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Harpsden Cricket Club Groundworks up to 3.9.13

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Tough Guy

Last Sunday I travelled with Adam Birkett, Zac Jones, Sasha Burgess, Toby Stevens and my brother Alfred Cary to Wolverhampton to take part in Tough Guy.

Tough Guy is described by its creator Billy Wilson, a retired Grenadier Guard, as a 12 mile hardcore obstacle course although a cruel form of torture is how I would describe it.

The ‘obstacles’ include running along countless narrow paths lined with unavoidable 7 foot high stinging nettles, crawling under barber wire, running through fire, wading through rivers and high voltage electric wires hanging from beams at various points around the course.

At 11 o’clock we started, along with 2,500 other hopefuls, of which only 1,200 would finish. The start line is a 10m high near vertical hill, followed by a 2 mile run broken up with hay bales and wooden fences to scramble over. At the end of the run is the first serious obstacle. A 40 foot high climbing frame covered in cargo nets that feeds into a narrow tunnel that has electric wires hanging from beams every couple of meters.

After this came the first of many water obstacles. A series of trenches dug down and filled with water. Jump in, wade across, scramble up the bank the other side – easy. Except in preparation for the nettles I had cunningly worn rugby socks so that I could pull them up above my knees when I came to nettles to avoid getting stung. Both socks instantly filled with mud and I now had the bleak prospect of still having 10 miles to go with each foot weighing what felt like an extra 10kg.

The next challenge was a slalom set on a steep hill, 10 runs up (actually one run up, eight walks up and finally an exhausted crawl) and 10 sprints down. After this there was lots of running, seemingly endless cargo nets to clamber under, more hay bales and fences to scale, rivers and lakes to wade through and lots of nettles to avoid.

The next major obstacle was hay bales set on fire which you had to run through followed by another lake to wade through and then two tunnels of tyres to crawl through.

By this stage most of the running had been done and what was left was an endless succession of obstacles, climbing high frames, walking on high ropes above lakes. Jumping off high planks into the lake, swimming, more nettles and then finally the interrogation room.

The interrogation room is a dark low ceilinged room that reduced big burly tattooed men to girlish yelps as their tired limbs crashed into the practically unavoidable high voltage wires that hung from ceiling to floor. Sadly I can confirm that these wires packed quite a punch…

After one more climb and slide down into a lake we crossed the finish line in an exhausted heap, ate vast quantities of food and then watched other people make fools of themselves on the obstacles which makes for excellent viewing – it’s like ‘you’ve been framed’ on steroids.

Date H/A Fixture 2013 Start time NOTES SAT 13/4 H Little Marlow 1pm SUN 14/4 H Theale and Tilehurst 1pm SAT 20/4 H Hurst 1pm SUN 21/4 H Watlington 1pm SAT 27/4 H Henley 1pm SUN 28/4 A Wargrave tbc SAT 4/5 H Greys Green 1pm SUN 5/5 A Peppard 2pm FRI 10/5 Has been offered to Heartbreakers SAT 11/5 H Rivets 1pm SUN 12/5 H Twigworth Travellers 1pm FRI 17/5 SAT 18/5 This date has been offered to Dreadlock Holiday CC. SUN 19/5 H Concorde 1pm WED 22/5 H Medmenham 6pm SAT 25/5 H Turville Park 1pm SUN 26/5 H Sonning Sunday 1sts 1pm FRI 31/5 A Henley Occasionals 6pm SAT 1/6 This date has been offered to Catchiteers SUN 2/6 A Taplow 2pm TUES 4/6 Evening game this week to be arranged with Crossbatters. Waiting to hear from them SAT 8/6 H Butler XI 1pm SUN 9/6 H Nomads 1pm FRI 14/6 A Shiplake College Wanderers 6pm SAT 15/6 Has been offered to various clubs! Latest offered to Catchiteers – or 1/6 SUN 16/6 H Pakistan XI 1pm FRI 21/6 SAT 22/6 A Greys Green 1.30pm SUN 23/6 H Captains Day WED 26/6 SAT 29/6 H Clapham In 1pm BBQ SUN 30/6 H White Waltham 1pm FRI Regatta w/end SAT 6/7 No fixture SUN 7/7 H Wessex Exiles 1pm SAT 13/7 H Effigees 1pm SUN 14/7 A Henley tbc Need to check start time as at Henley FRI 19/7 SAT 20/7 H Green Mambas 1pm SUN 21/7 A Little Marlow 1.30pm SAT 27/7 Was Greys Green – they requested move to another day SUN 28/7 PRO AM so away fixture needed. Hurley cannot host a game and were unsure of numbers in any event NB IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER HARPSDEN WILL NOT HAVE A GROUND AVAILABLE. ON SATURDAYS WE CAN USE COPPID HALL. SUNDAYS NEED TO BE AWAY GAMES. SAT 3/8 SUN 4/8 tbc Sonning Common Village Describe themselves as ‘nomadic’ We have agreed to try and find a venue where we can play the fixture. Will check with CH if this may be a free Sunday as they may have the occasional Sunday free SAT 10/8 CH Kensington 1pm SUN 11/8 A Nettlebed 2pm SAT 17/8 SUN 18/8 A Woodcote 2pm SAT 24/8 CH Cary Allstars 1pm tbc SUN 25/8 A Britwell Salome 1.30pm MON 26/8 SAT 31/8 CH Marlow Park 1pm SUN 1/9 A Checkendon 2pm SAT 7/9 A Sulhampstead 1pm SUN 8/9 A Dorchester 1pm SAT 14/9 A Turville Park 1pm SUN 15/9 A Hurst 1pm SAT 21/9 A Holyport 1pm SUN 22/9 A Crazies Hill 1pm SAT 28/9 CH Wycombe House 1pm SUN 29/9 A Waltham St. Lawrence 1pm