Harlesden Wanderers are relatively late converts to touring. Through a mutual
contact at the Maori Club, Richard Crompton and Steve Hunnisett first organised
a Harlesden tour to Spain in November 1989. The tour matches were organised
through the Malaga Cricket Association and mainly comprised of fixtures against
local expats but on a later visit, we also took part in a tournament against teams
from all over southern Spain and also against other touring teams. These fixtures
were originally played on an artificial surface at Benalmadina Football Club
before in later years, the tour matches were moved to a purpose built cricket
ground at Cartama.

Due to a variety of reasons, these tours ran their course but the desire for further
tours was unabated and as a result, many Harlesden Wanderers players were
enlisted by Richard and Steve onto the annual Southall Cricket Club tour to
Devon, which they were then organising. This tour had started before the
Second World War and in those pre-league cricket days ran from Saturday to
Saturday, with clubs such as Torquay, Paignton, South Devon, Chard, Ottery St
Mary and Sidmouth featuring prominently on the fixture list and providing some
very high standard opposition. Sidmouth continue to feature on the fixture list to
this day and we understand that Sidmouth v Southall is the oldest fixture on their
list being uninterrupted apart from the war years. The remaining tour fixtures are against a mixture of old friends such as Kingskerswell and Kilmington and new
ones such as Lydford and Clyst Hydon and provide a good mixture of opposition
that manages to give everyone as much (or as little) cricket as they want!

Although we tour as Southall C.C., the tour is now very much a Harlesden
Wanderers' affair, with the organisation and the nucleus of players being
provided by the Club, together with invited guest players from Southall and
other clubs, who we feel add something to both the playing and social aspects
of touring.

The tour continues to thrive and is an opportunity to visit old friends and make
new ones, as well as to enjoy cricket in one of the most beautiful parts of England.
Steve Hunisett