Freelance Journalist & Author
Halcyon Days …
In addition to his work for four national newspapers our speaker writes books on cricket, the latest being ‘The Festive Soul of Cricket’ which the evening’s presentation was based upon.
It seemed well titled as, through the vehicle of his great enthusiasm for Festival cricket which shone through brightly, he took us on a merry journey around the County ‘outgrounds’ of England. With Festival cricket – and many outgrounds – in decline for years as the structure of the game has shifted, this was a surefire guarantee of a night of nostalgia and moist eyes…
The journey was studded with (often humorous) references to a number of local characters, along with suggestions for the best local ales across the length and breadth of the land, wherever the game is played. I’m sure there was a link between the two? ‘Harveys’ (a supermarket I think) at Arundel warranted a mention, as did the Derbyshire oatcakes at Chesterfield.
Chris was astute enough to single out Scarborough, despite its intimate feel, as feeling like a ‘proper’ cricket ground. Where else, he pondered, could you see washing hanging out at the boarding houses bordering the place? And of course the wonderful fayre on offer in the famous Tea Rooms where eating commences at 11am!