I have the day off, and it’s a beautiful summer’s day. I have a book, some food and I’m at Lord’s for a county game.
It’s heavenly, and it’s nearly empty. I’d estimate 300 people in the ‘crowd’. I’m not complaining as such – being able to spread out, and do the crossword with nothing other than the chuntering of a few be-tweeded old buffers is what John Major intended. But it’s crazy that a four-day game starts on a Wednesday when only the retired and the holidaying can attend. No-one would think to schedule professional football games when most people are working, so why does county cricket seem wilfully difficult? It must be hard to shift ‘tradition’ even when it’s serving little purpose, but surely they could play these games starting Friday 3pm – especially when we have a long bank holiday weekend coming up. I’m caught between enjoying this most English of serenities and worrying it can’t possibly survive many more years.