From our tour correspondents (Tony and Andy H)

Despite the dire weather forecasts earlier in the week, Mandarins gathered on the riverfront in Wivenhoe on a warm and dry, if overcast, day on 19th August. Marc and Cheryl had joined us from York. Warm and dry, as it happened, summed up most of the ensuing weekend. Apart from one overnight storm which dampened the pitch at Framlingham, but which did not prevent a prompt start to the Friday game, the weather was wonderful throughout the tour. I got back to Brum to sympathetic noises from friends who had expected no play given the horrible weather in the West Midlands over the same period. Reader, my smugness knew no bounds.

Being purists of the game, the Mandarins have always struggled with the limited overs format and are not reknowned for their pursuit of quick runs (if we're honest the combination of the words "quick", "Mandarins" and "pursuit" is an uncommon one in any context). However, continuing the strong run of results in July, the Mandarins managed to achieve just that against long-standing opponents Hetairoi.

July's programme opened with a new fixture at the home of cricket against Broadha'penny Down and this illustrious fixture proved to be a great success as the Mandarins rescued a precarious situation to a record a creditable draw. This was followed by successive wins against Captain Crawford and Cranfield.

Eleven Mandarins arrived in Dorset for the hottest weekend of the year with the usual gathering of most of Saturday's team for a light lunch at Shaftesbury's Half Moon pub. This year road conditions had been relatively benign for all but the kit-carrying Stephen Dunmore. The pub gathering was where most of the team received the bad news that Sixpenny Handley 's players had late in the day voted by an overwhelming majority for the illusory belief that Sunday afternoon would afford greater enjoyment if spent watching some other sport on a television screen. Tour management was scrabbling around for an alternative. In cricket terms, some sort of late morning 20/20 thrash at Clayesmore was the only option still on the table.

Fresh from their heroics against Brightwell, the Mandarins pitched up at Woolwich with high hopes of another convincing victory. Alas they, sadly forgot to pitch it up and paid a heavy penalty...