Tuesday was another hot one for the squad as the temperature soared to 38°C – but, undeterred, they embarked on gruelling running sessions in the morning that had most of them on the floor and/or gasping by the end of it. The Fleet management certainly saw to it that the players blew the cobwebs off from their evening out the night before.

The squad have put in a tremendous effort so far as we reach the halfway point of the training week, they really have put everything into it and are looking trimmer and feeling fitter by the hour. It’s all going towards the ultimate goal of Daryl McMahon to have the fittest squad in the division ready to go from the first whistle come August.

After a heavy day of workouts and training, Steve Gritt, David Jupp and Ron Hillyard took to the hotel golf course, completing a round just before sunset that saw locals scatter for cover and Anglo-Portuguese relations at an all-time low due to the amount of balls driven off the course and into the road outside!

Early nights were the order of the day for a tired squad after that, and Peter Danzey certainly helped the management team on their way as they opted for an early bath rather than, at his request, name The Magnificent Seven, the Dirty Dozen and Santa’s reindeers. That’s the level of conversation we have now reached in the evenings and the medical staff are booking Pete in for psychological testing on our return as his knowing the names of Santa’s reindeers must demonstrate a deep-lying issue.

After the success and bonding from the Sunday quiz night, a second one has been organised for Thursday evening in which the categories are general knowledge, sport, TV and films, geography and – just in case any of the boys have a future as Michelin-starred chefs – cookery.