Barbados 2007
In the summer of 2007, thirty-five members of OUHC enjoyed the tour to end all tours. All the ingredients were there - sun, sea, hockey, romance and the Ship Inn. Things started off brightly in Gatwick airport when George Lambert casually strode into the terminal wearing predominantly urban gear and was almost instantaneously surrounded by a gaggle of girls. It was clear for all to see that sparks were flying elsewhere as well. The flight went smoothly and the first night actually passed without any new OUHC love although one of the tour couples, Christopher Allfrey and Charlotte Thomas, were seen bobbing together in the sea.
A clear pattern emerged on the tour. Big nights ensured that everyone was on fantastic form for the games the following days against the Barbados teams. Hockey wise the men had a wonderfully successful tour, defeating the under-21 side and battling to a glorious draw against the national side. The hockey was only marred slightly when Christopher Burgess was red-carded (now revoked) for flooring a team-mate, hitting him in the chest with his stick in an outrageous act of violence. Whilst the truth later emerged, that his victim (William Bryant) wanted to go one better from the perma-beater and have the word 'Dita' branded on his chest. and that it was a member of the opposition that let fly, it was still a shocking incident. The women enjoyed slightly less success losing against the national side but drawing against the under 21 side. Captain Vicky Bryant led by example with a number of unassisted falls and incidents of anti-skill throughout the games whilst Charlotte Jackson was a constant contributor, never failing to display her deliciously crisp 'hit'.
Once everyone had solved their jet lag, the days turned into big rounds of mega flirt. Richard Gale assisted damsels in distress with the sometimes inappropriate use of hands, whilst Kathryn Hilsdon, Charlotte Jackson and Frances Furnivall emerged as the main candidates to chase urban Lambert. However, the elusive Lambert played it cool to start with - reading the menu but not ordering. Eventually he succumbed to what can only be likened to a wall of oestrogen and pulled Charlotte Jackson.
All in all it was a fantastic tour and all the tour party are indebted to Jon Bishop who organised the whole thing. The tour awards were as follows:
Hardest Hit on Tour [Men]: Harold Slater
Most Irresistible on Tour: William Bryant
Best Eyes on Tour: Victoria Bryant
A clear pattern emerged on the tour. Big nights ensured that everyone was on fantastic form for the games the following days against the Barbados teams. Hockey wise the men had a wonderfully successful tour, defeating the under-21 side and battling to a glorious draw against the national side. The hockey was only marred slightly when Christopher Burgess was red-carded (now revoked) for flooring a team-mate, hitting him in the chest with his stick in an outrageous act of violence. Whilst the truth later emerged, that his victim (William Bryant) wanted to go one better from the perma-beater and have the word 'Dita' branded on his chest. and that it was a member of the opposition that let fly, it was still a shocking incident. The women enjoyed slightly less success losing against the national side but drawing against the under 21 side. Captain Vicky Bryant led by example with a number of unassisted falls and incidents of anti-skill throughout the games whilst Charlotte Jackson was a constant contributor, never failing to display her deliciously crisp 'hit'.
Once everyone had solved their jet lag, the days turned into big rounds of mega flirt. Richard Gale assisted damsels in distress with the sometimes inappropriate use of hands, whilst Kathryn Hilsdon, Charlotte Jackson and Frances Furnivall emerged as the main candidates to chase urban Lambert. However, the elusive Lambert played it cool to start with - reading the menu but not ordering. Eventually he succumbed to what can only be likened to a wall of oestrogen and pulled Charlotte Jackson.
All in all it was a fantastic tour and all the tour party are indebted to Jon Bishop who organised the whole thing. The tour awards were as follows:
Hardest Hit on Tour [Men]: Harold Slater
Most Irresistible on Tour: William Bryant
Best Eyes on Tour: Victoria Bryant
