The cricket highlight of the French weekend, shown on the fixture list as August 16/17, consists of a match between St Aulaye and St Astier, to be played on the spanking new pitch at St Aulaye in the northern Dordogne. The St Aulaye ground has been a labour of love over the past ten years for Gnome's honorary life member Wynford Hicks, a stalwart of the team from the 1970s until his recent move to France. Wynford's bulletins have been
faithfully recording the development of the ground, with the construction of a pavilion the most recent addition. St Aulaye will host hot local rivals
St Astier on Sunday August 17 - a fixture that has produced fireworks and aggro in the past. Gnome visitors are welcome to play in this match, and
if there are sufficient numbers, there will be a further match on Saturday August 16.

That is not however the limit of the facilities or entertainment open to travelling Gnomes. Wynford is offering to host a golf tournament if sufficient Gnomes arrive with their clubs. In addition, the infamous Hotel du Champ de Foire will be opening under new management soon. Gone from the refurbished premises will be the ferocious mosquitoes and noxious drain smells of old, to be replaced with one of the finest but still intimate hotels of provincial France. Those wishing to renew their acquaintance with the former proprietor, the renowned Ali, will find him running the nearby Cafe Restaurant de Paris.

The St Aulaye weekend was one of the fixtures of the Gnome calendar in the past, with a full team travelling there on average once every three years. The St Aulaye weekend is now judiciously placed between the Cornwall week and the Oxford bank holiday weekend. If you are interested, then Wynford will be pleased to supply further details. You can reach him at hicks@mageos.com