The day spent at Lord’s exceeded even my lofty expectations. It might not have been the most exciting day’s play but it was great sporting theatre.
The venue undoubtedly added to the spectacle. I worked at Lord’s for a brief few years back in the 90’s, so I was familiar with many of the special nuances of the place. But even I was impressed by the magnificence of the ground. The place looked majestic.
My friends has taken note of my threats and none of them turned up wearing nappies, a nurses uniform or looking like a member of the clergy. We had great seats, got the first beer in and had a great six hours of sport. The downsides of seeing Cook and Stokes perish within sight of a century was the only downside and generally it was the Aussies who had the better of the day.
The atmosphere all day was very serene. Even during the afternoon, when the drink took effect, there was little noise from the spectators. I guess you missed that element of tension and an edge to proceedings. The Aussie fielders has little to fear on fielding on the boundary rope. There wasn’t any sledging. A very different experience to patrolling in front of the western terrace up at Headingley. So it was a stroll in the park in many ways for the tourists. They rebounded well from the humiliation in Cardiff and all to play for in Edgbaston.
I went home a little red, a little drunk and making a vow to return to Lord’s more often.