Category: Cricket

Real Tennis British Open At Queen’s & Victory In Australia by Richard Whitehead At Lord’s, 22 & 26 November 2025

Richard Whitehead talking, Alan Rees listening.

Two Men’s Singles Semi-Finals & The Women’s Singles Final At Queen’s, 22 November 2025

Janie and I warmed up for this event by having our regular hour of “lawn” at Boston Manor, albeit at 10:00 rather than our regular hour of 11:00. We then hot-footed it (if you can hot-foot by car) to the flat dropping off some old computer equipment headed for charity, then picked up Janie’s flashy new specs, then got to The Queen’s Club about 30 or 40 minutes into the first match.

Simon Talbot-Williams greeted us both warmly from his stewarding position, while simultaneously telling me off “for being late”, before helping organise our seating.

Just as well we warmed up for the event, as the dedans gallery had a real chill breeze feel to it, despite the nicely positioned radiator near our feet.

Must have felt even colder up there in the “makeshift media gallery”.

We caught the end of the match between Nicky Howell and Rob Fahey. Then saw all of the match between John Lumley and Bryn Sayers.

After taking some tea and chatting with the assembled real tennis glitterati, Janie and I saw Claire Fahey’s historic win in the final against Tara Lumley.

Our first sight of women’s tennis played at the highest level

Historic, in that the women’s final hadn’t been at Queen’s for decades. We both thought that the format including both men’s and women’s matches was an excellent idea.

More of this men’s and women’s tennis on the same day, please, Janie and I say.

On searching on-line for the results, Google’s AI Overview, for once, has not hallucinated. The following summarises matters expertly.

Men’s (Open) Singles Semi-finals

Two Men’s Singles semi-final matches were played during the afternoon. 

  • Fixture: N. Howell bt R. Fahey
  • Score: 6/2 6/2 6/5
  • Start Time: 2:00 PM
  • Fixture: J. Lumley bt B. Sayers
  • Score: 6/5 6/3 6/2
  • Start Time: 4:00 PM (approx) 

Women’s Singles Final

Claire Fahey defeated Tara Lumley in the final match, which began at 6:45 PM. 

  • Fixture: C. Fahey bt T. Lumley
  • Score: 6/0 6/0 

What the AI cannot do is express how much we enjoyed our afternoon and early evening at Queen’s, watching high grade tennis. It’s just a shame it was unseasonably cold!

Victory In Australia by Richard Whitehead, MCC Library Book Club, Lord’s, 26 November 2025

Janie and I very much enjoy these library book club supper evenings. This one, at which Richard Whitehead discussed his book about the 1954/55 Ashes tour, might not have attracted our attention, but for Alan Rees (head librarian) taking pains to let me know how much he had enjoyed that book and was thrilled to have secured an evening with Richard.

Save the date…

said Alan a good few weeks before the evening was announced. Hence, once it was announced…we pounced to get tickets.

We were very glad we did. The food and company is always good. On this occasion, as a bonus, we found ourselves next to my real tennis pal of old, Jim Chaudry. Jim has been “off games” for some while now, but I occasionally see him at cricket and have spotted him a few times at the library book club dinners, but until this time, not at my table.

Jim knows how to hold his knife and fork, whereas…

The food was, as always, excellent. Janie went into full tilt food porn photo mode this time.

Both courses depicted on arrival at her place. Thanks, Janie.

As usual, after the talk, the Q&A, and the book signing, Janie and I went home thoroughly pleased and satisfied. That’s some of my holiday reading for our next trip sorted out for sure.

Two Ridiculously Good Books Which Arrived On The Same Day, 6 November 2025

The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments, Dan Liebke & Alex Bowden, Affirm Press, 2025, EAN/UPC: 9781923135697, & In the Eye of the Typhoon: The Inside Story of the MCC Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1954/55, Frank Tyson, Parrs Wood Press, 2004, ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1903158579

There is something faintly ridiculous about cricket books generally.  I say that as a cricket lover, a book lover and, indeed, a cricket book lover.  Most cricket books go into excruciating detail about something or another. Cricket loving, book loving folk don’t mind wallowing in such details, but that doesn’t detract from the intrinsic absurdity of cricket books. 

One In The Eye

To be perfectly Frank with you…

For example, “In the Eye Of The Typhoon” by Frank ‘Typhoon’ Tyson.  It is a first-hand, blow-by-blow account & photo-diary of the 1954/55 Ashes series.  We get Tyson’s perspective on the tour; his activities and thoughts on and off the field. The book is neatly crafted and is a thoroughly enjoyable wallow. 

One entertaining Tyson subplot is his tour romance, which he writes about in an unwittingly amusing, melodramatic style.

Thursday October 7th 1954…I have become very attached to a good-looking Sydney girl called Margaret, whom I met on our second day out of Tilbury. Our parting on the last evening on board was very emotional…I am looking forward, perhaps more eagerly than normal, to seeing her again in Sydney…

Thursday March 3rd 1955…Margaret was my first great love; indeed she was my first real girlfriend. In matters of the heart I was naïve until I met her…We agreed to keep in touch – but could we guarantee that some influence would not intervene? God knew!…Shall I see her again?  I must.

I can’t help thinking of Trevor Howard, Celia Johnson & Sergei Rachmaninoff. 

Yet Tyson’s emotional parting with Margaret at Sydney airport did not prevent The Typhoon from making the lives of New Zealand cricketers hell for the rest of March 1955.

My favourite page in the whole book is the glossary of tour party nicknames on P259. The Boil, Kipper, Scrubs, The Whippet, Godders, and Woozer, to name but a few. Worth the price of admission alone, that page.

50 Most Ridiculous

“The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments” is an antidote to cricket book wallowing, much as Alex Bowden’s irreverent King Cricket website is an antidote to typical cricket journalism.  Each of the 50 stories stands alone, giving the book a dipping rather than wallowing quality. I shall ration myself on these stories over the coming weeks, to help sustain my spirits during the inevitable emotional upheaval that the 2025/26 Ashes will bring.

“The 50 Most Ridiculous Ashes Moments” was born, out of wedlock, between Alex Bowden’s whimsey and that of Dan Liebke, who also has a website (who doesn’t?).   The two of them first came together producing The Ridiculous Ashes Podcast, which I have consistently enjoyed, since it first came out in early 2021, despite my tendency, universally, to find podcasts soporific.

The Ridiculous Ashes book pleases me more than the podcast for reasons beyond my preference for books over podcasts as a medium. The conceit of the podcast is to assess the most ridiculous moments in each Ashes test match from a particular Ashes series, eventually to award Ridiculous Ashes to the most ridiculous side.  It is a fun idea but at times the structure of the “parlour game” detracts from the interesting, amusing and acerbic stories that Dan and Alex are discussing.

The book format liberates the prickly pair [did you see what I did there?] from game show style banter, combining their natural writing abilities to produce 50 well-crafted stories about bizarre happenings in the Ashes during the last 50 years.  The book formula also enables Liebke & Bowden to broaden their coverage beyond that covered by the podcast, hence covering 50 years and covering both men’s and women’s Ashes. 

I especially enjoyed the way they described the demise of the dozy England wicketkeeper-batsman who inadvertently strayed out of his ground to be run out in bizarre circumstances (Chapter 49). And no, that story is not the Jonny Bairstow crease-gate story, although that Jonny Bairstow story inevitably gets an outing in the book: Chapter 8.  

I also like the fact that some of the chapters are not really moments, such as Chapter 10, which is a tour d’horizon of Ellyse Perry’s ridiculous Ashes career.  That chapter, like several others, has an “Activity Corner” vignette which made me smile out loud. 

Ridiculous Coincidence Corner

By complete coincidence, I took possession of both books at almost the exact same moment. Tom Carew Hunt very kindly handed me his father’s copy of “In the Eye Of The Typhoon” as I arrived at The Queen’s Club on 6 November for the Tennis & Rackets Association dinner we were both attending. 18:30 that was.  When I got home, I picked up a message from Daisy, sent at that exact same time, to let me know that Alex Bowden’s ridiculous book had arrived.  

Both books are enjoyable, albeit in such different ways. What a happy coincidence.

Oh, and 70 years ago to that very day, my parents got married, in the Empire Rooms, Tottenham Court Road – latterly a strip club named Spearmint Rhino. Now THAT coincidence really is platty joobs ridiculous.

MCC Library Book Club Dinner With Simon Wilde On Chasing Jessop, 28 October 2025

Alan Rees chasing answers from Simon Wilde after dinner

Janie and I really enjoy these Library Book Club evenings at Lord’s. It is a real pleasure and a privilege to be able to dine and hear about a recent cricket book in my favourite room in the Lord’s pavilion: the Writing Room.

This was our third visit. Last time…

MCC Library Book Club Evening At Lord’s, Yorkshire Grit: The Life of Ray Illingworth, With Mark Peel, 13 February 2024

…Janie found herself sitting next to Alan Rees, which led to my discovery of the research gem for both real tennis and cricket that is the MCC library, which Alan curates. My most recent opus and talk in Newport Rhode Island owes no small thanks to that happenstance in early 2024.

1875 And All That

Strangely, Janie & I are also no strangers to dining in Simon Wilde’s proximity. We had spotted Simon, along with John Etheridge and some other cricket writers in Sabai Sabai in Moseley on the night before the India test at Edgbaston earlier this year. I now realise I even commented on this fact in my write up of that trip:

Heavy Rolling In Edgbaston (Via Leamington) For The England v India Test, 1 to 4 July 2025

I mentioned this curious fact to Simon over dinner, who initially tried to deny the idea that he might have been dining with friends in an up-market Thai restaurant in Moseley, but then broke down under my interrogation and confessed to remembering the place. He even admitted to having eaten there more than once.

Top investigative journalism on my part, there, I feel.

But not as toppy in the investigative journalism department as Simon’s book, Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket’s Oldest Record, which is a forensic look at a record-setting innings by Gilbert Jessop in the 1902 Ashes test match at the Oval. Spoiler alert: England won that test match but had already lost the Ashes. Not much changes…

Gilbert Jessop could give it a whack. Giving it a whack is back in fashion now.

Anyway, point is, Gilbert Jessop was an interesting and unusual character for the England test set up in 1902 who came off big time in that legendary match. But the exact details of his record are shrouded in some mystery, with the scorebooks having gone missing and the contemporaneous newspaper records being a bit light on details – especially one detail that matters to the modern record-setter: how many balls did he take to get to 100 runs.

If this all sounds a bit geeky…it is. But geeky in an historically-fascinating way, as it brings to light the ways that the sports media and sports fandom have changed in so many ways…yet in others, such as the fascination with speed record-setting, stayed the same.

But before all that book stuff, we ate the above meal. The grub side of things is always done very well at Lord’s for these events.

I sat next to Marek from Primrose Hill Books, who was there to help Simon sell the book. In the course of a most interesting conversation, Marek told me that this was his first ever visit to the Lord’s pavilion, which he found a little awe-inspiring, and that he had, in his youth, dated both of Mike Brearley’s sisters at one time or another. Not at the same time, Marek hastened to add.

By the way, if you want a signed copy of Simon’s book, I think Marek still has a few signed copies at the bookshop, so a request through the above link might score you one of those. Naturally the book is available from all good bookshops and also other well-known sources.

Alan closely guarding the legendary bat

Throughout the evening the very bat used in the legendary innings was on display. We could look closely but we could not touch. Given its unusually long handle and short blade, it might remind some readers of the Mongoose bat, which was the talk of the cricket world, not least on Alex Bowden’s King Cricket website, 15+ years ago now.

The Mongoose cricket bat means business

Alan didn’t guard The Right Honourable Sir Spencer Cecil Brabazon Ponsonby-Fane’s cricket bat quite so carefully a few weeks ago, when I popped by the library to finish my 1875 research. Indeed Alan positively gave me permission to handle that historic bat and even photographed me doing so:

I got an almost child-like buzz out of this. Thanks Alan.

The MCC Library Book Club seems to be a bit of a magnet for real tennis types: for the Simon Wilde evening there were three of my tennis pals: Jim Chaudry, Oliver Wise and Brian Sharpe, which adds to the feeling of conviviality on thes evenings.

I had seen Sharpey three days in a row – at the Silver Racquet match on the Sunday, while endorsing MCC candidates on the Monday, and then at this event. When I broke the news to Brian that I wasn’t coming to Lord’s the next day, I think I saw him wipe away a tear. Joy? Laughter?

While we were in the Writing Room enjoying the chat about Jessop, history and books in general, in the Long Room (next door), there was a high-falutin’ dinner with parliamentarians from the House of Commons and House of Lords. I know where I would rather be – Library Book Club is more my cup of tea.

ALAN: Had Jessop been to the right sort of school? SIMON: No, and that was seen as a bit of a problem…

The Rest Is Cricket: Radlett & Lord’s In The Second Half Of August 2025

Clarification: The Headline Photo Is Lord’s. Not Radlett.

Readers of this piece might be deceived into thinking that I spent an entire fortnight at the end of August 2025 watching cricket. Nothing could be further from the truth.

However, the only photogenic and noteworthy events I attended, as it happens, were cricket. The rest is… [insert your choice of expletive here].

17 August: Middlesex v Yorkshire At Radlett

Much like the Middlesex batting, the camera at the Salter’s Field End couldn’t keep up

A long in the planning arrangement to meet up with Yorkshire Simon & Jilly Black at Radlett, where Middlesex & Yorkshire were to do battle in a One Day Cup match.

The events in the days prior to the match seemed almost too good to be true. Both teams were towards or at the top of the table, making the clash meaningful tournament-wise, unlike our previous meet-up there for the same fixture a couple of years earlier:

A Day At Radlett Watching One Day Cricket With “Pinner Pear Fran” & “Yorkshire Simon”, 22 August 2023

Also, it seemed that the weather would smile on us for the day, as it had done in 2023. That is one good thing about having the plethora of outground cricket in July and August – those are probably the most reliable months for dry weather, which really is a big help at outgrounds like Radlett.

We all turned up. Even some of Simon’s friends who we hadn’t been told to expect turned up, which added to the “informal gathering” vibe.

Sadly, Middlesex didn’t turn up, but we don’t need to talk about that bit. In 2023, Yorkshire barely turned up.

Jilly had never been to a cricket match before. Being someone who wouldn’t exactly describe herself as a sports lover, she showed some reluctance at having the LBW law explained to her in excruciating detail. Nor did Jilly seem keen to understand the difference between finger spin and wrist spin.

Jilly did, however, notice a women sitting in front of us, whose posture on the portable folding chair brought on a quite extreme “builder’s bum” appearance. I would never have noticed such a thing, but Jilly pointed it out to Janie and Janie then pointed it out to me. Once such a thing has been pointed out to you, it is hard to avoid taking the occasional glance, although I think I did better self-control job than Jilly:

Me, watching the cricket, Jilly, taking in the crack

Janie was too polite to photograph the costume malfunction woman, who, I hope, remained oblivious to the distraction she had unwittingly caused.

It was a weird afternoon in more ways than just bum cleavage. When Janie and I went to the loo, we noticed a person, quite clearly an elderly man, entering the women’s portacabin toilet. Janie and another woman went in soon after. I waited outside until all had emerged, just in case. First the man, then the other woman, then Janie. The two women paused to have a chat about the experience, as Janie had challenged the man, gently, asking…

…are you in the right place?

Yes…

…said the man, incredulously.

I went through the appropriate door, did my small amount of business and then turned/returned to photograph the portacabin toilet doors, to see if there was any ambiguity in the signage:

Unambiguous

“No ambiguity there. Perhaps the wrong-door-old-geezer was a little tired and emotional”.

None of this stopped us from having a very enjoyable afternoon at Radlett with Simon and Jilly.

20 August: The Hundred At Lord’s Plus The Night Tapes

Warner facing up to the Northern Superchargers

The weather was great. Janie and I got to Lord’s in good time and bagged one of Janie’s favourite spots on the sun deck. We enjoyed the women’s match pretty much in its entirety and then went to have a quick look at the tennis court, which turned into a longer look than intended such that we missed most of the gig, which is a shame because I quite liked the dreamy sound of IIris and her gang, The Night Tapes, when I researched the matter oh so thoroughly the night before the gig.

I especially liked this one, when researching:

As is often the case for us on these The Hundred days, we had enjoyed ourselves enough by about 65-70 balls into the first of the men’s match innings, so we grabbed some shawarmas from The Cedar stall on exit and followed the end of the match on TV while munching and drinking some wine.

Our day on finals day ended similarly, but before that day ended…

31 August: The Hundred Finals Day Including A Perrie Concert

Davina Perrin batting for the Northerns – remember where and when you first heard her name

Again we got to Lord’s in good time, although we were, for the first time in ages, to take in this match from the Warner stand, not the pavilion. I had prioritised a physiotherapy appointment over being able to log in first in the queue for The Hundred tickets on the day the tickets were released. 😇

Actually it was a nice perspective on finals day – not least because we could hear the hullabaloo better from the Warner than you can up top in the pavilion.

The women’s match was a good one.

During the interval between matches, Barry Nathan popped over for a chat.

After being elevated in front of the media centre, Perrie popped around to our stand, bringing her dance-and-pose troupe with her:

You can see Perrie’s full performance through this link.

Or you might prefer the highlights that Janie (Daisy) videoed for herself which, obviously, are better…or at least, shorter and more to the point:

After all that commotion, even the fireworks at the start of the second match seemed tame:

After watching the end of the second match at home over shawarmas and wine, I did wonder whether the Oval franchise might be renamed The Oval Inevitables unless the authorities change the recruitment rules for future seasons.

Still, Janie and I always enjoy these days out at Lord’s, and this year’s finals day was no exception.

Four Noteworthy Days In Oh Such Different Ways, 12 to 15 August 2025

Nat Oaks At Lord’s, 14 August 2025

Tuesday 12 August: Goodbye Hydrotherapy At Riverstone, Hello Chelsea Arts Club

I had my last hydrotherapy session for my hip surgery rehab with Michael Lambert at Riverstone that afternoon – highly recommended if you are recovering from major surgery or injury, btw. My entire focus now will be on the more gruelling home and gym based physio.

Criss-crossing the Borough all day – later that afternoon, I ventured to the Chelsea Arts Club, where Tony Friend had kindly arranged to introduce me to Nigel à Brassard, a fellow avocational writer/historian who is also to speak at the Real Tennis Society history conference next month. A most pleasurable early evening with some very interesting note-swapping. I think Nigel’s notes to me will have helped me far more than my notes will have helped Nigel. I don’t suppose he minds.

Wednesday 13 August: A Sad Day At Stuart Morris’s Funeral

A few week’s ago Janie and I were shocked to learn that Stuart, Annalisa’s husband, had died suddenly and unexpectedly of heart failure. We resolved to keep the funeral day free and attended the moving and dignified ceremony at Bierton Crematorium.

In truth, we did not know Stuart well, having met him perhaps once or twice before attending Annalisa & Stuart’s wedding, all those years ago:

A Long Weekend Near Dumfries For Annalisa de Mercur’s Wedding, Then Sharrow Bay For Afters, 12 to 15 September 1998

But of course we did know Annalisa well and wanted to be there for her. As it turned out, it was a very large gathering, as Stuart had been extremely popular and well -regarded by friends, police colleagues and even his latter-day colleagues from Whipsnade Zoo, whom Stuart had not known for long but the several who attended seemed much affected by their time with him, which had been so cruelly cut short.

Thursday 14 August: Nat Oaks Concert At Lord’s, Before & After Which Was Some Tennis & Cricket

I love being able to combine tennis and cricket on visits to Lord’s. Not least when this combination of activity affords the opportunity to watch some cricket with a fellow tennis player or two. On this occasion, some relatively gentle doubles (playing entirely left-handed at the time having torn my bicep tendon in late July), followed by The Hundred matches between the London Spirit and Trent Rockets, with Nat Oaks performing in-between.

Max McHardy, from The Bionic Quartet…

Plums, Spirits, Gunns & The Bionic Quartet: Only At Lord’s, 5 & 8 August 2025

…was one of the four again. This time, we had the opportunity to watch some cricket and contemporary music together after our game. It was great to watch some cricket with Max, as we had never much discussed cricket before, given the highly focussed nature of our mind sets, and therefore conversation, when playing tennis.

Max had never watched women’s cricket live before and I think was quite taken with it when observed from the rarefied atmosphere of the Lord’s pavilion terrace. We are so privileged being able to use those facilities as “our cricket club-house”.

I’m not sure that Max was as sure about the music of Nat Oaks. I rather liked it, having extensively researched the subject ahead of the match (i.e. I had watched two on-line vids before setting off for Lord’s).

This is what she looked like performing live at Lord’s – thanks to BBC Music:

Max stuck around for almost half of the men’s match. I stuck around for the entire first half of it.

Friday 15 August: A Day Chatting & Eating With Ben Schwarz

A follow up session with Ben Schwarz to try and cover some of the items we had meant to chat about when we met up at Lord’s a few weeks ago:

What Does He Know Of CLR James, Who Doesn’t Cricket Know? A Most Enjoyable Day At Lords With Benjamin Schwarz, 25 July 2025

It was a most pleasant way to spend a large chunk of the day. We nattered for so long over a pot of tea at Clanricarde Gardens, that by the time we got to The Orangery in Kensington Gardens, they’d stopped serving the lunch menu and had moved on to the high tea menu. A suitable venue for high tea, we shared one of those and then strolled in the gardens chatting some more.

This photo, in truth, from 1994, but the look of the place on a sunny day hasn’t changed

Naturally, we didn’t quite complete the list of topics we had been hoping to discuss, so we’ll chat some more in the autumn. It will be interesting to compare notes from our respective times in the USA when next we meet.

Plums, Spirits, Gunns & The Bionic Quartet: Only At Lord’s, 5 & 8 August 2025

Tennis, Followed By London Spirit v Oval Invincibles Double-Header, Observed Mostly From Pelhams, 5 August 2025

Actually I’m not sure whether we are supposed to pronounce the Lord’s Warner Stand Restaurant, which is named Pelhams, “Plums” or “Pelhams”. These days, probably the latter.

Anyway, I was cordially invited to enjoy the first The Hundred day of the season, London Spirit v Oval Invincibles, from the giddy heights of that restaurant, courtesy of the committee, as a thank you for being on the tennis subcommittee.

Here’s me looking suitably giddy up there. I took this picture to alert Colin Stutt, aka Olaf The Buddhist Viking, to the fact that I was there. I reported Olaf’s baby steps into cricket thusly:

A new fan at the London Spirit v Southern Brave washout – a match report

Since then, his enthusiasm for our sport has led him as far as Perth to watch a Women’s test match and back to Lord’s a couple of years later with a party of eight, including his daughter, Laura, for her 30th birthday treat – Laura’s idea! I conspired with Olaf to arrange a surprise personal tour around the pavilion for Laura during the interval between the two matches.

But before all of that, I had a good left-handed hit on the real tennis court with John Beatty & Giles Stogdon, ably assisted by Chris Bray who mopped up after my less penetrative shots. I thought I played quite well in the circumstances.

Then to Pelhams, where the tennis subcommittee was being entertained along with several other subcommittees, including the folk that organise the MCC cricket fixtures. The women’s fixtures committee included two people I know well: Leshia Hawkins from the ECB and Marilyn Smith from Middlesex.

Having done my homework a little earlier in the day, I surprised my fellow guests with my knowledge of the chanteuse who was to entertain us during the interval: Mimi Webb.

Just as well that no-one was able to challenge the depth of my knowledge there.

Leshia and I bonded further in the matter of music by both recognising one of the songs available for The Hundred app users to choose as the walk-on music for Danielle Gibson: Ride On Time, which, I am delighted to announce, was chosen by the majority and therefore played. A rare success for me – both recognising the song and being successful in choosing it.

The women’s match was a good one, with lots of runs and a fairly tight finish.

Walking round to the Edrich Stand to collect Laura for her surprise tour reminded me why I normally choose any time other than the intervals for walking around. The ground was heaving.

Still, we navigated the crowds and I was able to provide Laura with a fairly comprehensive, albeit slightly idiosyncratic tour of the pavilion. I don’t suppose many tours focus quite so much on the portraits of Spencer Ponsonby-Fane and Rachel Heyhoe Flint, but we had our reasons.

Laura was wearing a sash announcing that it was her 30th birthday, which encouraged many people to greet Laura warmly and wish her happy birthday. Laura surmised that I must know lots of people in the pavilion, which was slightly true, but a lot of the friendly greeters were not people I know – they were just friendly people. It is a genial collection of folk, young and old, in the pavilion on The Hundred days. I welcome it wholehearedly.

After Laura’s tour, I got back just in time to chow down eagerly, while watching the men’s match fizzle disappointingly. While the women’s match had been an excellent advertisement for women’s cricket, I thought the men’s Hundred match was a good advert for test match cricket, coming just a day after the end of a magnificent test series. Still, that second match gave me an opportunity to chat with some of my fellow tennis committee folk and also some of the other people in Pelhams that evening.

Without Leisha’s guidance, I made a foolish choice of walk-on music for the men’s match, not recognising the name Insomnia as the following track, which contains an infectious riff, which is very suitable (once you get 2/3rds of the way through the track) and was indeed chosen:

An exhilarating afternoon and evening: I got plenty of sleep that night.

Playing Tennis & Watching Cricket & Tennis On MCC Women’s Day, 8 August 2025

I had arranged to play tennis at 14:00, after the two-hour MCC Women’s Day gathering on the tennis court, to which I had not been invited as a player.

I arrived at Lord’s around 12:00, determined to watch some cricket and tennis before I played. I am very glad I did that.

The first match on the cricket pitch was between an MCC XI and Gunnersbuty WCC. This was in part a celebration of “The Gunns” centenary year.

Originally from “out our way” around Ealing/Gunnersbury (who knew), the club has actually moved around a lot, now in Barnet, but at one time (1960s) based at Boston Manor Park, where Janie and I play our “lawn”.

I must have been going through a purple patch in Boston Manor Park at that time

I watched with divided loyalties, as The Gunns turned what looked like a losing cause into an excellently-timed successful run chase.

You can read about all the cricket action from that day and even see the video here.

After that, I watched the women at tennis for a while, chatting with those who were off the court.

Then it was my turn to play, with three great stalwarts: Michael Keane, Max McHardy and Barry Nathan. I worked out that, between the four of us, there were only three organic hips on the court, the other five, including  Pinky, my new right hip, being prosthetic. Max boasted that both of his hips are originals, only then to confess that both of his knees are falsies.

I decided to name us The Bionic Quartet. I asked DeepAI to try to depict “The Bionic Quartet” based on a short description:

Not bad. I suggested fewer beards and tennis rackets rather than musical instruments:

Hmmm – AI seems determined to depict vast amounts of facial hair, even when asked not to. I didn’t dare try to get the software to depict real tennis rackets.

I stuck around briefly after tennis to see a bit of the second cricket match, but the thought of avoiding the rush hour on the tube and getting home in good time became a greater draw than the cricket quite quickly. I have seen a lot of the stuff over the past few weeks and will be seeing plenty more before the season is completely done.

What Does He Know Of CLR James, Who Doesn’t Cricket Know? A Most Enjoyable Day At Lords With Benjamin Schwarz, 25 July 2025

Seeking an opportunity to spend some hours talking about life, the universe and everything…

…but in particular our shared interests in theatre and early music…

…I suggested a “relaxed day” at Lord’s, when the cricket was to be a club day, the crowd was due to be very small and we could readily chat, It would also enable me to show Ben cricket in its more traditional, low key form.

The idea worked.

It seemed to me most peculiar that Benjamin Schwarz, who is a self-confessed huge fan of the writing of CLR James, had never before seen a cricket match.

Frankly, Ben still hasn’t seen much cricket, but he has seen the pavilion in all its glory, and watched a bit of cricket from the Long Room and the front of the lower terrace. He has supped in the Bowlers’ Bar and dined in the Long Room Bar.

Ben has also seen the library, including the CLR James treasures therein.

Most importantly, Ben has now experienced the gentle art of watching on, while chatting about every subject under the sun with the possible exception of cricket. Actually we talked quite a lot about cricket too, including my cricket “origins” story…

A Short Holiday In Brighton, During Which I Met Geoffrey Boycott & The Yorkshire Cricket Team, 3 September 1969

…but not The Heavy Rollers origin story, which is differently interesting, not least the link to Nigel’s story, which is so close to a creation story it has a genuinely Old Testament ring to it, but without the ultraviolence.

The Day The Heavy Rollers Entered My Consciousness & Indeed When My Devotion To Cricket Entered Theirs, 23 July 1998

One very strange coincidence emerged from our conversations, which was the fact that Ben’s son had recently lived on the very block in New Cavendish Street, formerly Upper Marylebone Street, where my dad was born and where Thomas Paine wrote the second part of The Right Of Man.

I told Ben about my research and discovery about the misattribution of the address and scolded myself for not getting round to writing it up. Ben agreed. I have subsequently written it up:

Thomas Paine Lived & Wrote At 154 New Cavendish Street: Evidenced

Anyway, after giving Ben a tour of the campus…

…including the indoor school which was eerily quiet, we returned to the pavilion briefly before Ben realised that he needed to get to the Orange Tree theatre in Richmond, so we set off at pace for Edgware Road tube.

Ben said he had a most enjoyable day, as did I, so that’s good.

We didn’t cover half the topics we meant to chat through, so of course we’ll simply have to meet again very soon and spend a pleasant day covering those.

Two Short Visits To Cricket Matches With Daisy: Lord’s For The Women’s ODI England v India, & Merchant Taylors’ School For Middlesex v Northamptonshire, 19 & 23 July 2025

Limited attention span, limited time available or weather-affected cricket?

Some elements of all three of those “reasons” meant that Daisy (Janie) & I spent just a few hours at each of those two matches.

England Women v India Women ODI At Lord’s 19 July 2025

It was bucketing down with rain in London when we rose on the Saturday morning of the women’s ODI. We agreed that the forecast suggested that there would be no cricket until mid-afternoon.

No matter. We both had things to be getting on with and had in any case planned an easy day at Lord’s for that match – go by car, just a few snacks in a bag, and “play it by ear”.

By the time we got to the ground, after word reached us that there should be no more rain and play in a much reduced match would be starting soon, we’d still only missed the first few overs of India’s innings.

Daisy’s favourite spot on the pavilion sun deck was gloriously available – see headline image and the image below, in which we both feel smug having secured Daisy’s favourite spot.

It isn’t the most intense cricket-watching view in the house, by a long way, but it is a lovely spot to just relax and sense the atmosphere in the ground.

The lower tiers of all the public stands were very full, despite the weather. It’s great to see this at a women’s international match. When Janie and I went to our first women’s international, at Shenley in 2003, I think we were the only people watching apart from the players’ friends and relations.

Zooming in on the action

We went for a nice stroll during the interval and did that thing we only tend to do once or twice each summer now: we each had a whippy ice cream with flake.

We decided to stroll with our ice creams into the Harris Garden (or “Grandpa’s Garden”, as I like to call it), which looked enticingly non-corporate and empty for a major match day. There, we were charmingly accosted by a lady who wanted to take a selfie with Daisy’s ice cream in hand, and then proceeded to tell us all about her personal struggles with bipolar disorder.

After finishing our ice creams, we politely took our leave of that endearing lady and went back to our seats for a while.

Soon it became very clear that the match was going England’s way and Janie’s analogue weather app (sixth sense) detected that there might be a passing shower or two on the way. I checked on my digital weather app, which agreed with her.

We took our leave of Lord’s and watched the end of the match (after the rain interval) from the comfort of our Noddyland home. Here’s a link to how it all turned out, if you want Cricinfo chapter and verse.

It ain’t Lord’s, but it is still magical

Middlesex v Northamptonshire, Day Two, Merchant Taylors’ School, 23 July 2025

How many for 8?

Our original plan had been to pop out to Northwood and see some cricket at Merchant Taylors’ School mid afternoon on Day One. However, part of our purpose had been an errand “out that way” which was no longer necessary and the weather looked distinctly iffy.

I was liaising with Yorkshire Simon over this, not least because he was also minded to go that day, but for the weather.

SIMON @10:00ish: Good morning. Very grey here…I won’t be home till lunchtime. Forecast isn’t brilliant.

ME @3:00ish: We finished other stuff a bit too late and the forecast is a bit too iffy for us “fair weather fans”! We might try again tomorrow.

SIMON @3:30: Very wise. It’s actually ok here but light rain is forecast.

The forecast looked much better for the afternoon of Day Two, although again Janie and I struggled to dispense with our other commitments quite as early as we would have liked.

Whisper it, folks, but both of us do still work, albeit part time. There is a rumour that our version of part time has more hours of actual work to it than a lot of people’s so-called full time work, but let’s not start fretting about that on Ogblog.

Anyway, we got to MTS while Middlesex were still batting, racking up a record high score. Daisy took the above picture early enough to prove that we were there to see the moment that Middlesex passed 600, which I think is the first time I have ever witnessed such a moment, although I have seen other teams surpass 600 against Middlesex a couple of times at least, and probably have seen bits of Middlesex innings that ended up past 600.

Trying to work out how rare an event this 600+ score really is, while also keeping tabs on England’s progress in the Old Trafford test. It’s not easy to be a cricket geek at an out ground, you know.

We stuck around long enough to see Middlesex take some wickets, although naturally I chose my moment for a loo break at the perfect time to miss one of those. A wag among the small but friendly crowd suggested that I should go to the loo again when I returned from that break grumbling about missing a wicket.

Daisy and I soon decided to make an early departure to ensure that we got home in good time and didn’t have too late a night – we both had busy days scheduled the next day.

It was Daisy’s first experience of the Merchant Taylors’ School vibe (weather and work commitments had confounded her several times previously) and she now absolutely gets why I like the out ground cricket there so much. It is very much “out her way” in terms of Daisy’s childhood – we drove home past her old family home on Batchworth Lane.

A few very relaxing hours in the midst of a rather busy working week.

MCC v Real Tennis Hong Kong – A Rare Tennis Fixture At Lord’s, 15 July 2025

Unfurl the flags! (This picture by Tom Carew Hunt – all pictures by Tom or me)

It was the day after the remarkable Lord’s test match between England & India:

Four Out Of Five Days At The England v India Lord’s Test, 10 to 14 June 2025

I didn’t exactly need another day at Lord’s so soon, but I am mighty glad nonetheless that I had such a day.

As is almost traditional on the day after a test match, the MCC had arranged a club day on the main pitch; in this case between MCC and Hong Kong Cricket Club. You can read all about the cricket and even watch the matches in full by clicking here.

Real tennis Hong Kong dragon, not to be confused with a Welsh dragon

Tom Carew Hunt, in liaison with Charlie Barrows of Real Tennis Hong Kong, thought this occasion an ideal excuse…or should I say opportunity…to have an MCC v RTHK fixture on the same day.

It was a very bright idea which made for a very enjoyable day.

Ton Carew Hunt in the Lord’s dedans gallery, no doubt expounding on another bright idea

We MCC members had several conversations about ensuring that we were able to introduce all of our visitors into the pavilion during the day, only to discover that it was a “relatively relaxed” day, with no requirement to sign guests in.

After my rubber, I “introduced” (or rather, made an unnecessary attempt to sign in) John McVitie, with whom I supped in the Bowlers’ Bar watching cricket for a while, until an untimely short shower temporarily put paid to the cricket.

In the end, despite there being plentiful cricket to watch, I spent most of my time in the dedans gallery, where the majority of the tennis players were hanging out, watching tennis and chatting.

I did offer to mark a rubber or two, but Charlie Barrows was keen to mark most of the match. Tom marked one rubber, which I am told included a controversial call. But, sadly, my investigative journalism came to nought when the players all clammed up under interrogation. Strangely, it transpires that the video camera, normally in full flow throughout such matches, was suspiciously turned off during our match. “Fault-er-gate” will thus remain one of those unsolved mysteries.

Richard Wyse, Peter Brunner, Anthony Prince & Bill Higson line up for the final rubber

Below is the results card, showing, in excruciating detail, everything that Joe Public might like to know about this fixture, and more.

Although MCC took both the men’s and women’s cricket matches on the field of play, Real Tennis Hong Kong pipped MCC in the tennis fixture.

But more important than the result was the warmth and friendliness of the atmosphere throughout the day. Of course, most of the RTHK players are long-term friends of the MCC players through the real tennis community, plus, in many cases, through also being members of the MCC. It was lovely to spend a day at tennis and cricket in that relaxed and congenial setting.

Yes indeed, RTHK and MCC could do with more ties!

Four Out Of Five Days At The England v India Lord’s Test, 10 to 14 July 2025

Day One

I got to Lord’s early on Day One of the test, but my purpose was to play tennis, rather than grab a prime seat. I didn’t play well that day.

By the time I’d showered and changed, the only seating available was in members’ overflow in the Lower Compton Stand, which is a pretty decent place to watch cricket. I needed to do some musical chairs during the day to avoid the sun, but managed that process quite effectively.

Towards the end of Day One, I wandered round to the Allen Stand end of the Tavern Stand, from whence I took the headline photo. There was a “ladybirds stopped play” incident at that time, which doesn’t show in the photo.

Day Two

I got to Lord’s pretty early again on Day Two – this time to try and secure a shady seat in the Tavern Stand for the morning session. Success. Tony Friend came and joined me for a while there.

Just before lunch I wandered around to the tennis court, as I was to have a hit with Chris Bray at 2:30. In fact, Chris told me that the Cull match was likely to end early so we could start around 2:00, which we did.

The story of Brian Lara witnessing a fair chunk of our 30 minute hit will appear on King Cricket in the fulness of time, at which point I’ll link it through to Ogblog. The court was free until 3:00, so I worked on my serve and striking sitters from the roof for a while.

By the time I’d showered and changed it was tea. I hoped to find a vacated seat in the pavilion for the last session and wasn’t disappointed.

I got chatting with some interesting fellows in the neighbouring seats, as is often the way in members’ sections at Lord’s. And yes, my tie got a couple compliments again!

Day Three

Janie and I played “lawn” at Boston Manor and followed the cricket from the luxury of our own home.

Day Four

Janie and I got to Lord’s early enough to find good seats in the shadier part of the Warner Stand.

Janie was more keen on doing the double-selfie thing than I was. Does it show?

We left a little early to freshen up at the flat. In the evening, we went to the Wigmore Hall to see a super concert:

Miloš & The Piatti Quartet At The Wigmore Hall, 13 July 2025

Day Five

Janie and I commuted to Lord’s for this “bonus” day, securing Warner Stand seats near to the ones we occupied the day before.

We thought we’d be treated to two to three hours of cricket, but in fact the final innings of this match turned into a fascinating extended nail-biter.

Here is a link to the Cricinfo resources on this match, where you can see the scorecard, reviews and stuff.

We both really enjoyed our time at Lord’s for this match. I feel so lucky and privileged to be able to enjoy test cricket this way.