Before we see meaningful rain. According to a clever man on the radio. How on earth can he possibly be doing anything other than guessing…?!
1976. Memories of long days chasing other people’s cover drives and flicks to long leg. Never out of shorts. Baked brown lawns and cricket outfields…
The fabulous West Indian cricketers touring our parched land..
Fifty years on. Words that would have seemed a million years away – half a century ago..
Greenidge, Haynes, Holder and Holding. Joel Garner. Andy Roberts. The languid panther in the covers that was the skipper Clive Lloyd. Sir Vivian. Roy Fredericks…
Tony Greig. Alan Knott. “Deadly” Derek Underwood. Dennis Amiss. Keith Fletcher. Derek Randall…
And many more…
Gilded names from that golden summer of bronze brown turf…
In less edifying news, a fly has just landed in my tea…
This broiling heat creates a new dynamic on the all weather surfaces. Kempton riding deep and cloying and very very taxing. SHADOWMERE hated every stride of it yesterday and looked after himself. Who can blame him ? Line through that one…
With these surfaces feeling the strain of rising temperatures, options become even more limited for horses that like a bit of juice beneath their hooves. As ever, foreign Programme Books strewn across the office desks, and Deauville and the French provinces firmly on the late summer radar. Some Hungarian entries thrown into the mix. #havehorsewilltravel
Over at a packed Windsor, DESERT COP was beaten just over 5 lengths in the Fitzdares Sprint Final. Sprinters take it in turns. Hopefully, we can find another “turn” for our boy before thoughts turn to the Middle East…
FIZZY BEAR putting in an encouraging effort to finish 4th in the last. Still the gawky teenager and a bit of a goon to saddle, but he’s improving and will have his days for sure…
Nothing today. No heat laden journeys on steaming motorways…
Brian Close. Beyond brave. Mikey Holding a good mate – but thankful that I never saw him at pace 20 odd yards away…
