Royal Oak

Ah fair enough. After seeing some of South Africa's defeats snatched from the jaws of victory over the past 30 years, I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if they end up losing this by about 15 runs.

I saw some badly edited highlights of the SF innings this morning - 269 is a ridiculous score. Are the Texas games better attended? Looked quite a sparse crowd - no cheap tickets to entice the locals in?

Gosh, didn't realise MLC started in June! Also, didn't realise the games were played in blocks in three different locations - that does make sense, rather than teams jetting between cities for games.

Is this a horse?

It's been cracking the flags in Manchester for weeks! A fairly sedate day at the cricket today. Didn't get to see Sir JA as Lancashire were put in, and managed to bat (slowly) all day.

Off to OT tomorrow. A day off work, Sir JA is in the squad, unbroken sunshine and 23 deg C forecast. I suppose the only drawback is that it's Derbyshire, possibly the least exciting team in the country.

Lancashire vs Gloucestershire at OT yesterday, weather glorious once more.

I see JA's Lancashire comeback has been further delayed, with a new target of 16th May. I am now thinking this is never going to happen, if England come calling for his coaching / mentoring services

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/ipl-2025-1449924/rajasthan-royals-vs-gujarat-titans-47th-match-1473484/match-report This kid just turned 14 a month ago - scored the second fastest century in IPL history today, wtf

Last week at OT, taken from what I suppose you might call the picnic area next to the pavilion. The first class game in England is badly attended, though the sheer size of the big grounds makes it look even worse. Come the India test match, there won't be a spare seat to be had.

I saw them once, at the Hacienda in 1989. I had to look it up, but it was around the time when "Love Love Love" came out - pretty much the only record of theirs I bought / heard. I don't recall much, other than his moustache, his high-pitched voice and an energetic performance.

Another beautiful sunny day out at Old Trafford today. Lancashire had a rotten day, but will likely be saved from defeat by forecast heavy rain tomorrow. I had another walk around the field at tea, in bare feet! A rare sight on an English cricket field - Leicestershire have a USA international in their team - Ian Holland from Wisconsin, who played for Washington in MLC last summer. Man Utd were at home today. I was surprised not to hear the crowd, given the Theatre of Dreams is perhaps half a mile away. I did hear some self-deprecating singing ("We're not famous anymore") from fans at the tram stop after the game.

Such a nice tune

Who'd have thought there'd be a Gen Z Mouldy Fig movement?

You piqued my interest into looking at the Montreux line up. Hahaha Block Party and Pulp at a jazz festival. Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Lionel Richie wtaf. I agree with others that the Newport line up looks jazzy enough. I guess the problem is that all about 93% of the OG jazzmen are dead.

No, he's going to miss the first three games, so the rumour goes.

A nice enough day at OT today. Cricket was mediocre, about 85% of the ground was unoccupied, and seats were hard. However, the atmosphere was pleasant, the sun shone bright until 1500, and the toilets were very clean. Lancashire have decided that spectators can now mill around on the field during the tea interval, so I had a walk about for ten minutes.

I thought we may sneak it until Wells was out. I may see you down there...

Imagine watching four full uninterrupted days play, without a result. No wonder non-cricketing nations think it a strange game.

He was before my time, although when I was browsing Cricinfo about him, I see he turned out for Lancs in a 1983 NatWest trophy game. I wondered if I saw him, but now on reflection, I realise I'd have been at school that day. 10 full test internationals on show that day - Ian Botham, Viv Richards, Joel Garner, Clive Lloyd, David Lloyd, Vic Marks, Graeme Fowler, Frank Hayes, Mike Watkinson and Peter Lever. Despite the quality on show, Lancs laboured to 163/6 off 60 overs, Somerset taking 53 overs to knock them off.

Well, the English Cricket season started today. It almost always starts under grey skies, in barely double-figure temperatures, with gloomy fielders wearing two jumpers. Pensioners, schoolchildren and the unemployed sit huddled in coats and hats in near empty stands. Today however, the weather is unseasonably glorious in the UK, and is forecast to remain so for a week or more yet. I shall be mooching to Old Trafford next weekend to use my first Lancashire CCC membership for 35 years.

Sad news, one of the few originals I got to see, in 1998. As has been said upthread, he was very popular in the UK. I know he played here as recently as 2022, at a middle-aged festival near where I live.

Wow, never knew he was "Buster Poindexter", whom I remember from that Disney film song LP in 1989. I'd only recently realised he had a cameo in "Oz", a show I watched religiously over 20 years ago.

That's probably enough "Carnival"

I have been re-reading my stash of Kurt Vonnegut novels which I last read as a young man. I've found that I've preferred his 1980s output (Deadeye Dick, Galapagos, Bluebeard and Hocus Pocus) to his earlier work. I can't really explain why, except to say the later novels just seem a bit more substantial maybe.