talkSPORT Tour Diary

It’s been a terrific few days in Barbados with the talkSPORT team reunited after a Christmas apart.  Our two month tour across Sri Lanka brought us all close together and there were big grins and even bigger hugs all round when the likes of Neil Manthorp and Darren Gough arrived. 

Possibly this was more to do with the relief of their long journey from South Africa being over than the pleasure of seeing Andrew Mckenna and Jarrod KImber.  But it was a lively first evening out with plenty of tales from the tour we’ve just completed.

One man who wasn’t looking so happy is young Producer Sam Ellard.  Sam is known as a talk-first-think-later type of guy and it had landed him in trouble. During the back end of the tour to Sri Lanka he agreed to a bet that he soon regretted.

Sam would be the first to admit he could do with losing a pound or two and thought it would be wise to challenge former professional sports man Matt Prior to a contest called #talksportsbiggestloser.  Whoever arrived in Barbados having shed the most weight would be taken out to one of Barbados’s most expensive joints.    

When a restaurant on Barbados is known as expensive you know you’d better start extending the overdraft.  The day after I arrived I was charged £8 for two litres of milk.  I thought my jet lag was playing tricks with me it wasn’t just the milk.  A packet of corn chips is more than a fiver and a steak will set you back £13.  Let’s hope the talkSPORT bean counters aren’t reading this. 

Either way Gareth Batty, who will be part of the team for the limited overs leg, was so confident Sam wouldn’t be able to cash the cheque his mouth had tried to pay offered to front up the money for the entire 12 strong team if Matt lost.  Suffice to say his money is safe.

Fair play to Sam though when the big day came he fronted up.  He was thankful that Matt has decided not to drink this tour so when the bill came in it wasn’t anywhere near as horrendous as Sam had feared.

Aside from Sam losing the shirt off his back it’s been a wonderful week.  Every member of the talkSPORT team is a cricket tragic and for many it has been a first experience of visiting the Kensington Oval. 

Just walking past the famous statue of Sir Garfield Sobers, then across the lush green outfield where the names of the legendary figures leap out at you from the stands is enough to give us all goose bumps.

From the first black man to captain the West Indies, a man who reshaped the identity of the side forever, Sir Frank Worrell, to the most fearsome opening duo to ever play the game, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, to the bowler who looked up to no man, Joel Garner.  A reminder that Barbados has provided our wonderful sport with some of the best to ever play the game.

With stadium facilities and view of the pitch nearly as impressive as some of those who’ve represented Barbados and the West Indies we are an excited bunch less than a day out from the 1^st Test.  We hope that this enjoyment and delight is apparent when we take to the airwaves on Wednesday.