Perfect Day Out

Cricket at Lord's: View of the Grandstand by Steve Fagg

Yesterday we made our second trip to Lord's to see a Test Match, just a couple of months after our first visit. We made great efforts to be at the ground for the start of play this time, in spite of the trains being up the creek as usual on a Sunday. What trains there were out of Cambridge were packed with cyclists and their mounts because yesterday was also the date of the annual London-Cambridge cycle ride, something Lisa and I aim to do one of these years. We'd made up our sandwiches and boxes of salad the night before and were able to make a prompt start which, combined with knowing what we were doing, gave us a much less stressful journey.

We arrived with plenty of time to pass through the thorough but very friendly and polite security checks and do a bit of shopping in the Lord's Shop before settling into our seats well before play was due to start. England resumed their second innings on 77-2, 174 ahead, and we got to see the rest of the innings (including a big knock of 134 from Pietersen) which ended on 282 all out. Coming into bat after tea, chasing a score of 379 to win, we saw India get to 137-3 by the close. The cheer when Monty Panesar again claimed the wicket of Tendulkar was almost as loud as that for Pietersen's century!

Throughout the day, the weather was good, the atmosphere great and the cricket competitive. Just the perfect way to spend a summer's day. Lisa often likens going to the cricket as being like going to the beach for the day, in the sense that it's a full day relaxing in the open air with no intrusions from one's everyday routine. We hope to do more of this next year!

Enthusing with a colleague, from Dehli, at work today about how much we'd enjoyed the day I was delighted to learn that he'd been there too: ensconced among the Indian supporters directly across the ground from us. Of course we were each hoping for a different conclusion on today's final day but honour was shared as the match ended in a draw; yes, it's true, cricket really is a game where you can play for five days and still not get a result!