Lords for a day

Watching a Test Match in almost any location is preferable to not watching one. A cold and wet Cardiff may be a marginal call. However the “benefit of the doubt” rule still applies. A Test Match at Lords is a far more compelling proposition. So much so, in fact, that without considerable planning it can be difficult to get a ticket. Demand is on a par with that for Olympic tickets. Consequently despite reaching the age of 21 and a few months (well 432 months if we are being pedantic) I had not actually been to the ‘Home of Cricket’ as Lords brands itself these days. By taking action in January, the all-important tickets were obtained. One of the advantages of being the Fixtures Secretary is that I knew which day the Nomads would not be playing well in advance of everyone else.

This particular trip was for left-handed Nomads only. We know how the Chairman feels about us (something about being strangled at birth), so Gards and I decided to leave the less fortunate (by which I mean right handed) Nomads behind. We caught the train at Aylesbury Vale Parkway for the one hour trip into Marylebone. Even on the platform we could immediately spot fellow cricket fans. Blazers made from deckchair material. Bacon and egg ties. MCC members make the term ‘dress sense’ into an oxymoron.

Marylebone Station is an ideal gateway to Lords because it shares some of the Victorian architectural style of the Pavilion. A short walk from the station brought us to the Grace Gates. After a brief, and somewhat perfunctory security check, we were inside. Our seats were in the Compton Stand, which is on the far side of the Ground. We arrived just as the teams were completing their pre session warm up drills. The weather was dry so play started on time.

We saw the wicketkeeper flinging himself around to stop wild deliveries – something with which we are quite familiar. We saw some dreamy cover drives and enthusiastic fielding. Another familiar story? Perhaps not. The bounce obtained by the trio of English quick bowlers was impressive. Stuart Broad was described by one of his fellow fast bowlers as a dwarf. As he is 6ft 6in tall I think that this is a slight exaggeration. I prefer to regard this height as normal.

The outfield looked smoother than many wickets we have played on. As for the famous Lords slope, well allow me to indulge in a variation of the classic Yorkshiremen sketch. These cricketers, they don’t know that they are born these days! By comparison with Pott Shrigley, Sutton-on-the- Hill and Shipston-on-Stour, Lords is a tribute to the flat earth society. However it does have a bigger slope than any other first class ground that I have seen.

During the luncheon interval we were entertained by a troupe of Sri Lankan dancers, and a number of games of Quik Cricket. The umpire was able to ‘go upstairs’ to get a decision from several hundred spectators in the nearby stand. It was a little bit like the Coliseum, but using fingers rather than thumbs to give a verdict.

In many respects this was a similar day to that spent in Cardiff. There was some high quality play without setting the pulse racing. It was true Test Match cricket. A day for the purist.

Sadly the weather deteriorated steadily. Sir Geoffrey couldn’t understand why play had stopped. I have news for him. It was raining. The Upper Compton Stand has an unrestricted view of the pitch, and the sky. I was getting wet.

After a short resumption, the weather intervened once more. Tea was taken early. Gardeners generally may have welcomed the rain, but Gardner P and Stanley K did not. A general consensus was reached in our part of the ground that play was unlikely to resume. We concurred. On our way out we completed our circumnavigation of the ground, and then back to Marylebone sheltering under umbrellas. A slightly disappointing end to a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Keith Stanley