20/20 Cricket update

18th June 2009

Typical England. Following the emabarrasing defeat by those renowned cricketing superstars from the Netherlands we somehow manage a stirring victory over the 20/20 World Champions India . Our mood in the office was lifted, England had turned a corner and would surely ease past the West Indies and now get to the final - Don't be silly, this is England remember and although a tad unlucky with the weather and revised targets we have bowed out of the tournament far too early, but not surprisingly.

Always expect the unexpected with England's cricket team. Still, I reckon we'll give the Aussies a good hiding.......

I'm hoping for a Sri Lanka victory now. This set of swashbuckling mavericks do not adhere to the stifling public school coached clique with little natural talent (harsh I know, but I was exposed to bucket loads of this a young lad playing the game - and yes I went to a comprehensive).

My other reason for wanting Sri Lankan success is far more serious and important. Having taken a merry band of travel agents on a trip there in 2006 I can say from first hand experience how incredibly friendly the locals are and what a wonderful country Sri Lanka is - deserted beaches, cool highlands, jungle, prolific wildlife and a pleasant surprise for us all, extremely high quality accommodation on the Island.

This country deserves more visitors than it currently gets. Our visit to see the Back to Life Project was an emotional experience for the whole group.

We have been working with the NGO 'Back to Life' since the world witnessed one of the greatest natural disasters in living memory, the 2004 Tsunami. After the Tsunami destroyed the lives of so many on the island of Sri Lanka, Back to Life set about raising money to re-build 25 homes for displaced families. We are very excited to announce that as of April 2008, through money raised by our returning clients, Exodus was able to hand Back to Life the final £5,000 needed to complete the 25th house. We would like to thank all those who have donated money over the last 4 ½ years, donations that will forever change the lives of 25 displaced families.