Friday 12 June 2009

Busy Being Idle

It's all go. A terrific day's golf at St George's Hill yesterday was followed by a a fine dinner party in London and a 3am bedtime; today was the first cricket net of the season, which is always most satisfying - I tend to pad up, get in the net early, and refuse to come out 'until I've found a bit of form', and then drink beer and fail to do any bowling at the others, because, happily, everyone turned up with their sons who will gladly bowl all evening for a can of ginger beer and a packet of wotsits.
Friday - Lord's, for the Dumbslog Millionaire cricket which is 20Twenty. Luckily no England, who are very bad at it. Instead, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka followed by India vs West Indies. And a picnic tea that would make an Edwardian queasy. June is a joy.
We won't see a bowler of the standard of the great Michael Holding (left), but neither will we see such petulance, I trust.

17 comments:

Grumpy grandad said...

Older viewers will recall that Brian once remarked: The batsman's Holding; the bowler's, er, ear? Shum mishtake....?

apricotfox said...

Best comment for me was..
'Lillee, bowled Dilley, caught Willey in the gully'....

Philipa said...

I've just heard Piers Morgan say his treat on his desert island would be a cricket bat as he could re-live all his best innngs. It seems you share his passion, Idle.

Bill Quango MP said...

St Georges is a fine course.
But the Quango seniors are life Wentworth club members. Family membership discounts and a superior carvery make it the place to be.

Electro-Kevin said...

Hope the weather stays dry. Have a great time.

hatfield girl said...

You must be pegged out.

Elby the Beserk said...

Tough life, Idle.

My first test match, Lords '66, I saw my hero Sobers put together an exquisite century and a huge stand with his cousin, to save the day. Always loved Windies cricket (prep school in North Wales, we used to be allowed to cycle into Colwyn Bay to watch Ted Dexter's Crusaders play the Windies. Hall. Griffiths. Kanhai. Godfrey Evans! Bliss).

By the way, feel free to put Head Shaman Idle of Redlynch in touch with me, with regard to the exotics you mentioned elsewhere.

Have fun!

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

Well I hope you've had a good day Iders...

I've done more today than the whole week put together, so I hope you're satisfied!

idle said...

I am sitting in the middle tier of the pavilion here at Lord's, waiting for the Injuns and the Windies to entertain us. More sixes than the first match I hope.

i am trying to remember the name of Sobers' cousin, elby, without success. You should be aware that the Commander at Redlynch likes his mushrooms wild but not magic. The idle bro once cooked him a magic mushroom omelette after a good harvest on Dartmoor _ he collapsed at the top of the stairs an hour or two later and complained that his sons had poisoned him. All very Shakespeareqn

apricotfox said...

David Holford?

Philipa said...

Idle, I don't understand the rules for cricket; 6 balls is an over and you get 8 overs in a wicket? Or is it 8 wickets in an over. But the wickets are the bits of wood the little wooden stick rests on and you should aim to knock that off and hit the ball to this line is a 4 and to there is a y6 and if you hit it so you can't see it it's a 6 as well. And.. ladies usually make the tea.

Elby the Beserk said...

David Holford indeed. A glorious day - they were five wickets down when we got there, and I was disconsolate...

Idle, that's very funny. We have a friend who was cornered by a Swat team in Westonbirt (the woods, not the Arbo). Only got away when they went for their tea break (Union. I guess). We still laugh about it. Am now :-)

idle said...

Very good match between the injuns and the windies. Dwayne Bravo, take a bow.

Bingo, Wentworth is also fine but full of golfing tourists, I find. I think I may join Swinley instead. St George's Hill was frightfully chi-chi and the modern build houses on the estate would suit suburban Chicago.

Fancy foxy being interested in this fine game of ours and knowledgable enough to pluck the name David Holford out of thin air (or the ether, or Wisden).

Pip, I'm afraid that anything I say is likely to confuse you further.

Elby, my dear mama was expelled from Westonbirt for attacking matron with a broom. All very sad.

Elby the Beserk said...

What is it about Westonbirt?!

lilith said...

Hahahaha Iders. Outrageous streak of mischief in your family ;-)

lilith said...

Although I expect in your dear Mama's case it was more a question of never suffering fools gladly :-)

apricotfox said...

Used to be an ardent Kent supporter. Followed Alan Knott wherever he went, got his autograph etc. Used to glow with pride when he pulled runs out of the bag in Tests...Bizarre!
My father played for Four Elms...dimly recall being dragged round Kent and Surrey..before we went off to Cornwall. Cricket there was not a lot of fun for the spectator. It took several car-sickness-inducing hours to find the b***** grounds, which were usually cow-pat infested fields in the middle of nowhere and then spend the whole day in a fine or heavy drizzle, pretending to score (the match, not BOYS!) and making stuff up to put in the little books. My father would always be out for a duck but would bowl a few people out with his slow left arm deliveries. Then we would be packed back into the mini clubman, hungry and rain-sodden, and sick in the back. lovely. I still get to Test matches when I can...