Dropping the I Saw Bradman Bomb

India 78 all out 

v England 423 for 8 

3rd Test 

Close on Day Two 

Thursday 26 August 2021 

Played at Headingley 

(Some CBF Paper Porn from the Long Room displays)

Readers may recall that, yesterday, I sat in front of a bloke who "nearly saw Bradman play". I listened to what he had to say. But basically, the sense was the bloke was actually alive when Bradman batted at Headingley in '48. That was his definition of nearly. 

Today, the owd fella who sat down next to me more or less immediately announced he had seen Bradman play in '48. Natch, I grilled him in case he was a nearly as well. Turned out he had actually seen Bradman FIELD in '48. 

Tomorrow, if things escalate according to plan, I fully expect to be sat with someone who actually saw Bradman BAT. And Saturday, Day Four, I'm sure I'll be sat with Bradman himself. (nb - he died in 2001, so don't get your hopes up too high)

I also have a story about how cricket just gets inside the bones of English males born, for example, in the '60s. In the Terminus Tap Room the other night, one of my next table neighbours was a guy from Brighton (now living in Leeds). He expressed amazement that the Carrier Bag Firm were on a four nighter away from Sheffield, at nearby Leeds, "just for cricket". He confessed he knew very little about cricket. Never been to a game. Remembered the '81 Ashes though. He was still at school. And there was nothing else on the tele during the school holidays. He watched Botham's Test out of boredom, rather than interest. Fair Do. I hear you Brother.

Anyway. General Chit. Assorted Chat. This. That. The Other. Still emphasising he knows very little about cricket. Presumably worried I'll drop the I Saw Bradman Bomb. You know what he says? This Cricket know nowt? What does he casually throw away into the convo?

"Tell me, one thing I've been curious about, why did they change the Follow On from 150 to 200."

SorryPardonWut?

He thinks he's not a cricket tragic like me. Aloof. Yet he's been mithering all this time about fine tunings to the Follow On regs. We see you Pal, hiding in plain sight. You are CBF. In your bones. This game, man. This game.

Today's Beer thing is a deffo NON recommendation.

Growlers Social, 29 Otley Rd, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3AA

(I've been in a few years ago. Then it was a conventional keg & bottle shop. A proper fill empty bottles from the keg lines Growler Station. With an On Licence)

I should have known better really. The bar front was in a completely different place. And they were offering Burgers & Shakes. But, in we trudged. Five Keg lines. Plus Veltins as the Normal Lager. From there, dominated by Kirkstall Brewery (fair enough). And one from Bone Machine (Hull). Honestly, this is how it played out verbatim.

I ordered the Bone Machine beer by name. "This one" he said, tapping the Kirkstall Verdita. "No, this one, the Bone Machine beer".

"Oh Veltins" he said. "No thanks, this one, the Bone Machine beer please"

He put the order in the Tablet, it came up by name and I tapped out. He invited me to sit & he would bring it over. I sat down and watched him start pouring from the fucking Kirkstall Verdita tap.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Mate, that's not what I ordered. I paid for the Bone Machine beer."

"Sorry, sorry my friend" he apologised as he grabbed another glass. And started pouring from the fucking Veltins tap.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. That's Veltins man. I need Bone Machine"

The continued kerfuffling attracts the attention of his colleague. "What does he want?" "Something called Bone Machine"

And, I'm going to put the next bit in Caps. So there's no mistaking.

"BONE MACHINE IS OFF"

That's bad right? Not just me? He's misunderstood the order. Twice. He's started pulling the wrong beer. Twice. And the one he's took my money for is actually OFF anyway. That's bad right? Gets worse.

To replace the Aegisdrekka 3.6% Session IPA I ordered. He's offered me his opinion of the closest alternative. The Kirkstall Brewery, Verdita.

The Kirkstall Brewery, Verdita is a 4% Pineapple, Lime, Coriander, and Mint Sour. Similar he fucking thinks to a Session IPA.

Avoid.

(I chose my own alternative. Kirkstall Brewery, Virtuous, IPA on Keg at 4.5%)

England still bringing their Plan A game today. 345 ahead. Eight down. All the Indian Seamers at least 22 Overs draining their legs n lungs. A superbly constructed third wicket stand of 139 between Root & Malan. Malan can be very difficult to bowl at. Dabs on the off for quick singles. Crashing square drives all along the deck. Shovels round the corner to fine leg. Very difficult. 

Although, partly, Malan has wasted it. Last ball before Tea. Trying to knock it on the leg side off Siraj. The Indians have gone up as wicketkeeper Pant collects it. Not all that enthusiastically I might add. But, Virat T's. And Snicko has a feathered edge (gone for 70). That was 298 for 3 off 94 overs.

I was licking my lips at the prospect. Three Hundred on the tins. Big lead already. Bairstow. Buttler. Moeen. Curran up next. Four players who can really take the game away from teams in this position. And quickly. Well, not sure that really happened. 

Root completed a superb Ton to make it 333 for 3. But Bairstow (29), Buttler (7), Moeen (8) & Curran (15) all went without imposing on the game. Still a superb position to be in.

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