Clare Taylor's Diary - The lions roar to the very end

England bowler Clare Taylor is writing an exclusive diary for ecb.co.uk this winter - covering her travels in New Zealand with Otago Sparks, and then through the tour to South Africa

The skies were overcast as we set off on a two-hour journey to Sun City, an extravagant tourist attraction north of Johannesburg where the Palace Hotel costs a reasonable £3,000 a night – room only!

Despite the ubiquitous casinos and arcades most of the team headed for City of the Waves, an outdoor water complex with something for everyone. The Death Slide - a sheer vertical drop –didn't appeal much to me but it was quite entertaining watching people's faces as they set off over the edge.

We spent the afternoon driving round a game reserve in search of the Big 5 (no, not senior players but lions, rhino, elephants, buffalos and giraffes). Unfortunately, the rain set in and put a dampener on the day and sent the animals into hiding.

There were plenty of signs on the road that elephants were in the vicinity (some fresher than others!) and after three hours we finally caught sight of rhino, hippos, giraffes, wildebeest, impala and a pack of wild dogs as well as a number of boulders doing good impersonations of the Big 5.

The rain, some torrential, remained our constant companion for the next two days. Richard Bates wasn't too keen on us training indoors, so we kept our fitness up with regular visits to the gym. I personally kept away from the weights with my shoulder back to its best.

After several showings of Bridget Jones' Diary and Notting Hill (think our captain has a thing about Hugh Grant!), we had a Mexican theme evening, with an afternoon trip to the shops to get our outfits. My group looked rather fetching dressed as cacti and the Amigos had made a real effort.

The highlight of the night was the chilli eating competition and the steam coming out of Captain Connor's ears.

The 4th ODI was postponed for 24 hours due to the rain and we headed to Sandton City in Joburg a day earlier than planned.

We watched the rain fall on the covers till 11am and the game was called off by Cyril Midgeley (former international umpire), our match referee. Hurried phone calls were made to set up another ODI at Potchefstroom on Monday March 1.

And so to Lenasia, a township about 90 mins drive away from Joburg via a track that resembled some crazy paving!

We won the toss and elected to bat. A minute's silence was observed at the start of the game for the dad of South Africa captain, Alison Hodgkinson, who had died suddenly a few days prior to the game. It had a poignant double meaning for me as it was a year to the week that my dad passed away.

Batting was hard going to begin with as a few deliveries kept low. Lottie grafted for 58 and Tails (Claire Taylor) went out to bat on a mission.

She made it look so easy, blasting the ball to all areas of the ground and scoring 82 from 76 balls. She was very ably supported by Lydia Greenway (41) who is improving with every game.

We finished on 242 - a very competitive score on an unpredictable pitch. Our bowling was tight, with Rosalie's 3-28 being the pick and only Alicia Smith showed any application scoring 38. The hosts finished on 142 for nine and a series win had been secured.

There was no real time to celebrate as we had to leave the hotel at 6.30am the following day for the 5th and final ODI. We passed the outskirts of Soweto on the way to Potchefstroom (a big university town).

Soweto is a corrugated iron city and a stark reminder of the diversity of South Africa.

When we arrived at `Potch' it was clear why the Australian men's team had used it as their base during the World Cup as, again, the facilities were superb. The pitch looked an excellent batting track with a lush outfield.

We won the toss again; Connor clearly having turned the corner in her poor tossing form!

Having elected to bat with confidence, Lottie and Laura got into a comfortable early stride, although running fours to the long boundary didn't look like their idea of fun on a sweltering morning.

Lottie continued her impressive form with 81 and an equally impressive tour average of 99.

Cheesy chipped in with 42 not out at the end and we finished on 253.

We knew to go 4-1 up the bowling would need to be patient and controlled. Isa opened and finished an impressive spell with 1-36 - the only blemish being a six off the last ball from 15-year-old Logtenberg, who again showed her class with 76.

The field was set well ensuring the required run rate continued to rise and we closed off our stay with a 38-run victory.

Cheesy's 5-50 completed a Player of The Match performance for her.

So, back-to-back Series wins against South Africa and a 4-1 away series win plus plenty of time to celebrate on the coach trip back to Joburg ensured a happy team. We had outplayed the Proteas in every aspect of the game - and outsung them in the national anthems!

I spent the final day at a lion park. We got really close to some of these amazing animals and even had chance to cuddle and stroke some cubs.

A fitting end to a very pleasing display by the English lions in SA and a good grounding for the Women's World Cup here in March 2005.