Royal Oak

Hot again today. Forecast to remain the same for another week. That'll do for me.

You'd hate Broad if he wasn't English.....the attitude, the overratedness...

It all started in 1981 for me, so Lancs were fairly mediocre. Engineer was long gone, Bumble and Frank Hayes were on their way out, so it was really only Clive Lloyd. There were still some great players on show for opposing sides eg Viv Richards, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan, Gooch, Lamb, a past-it Derek Underwood etc. Yes, the test is nicely balanced, slight advantage Australia at lunch.

What was that guy doing batting at No. 11? Should have been in at No. 2. Incredible performance ! He was remarkably sensible in his batting today. Will it last..? Now that brings back memories. One of the first matches I ever saw (Sunday League - John Player League no less ) had a Yorkshire side led by Illy (Closey had defected to the turnip-pickers) and with Phil Sharpe, Jimmy Binks, Fred Trueman, Don Wilson and Jack Hampshire. And a certain Mr G Boycott. I think I even asked for Jimmy Binks's autograph. I believe after he finished with cricket he emigrated to San Diego to the world of hi-tech software ! I watched a lot of Sunday League games at Old Trafford as a kid/teenager. Yorkshire weren't much of a side in my day however - I only remember Boycott and Hampshire of that list. Lancashire weren't so hot either though, apart from Clive Lloyd.

Does it show? I don't much care for the majority of cricket commentators. Many of the TMS team annoy me one way or the other; aside from Boycott, Blofeld's "dear old thing" shtick is 30 years past it's sell-by date, Vaughan is a bit hyperbolic and brash, Tuffnell is okay in small doses, Ed Smith and Simon Mann are okay if a touch wooden. Agnew, Marks and CMJ are/were about the only ones who don't annoy me. I prefer the visiting commentators, especially Tony Cozier and Jim Maxwell. That said, Jeremy Coney was starting to get on my nerves by the end of the NZ tour. Reading this, I don't know why I listen to TMS! I would of course be gutted if the BBC ever scrapped it. And listening to the Sky line-up would be infinitely worse. As would be the cringeworthy Mark Nicholas on Channel 5.

More and more often, I find myself telling the radio to fuck off when he starts harping. It's the constant reference to a long-dead world of cricket comprising himself, Closey, Illy, Sharpey, Binksy, Fred, Jackie, uncovered pitches and for fuck's sake, shut up man.

6th consecutive day of genuine Summer weather here, amazing.

What a strange game it's been so far. Listening to TMS in the van today in between jobs. I get in the van and it's 95-4. By the time I got out again it's 115-9!, Got back in an hour later, wondering why lunch hadn't been taken and why Australia were still batting. Another stop and Agar was serenely on his way to 100. Back in the van an hour later, he's out for 98 and England are 2 down for not many! BTW, I actually enjoyed Matthew Hayden's stint in 2009 Freelancer. He was hilarious, obviously for all the wrong reasons. McGrath doesn't seem so bad. I have had my fill of Boycott now, after 12 years of the same boorish, "back in my day" shtick.

Huzzah! Murray wins! dit-di-dit-dit-dit dit-di-dit-dit-dit-dit boom-boom-boom-boom. Congratulations! And celebrations! Yeah, touche and sod off.....

Scorching (well, 25 degrees C counts as scorching here) for the past 2 days, with the promise of more for the next few days. It's like summer when I were a lad, ah tell thee.........

Is that HRH Virginia Wade with Dorian Gray? Yes, Wimbledon royalty. No doubt singing "Summer Holiday" during a rain break, the rotters.

Ah, tennis. Like the Olympics, it's the sport for people who don't watch sports. If only the BBC could lose this particular piece of the "Crown Jewels".....

More John, this time with Bert.

Could be a long thread....

Do people really still use the word "Bravo"?

I think buyers equate a number of rare/sought-after titles with the seller being reliable, and combined shipping probably helps. Hoffmanites?

The door was a solid professional, a pleasure to work with, so it got the gig for volume 2....

More of a gate really...