Well, more than one person warned me about the extreme weather conditions that always seem to descend on Port Macquarie at the exact time of the NSW State Cup.

Now in my head I had pictured rain, lots of rain. I wasn't expecting 40 plus degrees. The rumours going around were that the top temperature reached 44 degrees. (Reality is that I can usually deal ok with the heat but after an 8 and a half hour drive from Canberra I was struggling badly.)

After a quick stop out at the fields (where I saw in amazement that the NSW Staff were still working to set up an endless line of tents, take note of this for later reference) we headed back to the accommodation.

With the wind being hot like it was we headed for the pool. (Which provided a little relief until you moved too much and got warm again.)

As the sun went down the temperature dropped a little and the wind picked up. Before I knew it I was chasing papers around the villa as we had opened every window and door earlier in the afternoon.

Thankful for the relief of the wind it was a phone call from one of the NSW guys who was checking on the tents at the fields that sent all the staff running. Remember that endless line of tents that the NSW Staff and locals had worked through the hot weather to have ready for the start of the tournament?

Well imagine them flat.

All of them.

Imagine the NSW Staff running around trying to stop them from flying away.

That was what happened.

Now imagine the staff having to fix them and set them all up again.

Welcome to the 2004 NSW State Cup...

When we woke up this morning the breeze (gale forced winds) had passed and a perfect day, temperatures in the mid-20's and an occasional shower was awaiting us.

With the Schools gala day and the media launch taking place today the NSW State Cup is definitely in town. If you're in the area come down and check it out, I'm looking forward to seeing the quality Touch and intense rivalries that seem to symbolise the Cup.

If you can't get down to the event but want to keep an eye on results just use the following link:


NSW STATE CUP 2004 DRAW AND RESULTS


By Rachel Moyle, media@austouch.com.au