As hard as I try or as much as I want to, it goes without saying that I will never fully understand the intensity (from a competitors point of view) of winning or losing an international cricket match. And that's probably why I ended up post-match today with a massive smile on my face. As a spectator I was invigorated by the intensity and excitement of the last few overs. I was astounded by how close the contest became as the days went by. And I was reminded just how much passion is ignited in people when it comes to watching and participating in professional sport. It's passion that keeps the fire in our bellies.
The majority of my tour buddies were in attendance at Trent Bridge today but like most other days this week I was relegated to watching Day 5 from the confines of our hotel room (Trent Bridge isn't a toddler-friendly venue). Much to my delight, our tour buddy Tessa chose to stay and keep Romy and I company and for two not-particularly-hardcore cricket fans, we were both gripped with angst and excitement. Though the end result didn't fall in our favour, it was an unbelievable and historical sporting event to witness and one we are unlikely to ever forget.
On a completely different tangent, I spent the lunch break waxing my arms whilst encouraging Tessa (a ballet dance teacher) to teach Romy to 'pointe' and 'plie'. When the match was over, we decided to go for a walk up to one of the local cafes for lunch and I spent the rest of the afternoon packing our suitcases and running last minute errands.
Tonight the boys have a team dinner to attend and the girls have all decided to meet in the hotel foyer for a casual dinner and drinks, something I'll have to miss out on as Romy will need to be bathed and go to bed. Tomorrow morning we are all bound for London - the boys on the team bus and the girls on another - where we'll all be preparing in our own way for the second Ashes Test match at Lord's later this week.
