Day 9

The alarm sounded at an unusually late 8.50am, allowing us a much appreciated lie-in on our final morning in the Tropikist hotel. A breakfast of pancakes, fruit and cereal ensued followed by a morning by the pool, with a few girls falling at the final hurdle and burning in the 32 degree waterside. At last, after frantic packing and searching for lost possessions, the teams waved goodbye to the myriad of custard yellow and orange paint that decorated the resort and sent our final farewells to the hotel. Hot yet in good spirits we found ourselves walking to the airport. After the ordeal of checking in our bags we were rewarded with pizza, which was appreciatively eaten on the floor in the airport terminal. The 20 minute flight provided an extremely pleasant contrast to the sickness-inducing ferry and before we knew it we were back in the Port of Spain terminal that we had arrived in 8 days previously. The sparsely populated airport was greatly improved with the discovery of a free wifi zone, and by 6.30 in the evening all the girls were making their way to the Caribbean Airlines flight back to London Gatwick. This final leg of the journey marked the end of an incredible trip that I'm sure all of us will remember in years to come. A lot of fun was had over the course of the week as well and everyone has experienced huge improvements in their favoured sports, which will be invaluable when we play next season. The teachers and team-mates alike have been kind and entertaining throughout the trip, providing an encouraging and supportive atmosphere on and off the pitch and a great time was had by all.

- Martha Commerford