Mad dog of an Englishwoman goes to Lord’s when it is raining

 (or “What I did to pass the time when it rained”) 

[Editor’s note: before I get heaps of hate mail telling me off for the choice of headline, please be aware that, on this occasion, I have chosen to use Janet’s own choice of headline rather than use Editor’s prerogative to supply the headline.  Indeed my choice of headline “Exclusive: Trescothick Had Three Balls” was superseded by the unexpected hour of play late in the day.  And it was well worth losing the headline for that hour of play, at least from a Middlesex perspective.  But now, on with the feature. ] 

I knew that the weather was going to be ‘dodgy’ today, but, hey, I needed a live cricket fix. Surely we’ll get some cricket. My trusty alarm first meowed at 4.30am (an improvement on 2.30am) and I told her to go away. She then woke me at 6.50am. Heck she shouldn’t be hungry, what with all the tuna she ate at my friends (yes she does house calls also) yesterday. Still I needed to get up and prepare my food so I got up and fed them.  [Editor’s note – I believe Janet is talking about her cats at this juncture.  I hope so in any case.] 

I made myself a strong cup of coffee and set about preparing my ‘picnic’. Bother; the cats have smelt the tuna and are under my feet…….. I suppose I’d better give them some before they trip me up. According to Sky Sports News the weather is decidedly dodgy, but I’m still going – after all it can’t be worse than watching the rain fall at the Oval. As the weather has turned cold, I had to get winter woollies out of storage and my winter coat (no ‘reporter’s t-shirt’ today). 

I left home at 8.35am and it was drizzling, however by the time I got to the 253 bus stop the sun was trying to come out and the drizzle was definitely lighter in Camden town. When I got off the 274 near Lord’s the pavements were dry, but it had started raining by the time I got to Lord’s.

I ensconced myself in the Middlesex room after buying a programme. I’ll go outside when play starts.  Hooray - it has stopped raining and the ground staff have started to remove the covers and the umpires are out (definitely a hopeful sign). The wicket is almost central, albeit slightly to the ‘Mound stand’ side. 

Drat - why did I buy those caramelised cashews? I can’t stop eating them (they are rather moreish) and I would like them to last longer than one day. On flicking through the programme I notice that last time we played Somerset at Lord’s in the CC was 1998 and we won by 211 runs. But Langer was playing for us then.  However I feel that this is a good omen.  [Editor’s note: whether she means “for Middlesex’ or ‘for Langer’ she doesn’t say.  Assume Middlesex.] 

Good news: the hover cover has been removed but it sounds decidedly unhealthy. The umpires have decided play can begin at 11.45am. Ed Smith won the toss and decided to field. Chris Wright is playing instead of Vaas (I later found out that Vaas still does not feel well). Question: Where is Chad? [Editor’s note: Central Africa] 

It is grey and murky overhead and cold. Ball should swing nicely in these conditions. Now where’s my camera? Silvers is bowling. He sends down 3 deliveries, they ALL beat Trescothick’s bat ……………. And the light is offered and Trescothick takes it. Someone from the Mound stand yelled ‘chicken’, but then it did start raining again.

 Wot no Hover?

The ground staff certainly took their time putting covers on. They used tarpaulins and not the hover. I later found out that the hover had engine failure and had to be repaired. An early lunch was called.

Trouble is that with no play my thoughts turned to food. I rooted in my bag and ate the bagel filled with mushroom salad and tuna/mayo. An experiment I found that I liked so I’ll be making this ‘mixture’ again. I then ate two chocolates. Mmm I’d better eat some salad and an apple. I found that I’d packed some cherry cakes (courtesy Sharon Bakery) and ate one of these before the apple making the apple taste extremely sour.  [Editor’s note: “I found that I’d packed some cherry cakes” sounds like a child’s explanation when discovered with some prohibited food.  It infers that “Mr Nobody must have put them in my bag”.  I like it.] 

Very pretty - we now have flashing lights on the scoreboard depicting rain. Drat I thought I’d nearly finished the Telegraph Sudoku but have gone wrong. I’ll have to rub it out and start again (I do it in pencil). I did do the Sudoku at second attempt and started the ‘tough’ one inside the telegraph. I have brought my knitting but have wasted a lot of time doing the Sudoku. 

It is brightening up but still raining and the umpires do come out from time to time. 3.15 pm and there is activity in the middle – the ground staff are brushing the water off the covers. I’ve wasted enough time on Sudoku, time to get the knitting out. At least with my hands occupied I can’t eat. 

At 3.30pm I got a text from a friend in Hampshire saying it had stopped raining there, so would clear later at Lord’s. At 3.40pm an early tea is taken. It is still drizzling but getting brighter all the time, in fact it’s the brightest it’s been. 

4.05pm and the umpires plus David Nash are out, and it looks like it has stopped raining and the covers are coming off. There are now blue skies above and as there are damp patches play scheduled to start at 5.30pm. 

Cricket at Last

Langer: "I think I'd better think it out again"

Murtagh is now bowling from Nursery end and in his second over bowls Trescothick (19/3). Gosh what a good start. Pitch obviously been ‘juiced up’ by the use of tarpaulins and not the hover.  Chris Wright now bowling from the pavilion end and with his 3^rd ball gets White caught behind (24/4), and he almost got Blackie with his 5^th. All our boys definitely thought Blackie had nicked one also but the umpire did not give it.

They closed on 36/4 so a satisfying hour for our boys. Silvers was right about White as he probably though he could slog Wright all over the ground. I then went to get some autographs, the high point being that someone my friends call ‘neckbrace’ (as he used to wear one, and I don’t know the guys name) actually asked Justin Langer who he was.  

 Editor’s note: That’s all she wrote, folks.  Many thanks to Janet for this excellent piece.     

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