Guwahati Here We Come!

Wednesday 17 November 2010

After breakfast we make the return journey back to Guwahati on the long and windy mountain road. The downhill trip proves to be quicker than the uphill one, but the road is still littered with debris from previous accidents. It would appear that plans are being put in place to open a proper road to link Guwahati with Shillong. Home for the last 2 nights of the tour is the Landmark Hotel in Guwahati, a hotel fairly central in a city that is dusty and heavy with pollution, traffic and noise.

The lads and I attend a press conference and are presented with Assam hats, which have a strong resemblance to shallow Mexican sombreros. The picture makes the local press.

The squad have a practice session at a nearby sports club and three dogs and a goat are seen being chased off by the groundsman, with the session in full swing.

Local shops again prove fruitful for presents and beautiful silk scarves are great value for money.

The squad has a night off from curry and head off to KFC with our armed guards in tow. The guards have to ‘urge’ the KFC staff on, as nobody seems to be in any great rush, and they want us in and out as soon as possible to reduce any potential risks.

Thursday 18^th November 2010

After lunch, the squad have arranged to have a game of cricket to give the legs a stretch. The session finishes with having to throw at a single stump, and missing it means a lap round the ground.

Tonight we play an Assam XI and we are looking forward to the game. Dolb’s is planning to give the lads that haven’t played so far a starting berth, and have the more experienced lads ready if required.

The stadium has previously hosted the State Games and a number of eclectic competitions, such as the World Arm Wrestling championships, and is a step up in class of facilities. The pitch is flat and has grass on it, which comes as a welcome relief!

I get ‘felicitated’ before the game (yes, it is a real word!) and a crowd of around 8,000 is in the stadium. The young side competes well with the Assam team in the first half to leave the field at half-time all square at nil-nil. The second half sees four subs come on, as we press for the win we all desire to end the tour on a high note.

Soon after the restart, the home team fall behind 1-0, when Lee Cooksey finally scores our first goal of the tour. Assam equalize soon after, but Jordan Eagers seals the win when he pokes the ball home from a yard or two.

Fireworks blast into the dark night sky to end the night perfectly.