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Gibbons wraps up a successful tour

Fiji, scoring 52 in the final game and taking 5-32.Gibbons, who captains the World Select,

Fiji, scoring 52 in the final game and taking 5-32.

Gibbons, who captains the World Select, rejoined the team for the Fiji leg after missing the trip to Singapore because he was in Australia taking the advanced coaching course with 47 others.

Australian Rod Tucker, Asim Khan of Pakistan and Dominican Dave Sylvester all scored centuries in Singapore as the team won all three matches against the Singapore national team, Under-25s and Select team.

In the first game in Fiji, the World Select scored 312-8 with Atul Sassan scoring 89, Tucker 94 and Gibbons 34. Fiji were dismissed for 181.

A Fiji Select could only manage 106 as Hampshire fast bowler Ben Taylor claimed 7-28. The World Select replied with 108-1 with Asif Sidhu, brother of former Indian opener Navjot Sidhu, scoring 72.

The tour ended with a third match against the Fiji Under-25 team, with the World Select making 288 all out with Asif Khan scoring 65, Gibbons 52 and number 11 batsman Tim DeGroot 42 including six sixes. The Under-25s were dismissed for 173.

"The tour was very, very successful,'' said Gibbons, just hours before leaving Fiji for England.

"We have a meeting tomorrow in England to discuss plans for next year. It looks like we will be taking in the Caribbean with Bermuda included.'' Gibbons left Fiji with fond memories of a beautiful country.

"The place is a dream and the people are so friendly,'' said Gibbons who remembers some of the national team players from when he represented Bermuda in the ICC Tournament.

"Terry Burgess (former Bermuda fast bowler) is a big hit here, everybody wants to know what Terry is doing,'' said Gibbons. "The standard of cricket here is on the up. They have an Australian coach who says he is making plans to send the team to Australia for two months.

"All our games were well attended. In the game we played against the national team there were over 17,000 people.'' Gibbons, who could be back in Bermuda by next week, is hoping his coaching qualifications will allow him to get involved in coaching in Bermuda. "It's something I want to do,'' he said.