The Cleveland County cricket tour to London has been a fabulous experience.

The guys have played at a high standard and have represented Bermuda well with their performance and their warm friendliness.

This tour in my eyes has made me realise just how important it is and how necessary it is for more clubs to tour the world. If we are to improve our overall development our local cricket clubs need to look towards exposing their players to cricket internationally.

This just may be the incentive that the players may need to then represent their country.

Over the last year the players of Cleveland have worked diligently to make this tour happen. Carlton (Pluke) Smith was the main man behind the fund raising operation.

He managed to secure various sponsors for the tour whose names will be put on our shirts for the Eastern County game at the end of the month.

Having had contacts in England from previous tours I was able to contact a sports company called Sports World Travel.

They organised our matches, accommodation, and transportation in a first class manner, proving the excellence that England demands when it comes to cricket. That is one of the main reasons we chose England, and we were not disappointed.

Upon settling in the guys were introduced to a system that we use in the national squad which is called a buddy system.

The team was broken up into four different groups with a leader for each group. The whole idea behind this system is for everyone in the group to make sure that their group was on time for all meetings, bus departures, meals, etc. Basically, what it really does is build team unity, which is of the utmost importance when trying to win games.

Overall we played a total of three games winning all three. The opposition was fairly decent, probably on the level of a couple of the top 1st division teams (Leg Trappers, PHC).

We could have requested stronger opposition, but the purpose of this tour was to simply try various combinations and to build team and individual confidence.

I have seen several players blossom on this tour and regain their confidence which will bid well for us as a team as we prepare to tackle whoever is the Eastern Counties champion at the end of August.

The conditions here in England are very similar to those down at Lord's, St.David's. The ball in the morning does quite a bit in terms of swinging and cutting, therefore we batted every game so that we could adjust our techniques and styles accordingly.

Things we normally would do while batting, players realised they couldn't or it wasn't in their best interest to do, (i.e. flicking and hooking). Each game the guys played I could see the improvement in shot selection, and the improvement in their overall performance.

Does this mean that they are guaranteed to win Eastern Counties? No, but it means that they are more prepared to go and get the job done.

This Cleveland County team is more determined and focused then I have ever seen them. With just two weeks before County, the team will be on a strict and tough regime that will assist in their final preparations.

I am a strong believer that if you prepare well and do your extras you will get your just reward. This club and this team have made the necessary sacrifices that champions make.

Now it is time for them to execute the plan and make the dream a reality by bringing the Eastern Counties Trophy back home to Cleveland County. It has been a long wait, but I truly feel that the wait is over.