and 244 all out
Lost to
Middlesex 246 all out
and 158 for 4
by 6 Wickets
County Championship Division Two
Friday/Saturday/Sunday 19/20/21 April 2024
Played at Lord's Cricket Ground
Nice man. Went to the game on his own. Bit older than me. Ploughing through a bottle of Sauv Blanc. But boastful if I'm honest. And that's saying something coming from moi.
Life Member of Yorkshire. Member of the MCC. House in Putney worth three mill. Born in Sheffield. Taptonville Road. Left when he was 18 to make his way in the World.
He latched on to us when he heard me say I was from Sheffield. Nice man. Bit boastful. But, he's up against it as his Wife has fallen ill recently. I think he just wanted to shoot the breeze and get out of himself. Although, it wouldn't have surprised me if he'd said;
“Shoot the Breeze? I invented the Breeze…”
Did I say? More boastful than me even. Anyway. We took him under the Carrier Bag Firm wings. His catchphrase was….
“And another thing….”
He tried to leave multiple times. But he kept getting caught up in his own stories. (That Sauv Blanc ain't helping.) He's on one about how he worked with Richard Branson (yes, yes, I know) on a student magazine. And how they used to help each other out with cash and other shit.
“And another thing, I sold Richard his first car. A mini with blacked out windows. Four hundred quid. Actually it had been my father's car. He won it at White City dog track….”
“SorryWutPardon?”
“My father won that car at White City dogs. And I sold it to Richard Branson for £400…”
I mean. Nice man. Up against it with his Wife's illness. But fuck me. Where did that come from?
(As an aside, I will say that I judged his stories to be genuine. Maybe embellished. But genuine.)
This year at Lord's we're chucking ourselves into the English Sparkling Wine scene. In the main, we've sourced from the big retailers. So, I'm afraid we're mainly going to get mainstream stuff.
Bowler & Brolly, Winemaster's Lot, Classic Cuvée Brut Non-Vintage 12%.
This one is actually made for, and sold by, Aldi. I understand it's from Lyme Bay Winery. That's in Devon. Although the suggestion is the grapes are sourced from somewhere in Hampshire. 53% Chardonnay, 14% Pinot Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir, 3% Pinot Noir Précoce.
Ridgeview Cavendish Non-Vintage 12%.
From Ditchling Common in Sussex. Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay blend.
Balfour 1503 Brut 12%.
From Staplehurst in Kent. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier blend.
Louis Pommery English Brut Non-Vintage 12.5%.
We were really intrigued to try this one. The first of Champagne’s big hitters to launch an English Fizz. I understand using grapes sourced from the Winchester area of Hampshire. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier blend.
Hambledon Classic Cuvée 12%.
From the UK's oldest commercial vineyard in Hampshire. Hambledon is sometimes referred to as the Cradle of Cricket. With a club formed around 1750. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier blend.
While it was raining on Day One, we managed some beer. I was in a Keg Mood.
Wychwood Brewery, Hobgoblin IPA on Keg at 5%
In the Long Room Bar. An it is what it is offering from one of the Big Breweries. Went down well. But, I was addled from the English Sparkling by this hour.
There were plenty of inconvenient truths in the cricket. I don't think Yorkshire played particularly badly. I don't think we're a particularly bad side. But, currently, we're not a good side. England big lads Joe Root & Harry Brook were allowed out for this one. As is often the case in these circumstances, they made fuck all.
Root 5 off 10 balls and Brook 3 off 9 balls in the first dig. Brook gone LBW first ball to Ryan Higgins in the second. At least Root got to double figures - 32 off 69.
Yorkshire just couldn't get anything going in the first innings. Losing wickets at regular, and short, intervals. 37.4 Overs tells the tale. Ryan Higgins the MCCC pick with 4 for 31.
Leus du Plooy and Josh de Caires both made fifties as Middlesex piled on a near ninety lead. But at least I was able to applaud Thommo (5 wickets) and Ben Coad (4 wickets) through the Long Room between bottles of fizz.
Lyth, Masood, Bean, Brook, Root had all gone before the deficit had been knocked off. But, Hill (52 not out) and Coad (38 not out) saw Yorkshire out to the end of Saturday. With a lead of 129.
So at least we could issue the rally cry;
“Put some more fucking wine on ice.”
If there was going to be anything in it at all, it was going to turn on what happened early doors Sunday. One of the gang said;
“Yes, the tail have given us a glimmer of hope provided that we can add a few more and deny Edwards a bowl.”
He had not been impressed with Mickey Edwards return of 1 for 61 off just 10 overs in the first go-a-round!!!
Coad went with the lead at 139. Fuck Sake. Bit of this. Bit of that. Hill out going aggressively for 75. Leaving Middlesex to chase 157.
Ben Coad had Stoneman off just the third ball. We had ‘em at 77 for 3. But, no real inroads after that. Drink up, there might be a car to be won!!!
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