I had been invited to compile a World Cup Trivia quiz for a client of the one of the sponsors, Reliance, which involvedsettingten questions pertaining to each of the 49 matches which were then shown on the giant screens at the match. It was quite an honour but initially I was totally unnerved by it and it was a peculiar sensation looking at almost 50,000 people at the India andIreland match who might have been looking at the questions.Matches in India involving India are marvellous occasions: people dancing, shouting and chanting “ Sachin, Sa-ch-in” when Tendulkar is on strike, a deafening noise when India takes a wicket and an almost surreal silence when an Indian wicket falls. Mary entered into the spirit of the occasion waving her Irish flag about and we both sported the Indian and Irish colours painted on our cheeks and didn’t even fall out with Mary supporting Ireland and me India. Our first game had been the epic England and Ireland match which, with Ireland 113 for 5 chasing 328, I had thought - but of course not said to Mary - that we would be back before the bar closed at the excellent Bell Hotel where we were staying. By the time Ireland won we had long since missed the chance of a beer and Kevin O’Brien’s innings was one for the memory.

In between games we went down to Kerala and stayed at the superb Vembanad Lake Villas at Vaikom which is about an hour from Cochin. I had found this place by mistake a couple of years ago and have stayed there three times now. The charming owners, Thomas and Reksmi Philip, with Thomas’s brother, Simon, have made a family home into the most wonderful place along the shores of Lake Vembanad. The views are superb, Reksmi’s cooking an absolute treat and everything about the place fantastic. Details can be found on www.vlvs.com . They arranged a sunset boat trip on Lake Vembanad which was stunning.