England Cricket Tour to South Africa 2009-10

England Cricket Tour to South Africa 2009-10
7 November 2009 - 18 January 2010

Gullivers’ England cricket supporters were lucky to escape Britain’s freezing winter weather for South Africa’s sunshine. It was a real shame that England seemed to surrender the final Test in Johannesburg without at least putting up a fight, but then it would have been a travesty if South Africa had lost the Series, in which twice they were denied victory by England's last man, Graham Onions. Despite the final result, the feedback from supporters suggests a great group spirit and camaraderie was enjoyed on our tours.   

Off the Field
Off the field, the 200 Gullivers' supporters travelling on six different tours had a thoroughly memorable and enjoyable time. As well as relishing the high points of the cricket, our supporters travelled to Pilanesberg Game Reserve, Kruger National Park and along the Garden Route to Knysna – all of which were well received. A number of clients tailored their own extensions with adventurous trips to Botswana, including the Okavango Delta and Chobe, to Zambia to see the splendor of Victoria Falls and to Franschoek for some extended wine tasting!

Gullivers' Exclusive Cricket Forums
Our cricket evenings went down a storm, with David Lloyd coming along to chat to our small ODI group in Johannesburg, followed by more formal events in Durban and Cape Town. Tour Host Barrie Leadbeater was joined by broadcaster and journalist Vic Marks and umpire Steve Davis in Durban, and Mike Denness invited guests Nasser Hussain, Mike Atherton and Shaun Pollock to join us in Cape Town. Some lively cricket discussion and banter followed welcome drinks and some tasty canapés. As well as our cricket focused evenings, clients socialised in our hospitality marquees during the Durban and Cape Town Tests, which provided not only an excellent lunch and refreshments throughout the day, but some welcome shade from the uninterrupted sunshine.

South Africa - The Rainbow Nation
All tourists spent a day touring the picturesque vineyards of Franschoek and Stellenbosch and after a cellar tour and wine tasting, enjoyed a sumptuous picnic lunch in the grounds of Boschendal, which was a definite highlight. Add to this the programme of sightseeing in our Optional Adventures brochure; from the Battlefields in Durban, Robben Island and a tour of the Cape Peninsula in Cape Town and a visit to Soweto near Johannesburg, to name but a few, and there were some great opportunities to get out there and see the real South Africa; the Rainbow Nation – diverse, colourful and vibrant in every sense.

Christmas and New Year Festivities
Last but not least there were the Christmas and New Year festivities, with a Christmas Day party at Moyo in Durban, complete with Christmas carols, African music and some hard-to-dry henna tattoos! New Year was spent at Simon’s Restaurant at Groot Constania, the oldest vineyard in South Africa, with plenty of African entertainment and top tunes from the band ‘Spectrum’, until the bubbly was uncorked, the glitter fell and the New Year celebrations resonated.

Thank you to everyone that booked and travelled with us for the England Cricket Tour to South Africa 2009-10. It was a superb tour and Gullivers' next England cricket supporters tour - the 3 mobile Ashes Series 2010-11 can’t come soon enough!

If you travelled to South Africa with Gullivers then please enter our photo competition to win a year's subscription of Wisden magazine. Find out how to enter our England to South Africa photo competition.
  Keep the spirit of your South Africa tour alive by using Gullivers Clubhouse - our online community. Upload tour photos, stay in touch with new friends, join in the forums and review your tour.

View photos from Gullivers' England to South Africa Cricket Tour in our online photo gallery.