By Diamond Ruled OK
May 27 2006

It’s too late to get the Cruiser out of its dock on the Grand Union Canal and race over to Monaco for the Grand Prix in warm southern France so the only option left is a day at drizzly Lord’s.

The day started badly when I realised my wonderful Oyster card only had 80p left on it , topped that up just in time to see my bus pulling away from the stop ,here we go again I thought , it can’t get much worse . No sooner was the thought through my mind than I was accosted by “The God Squad “, darn they are doing bus stops now, that’s desperate. Maybe it was the Middlesex jacket and she took pity on me. Got to Ealing Broadway to find the Central Line out ….. Again! Leapt on a Heathrow Connect train, very nice, very smooth, very quick, but very expensive £2.40 single “pre pay Oyster cards are not accepted” …… Thanks Ken!

Grey skies over the London Eye which was just visible from the train told me this was likely not to be a good day for cricket. More delays at Paddington on the Tube and finally got to the ground with Warwickshire 369-7.

At 11.22 they came off for bad light with Brown on 62 and Streak on 6.Back out again at 11.32 with a wait in the start of play till 11.36am when Ace decided to ordain us with his presence, was he in the loo or something?

The media centre was heaving, must have had eight people in it. Your correspondent was stuck in the Middlesex Room, no accreditation for the big boy’s tower!

Saw the “Monty” drop catch from the first day of the test on TV, what a drop, talk about don’t snatch at catches. Within minutes of this Louw had the same sort of mare when he dropped Brown on 62, Monty would have pouched it for sure!

An inspired change of bowling (one of Hutton’s few good points so far this season) saw Louw trap Streak LBW for 6. (379-8). There was little noise in a very empty ground except the encouraging shouts to the bowlers and the slap of the Grandstand flag’s rope against the pole in the wind. Chad who had been bowling well was replaced by Silvers changing ends, good job he was or he would not have been there to catch the skier Brown put up off of Silvers, gone for a very good 69 with 10. 4’s. well held by Chad on the run. (395-9).

Ed Smith obviously fancied another knock by now as he was practicing all sorts of strokes down in front of the Allen stand. Carter provided the best shot of the morning, a lovely straight drive off of Louw past the bowler and up the pavilion hill. He then proceeded to play the rest of the over like the rabbit he really is!

12.26pm and the light is offered again by Messrs Bailey and Illingworth and taken by the batsmen, everyone trooped off except Chad who had a good look at the wicket and a couple of practice strokes before the aforementioned politely told him to go indoors . Chad’s attitude said it all “I’d bat on this, why can’t they?” An early lunch was then taken which was a good job because at 1pm the heavens opened and the covers were quickly on , good work by the ground staff though in vain as far as this game goes I feel .

I had a phone call from my brother who was in Hillingdon and he said it was lashing it down there, phoned the wife and she said Ealing was the same, with the wind from the West this lot had yet to hit Lord’s so at 1.30pm your correspondent blew the game out and headed home via the rubbish system we call the Underground. How come foreigners and stupid people do not know what a no entry sign is on the system, I missed a train at Baker Street due to these idiots! Got on the Ham and City to Paddington and was able to assist three young German ladies who thought they could get to Bayswater on this line, sorry ladies not this line. Got them off at Paddington and pointed them towards the District and Circle lines only to spot them two minutes later trying to board a train on the mainline heading for Oxford!! Got them safely to the Underground in the end.

Burger King at Pad, slow service or what!! 10 minutes to my train on platform 13, grab a burger, NOT, these guys are so slow I’m surprised the food is hot when you get it. Blew the idea out and legged it for my train. Got to Ealing where it was still hosing down and got an E1 straight home , well at least one part of my journey worked right today .

Next year the Grand Prix seems like a very good option, just got to win the lottery and buy a new boat first.

It’s 3.55pm now and as I look out my window in Ealing it is still pouring down, I think I made the right decision to come home.

Good batting and bowling points from this game although it will be a draw will help our cause as none of the games this weekend in the Championship will be finished , oh except sussex who didn’t need the weekend to put Durham to the sword .