Hall
As usual, Jimmy kept wicket beautifully and shared the award with Jon G for "looking good, but not getting many runs" - the curse of the opening batsmen. Jimmy played a key role in steering the power ballad evening into more nuanced territory (Ultravox 'Vienna'), and soaked up some high-energy 40th birthday celebrations after the Zanzibar game.
Andrew Orme
Andrew Orme was up for this tour more than any other tourist has ever been up for a tour in the history of touring. And he didn't disappoint. We had live toss reports, market sojourns, suit tailoring with famed fashion designer Clemoo, match commentary, the impromptu hosting of a sensational power ballad evening, scrambled eggs, and, well, a love of life that makes him the heart beat of the Strongroom tour. Andrew also had four dropped catches off his bowling, and was the pick of the bowlers in Zanzibar.
Louie Orme
Louie's first Strongroom tour had a bumpy start, with luggage that never arrived, and an intense schedule that saw him on the ferry to Zanzibar within two days. Louie fielded with commitment, produced good shape with the ball, and batted out the dying stages of the final game in partnership with his dad.
Vinay Venkateshan
This really was a tour of two halves for Vinay. A regulation dropped catch at Annadil Burhani was followed by a sacrificial, horror run out at the Leaders Ground. However, a flamboyant knock at Zanzibar was followed by a superlative half-century in the final game, complete with some huge and delightful straight sixes. As always, Vinay was excellent company on tour.
Ankit Chandna
Somehow Africa brought out the inner Indian Tiger (or Lion?) in Ankit, and his plentiful runs, wickets and solid fielding were often accompanied by passionate roars in the outfield. Ankit also showed his passion for nightlife, an ability to navigate nocturnal groceries, and a strong medley of colourful evening shirts.
Otto Proctor
Otto's highlight of the tour was safely securing the catch at midwicket to win the first match of the tour - which was noteworthy as so many catches were put down on this tour, and a catch to win a game comes loaded with pressure. Otto also bowled superbly in this match, and it was a shame we didn't see more of him after Zanzibar.
Clinton Rubagumya
After months of planning, Clinton's availability was compromised at the last moment by a hastily arranged bilateral series between Rwanda and Tanzania. This was a loss for us, as demonstrated in his only performance for us in our first game, where he bowled with searing pace and took an unbelievable catch at short extra cover, from a rifle-blast shot off a full-toss. Quality cricketer.
Richard Boote
Our club founder made a noteworthy appearance in our Zanzibar game, and made excellent use of his time by tutoring the novice local scorer in the ways of scoring, providing a presidential VoxPop in the post-match interview, and treating us all to a wonderful evening meal. Thanks Richard.
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