sentences:  The opening parade comprised forty knights, each with his own entourage who were to ride to the castle, picked up a lady, officer or knight, and returned to the lists, the picturesque estate drive being lined with thousands of spectators.Elaborate rehearsals and training in St John's Wood had not prepared participants for the crowded and already sodden conditions on the day and the opening parade took three hours longer than planned to marshal.Although the day had dawned clear and fine, as the knights and their entourages struggled to organise the parade the sky began to darken.