I have spent a life time watching sport, mainly football and cricket, and much of it ended in disappointment, with only occasional highs when a triumph on the field of play is shred with all those present who can tell anyone who cares to listen, I was there. Yesterday there was an experience which will be remembered.
From waking up this morning it appears the Gods had decided this was going to be a good day, for after days of wet and damp with long periods of continuous rain yesterday, it was sunny and warm. I had time to lose at a couple of games of Harts, which did not seem to matter, for once, prepare my picnic lunch, get ready and set off for a quick shop. I had defrosted the brad last night and this was a mistake because it had began to harden, so I put on lashings of spread and then thick chunks of salami sausage which I rapped in foil rather than a container to save wait. I added a small enclosed carton of grapes and prepared flasks of tea and coffee. Since disassembling on the pf the metal flasks I have had problems with it and fortunately I put coffee in the other which lasted warm until mid afternoon, while the tea was cold when I tried it after lunch. I remembered everything else including my phone and small pair of binoculars and also including the over the shoulder seat pack although I anticipated the area use for bring your own chairs would be taken up with the temporary stand seating for the international one day game.
I needed to go to the supermarket for bread, a lettuce, chose some diced beef for a stir fry when I returned, some indigestion tablets, kitchen foil and a four pack of baked beans. As a consequence of this stop and being leisurely I arrived at the selected seat only fifteen minutes before the commencement of the game. As expected a enormous bank of garish red seating had been added for the international later in the month and there was a good crowd already assembled similar to that for the semi final last July. The sun was hot and there was little wind in contrast to my first visit of the season just over a week ago. In this instance the visitors, the Nottingham Outlaws won the toss and decided to bat first so it the Men in Black who took to the field of play first. There have been times when Durham's colours were awful especially an unattractive shade if pale blue, so being the Men in Black, given that I usually wear black, seemed another good omen. I decided to wait to see how the game progressed for the first hour before going to check out the Member's Lounge area, refreshments, food and bar, and collect my copy of the 2008 yearbook.
It was a wise decision because before the visitors and put their first run on the scoreboard Jefferson was LBW to Thorpe for 0 and only 11 runs latter Wagh was bowled Davies for 3; Voges was run out for 13 when the score had reached 34 and Swann who was playing well was then immediately LBW to Thorp for 18 with the scoreboard 34 for 4. The unbelievable continued as the sub beat down and I smothered the visible flesh with factor 25 sun cream. Shafayet was caught by Breese off Ben Harmison when the score was 74, Reed was also caught Breese off brother Steve Harmison for 0 at 81 for six, Ealham was hen bowled by Breese for 9 at 100 and Franks was caught Di Venuto also bowled Breese for 0 and at 102 for 8 the match appeared over, and then Patel took control and against some weak bowling from Steve Harmison and Breeze he amazed everyone, especially the rest of the Nottingham side by scoring 114 until bowled by Brian Harmison to bring the innings to a close at 188, with Pattinson caught by wicket keeper Mustard off Steve Harmison for 7 runs but in an invaluable and near match winning partnership which added 48 to the total.
Patel's performance meant that Nottingham had made a match of it and the result was no longer predictable. I nipped away from my seat just before the final wicket fell in order to visit the Gentleman/before the rush, collected the year book and made my way to the Riverside Lounge which is the whole length of the first floor of the Pavilion except for the player's dressing rooms at the far end. Here it is possible to eat a hot main course meal from between £5 and £7 for a roast with fish and chips six pounds something, or but coffee or tea, pints of beer or something stronger and sit at tables the first rows of which look out sideways over the ground although as with the last sixteen games the wicket was set at the far edge of the playing oblong, and if you arrive early enough and the weather is good you can sit outside the lounge m in a veranda also the length of the lounge area. There numerous display cabinets on the history of the club, including the office score card and photograph of that first match at Durham University ground in 1992 when the club played the first County game against Lancashire in the then Sunday League, There was then time for a walk to the ice dream van which ahd attracted a huge queue and I restricted the purchase to a single cone without flake or raspberry sauce.
The innings of Patel, however brilliant appear to be in vain because although the erratic Mustard gave a simple catch when he was 1 and the score 20, Di Venuto and Smith added 107 more runs for the second wick so that at one point Durham was 126 for needing only 83 runs to win at an average of only three runs an over.
Then disaster as wickets fell at 127, 129,134, 136 and 139. There was a temporary recovery before the seventh fell at 163, the eight at 167 and the ninth at 177. Worse still the scoring rate slowed to that of a snail and then Mr Breese came to the rescue of his colleagues by hitting two dour in an over and then came to the last ball of the penultimate over with six runs required. By this time tension among the home crows had reached unbearable proportions. Some who could not stand it left. For the greater part of the day the talk had been about the chances of another visit to Lords for the final of the competition and the change from not expecting to win matches let alone a trophy or two, to the expectation that very game at home could be won and should be won.
And then as I say Breese faced the last ball of the over. Someone near said a winning would be fine but he would accept a single so that Breese would have the strike for the start of the next over, or a four which would mean two runs needed with six balls to play. He hit a six there was stunned silence before the ground erupted in ecstasy and we were as stunned as the Nottingham team.
I made way to the Gentleman's as everyone took in the significance of yet another win with the semi finals played in a month's time and the final in mid august. I have not planned a trip for August or had a visit to London this year so with a special Travel Lodge offer for summer announced for 6 am tomorrow I might book . With everyone staying until the last ball it was pointless trying to leave the car park so I switched on the radio and listened to the news of Obama securing the Presidential Candidate Party nomination for the Democrats and eat the carton of prawns in shell I had bought earlier in the day.
On return it was time for the stir fry followed by a few more grapes and coffee which I eat watching a programme about the creation of the largest cruise ship in the world, with fifteen passengers decks for the 4300 passengers and 1300 crew, it is indeed a floating township and mini city. It has a water park, a dedicated adult pool and a main pool as well as 2 whirlpools. There is mini golf and rock climbing flat TV in state rooms and Wi Fi and cell phone connectivity. There is a casino and an Ice rink well as a theatre, and various bars and restaurants I have said it before but I say it again. I am puzzled by the concept in the days of the jet plane.
I then watch John Thaw in the TV film Into the Blue, not to be confused with a Hollywood film of the same name. This is a clever film set on Rhodes and England about the relationship between John Thaw as a failed character and his friend who had to resign and leading politician because of a scandal but then made his fortune in the arms trade, There are two back stories. The first is that of John Thaw who led a successful like with wife, son and profitable businesses until his son dies, his wife leaves for some one else and he loses everything else from drink and self pity. H is rescued by the former politician who makes him care taker of his home on Rhodes where he is seduced by an attractive young women who then disappears, [presumed dead. John is suspicious about what happened and comes back to England to fin out where all the evidence points to his friend having a murky past, first with the death of girl who drowns in an inland waterway, then a girl in the sea near the family home and also involves a brilliant graduate developing brain damage after an accidental fall from a window.
John discovers that the girl who disappeared from Rhodes is the sister of the girl who died in the sea and that she has been visiting and checking on all the friends of the politician. As a result of the research he befriends the receptionist and mistress of one of he friends, a psychiatrist, who they subsequently find murdered and then manage to escape when the home is set on fire and exit doors locked against them. Everything points to the politician until it is realised that the culprit is one of the other friends with whom the politician had a long term gay relationship. The politician disappears Into the Blue after the main secret of this mystery is revealed. The former politician was not the birth son of the wealth inherited from his parents, but a replacement adopted child when the birth son died at the age of two. When the character played by John Thaw was around 10 to 12 years old he discovered an abandoned baby which featured on national TV so there is a tape which before he disappears the former politician gives to John revealing that he was the baby which John had discovered and saved. The former politician had found out what had happened to John hence taking him under his wing, and far from threatening John he had him followed and encouraged his friends to keep him informed because he had become aware that his gay lover was responsible for the deaths and threatening the life of John. The story struck chords. It was time for bed with an early start tomorrow when there is a lot to do
From waking up this morning it appears the Gods had decided this was going to be a good day, for after days of wet and damp with long periods of continuous rain yesterday, it was sunny and warm. I had time to lose at a couple of games of Harts, which did not seem to matter, for once, prepare my picnic lunch, get ready and set off for a quick shop. I had defrosted the brad last night and this was a mistake because it had began to harden, so I put on lashings of spread and then thick chunks of salami sausage which I rapped in foil rather than a container to save wait. I added a small enclosed carton of grapes and prepared flasks of tea and coffee. Since disassembling on the pf the metal flasks I have had problems with it and fortunately I put coffee in the other which lasted warm until mid afternoon, while the tea was cold when I tried it after lunch. I remembered everything else including my phone and small pair of binoculars and also including the over the shoulder seat pack although I anticipated the area use for bring your own chairs would be taken up with the temporary stand seating for the international one day game.
I needed to go to the supermarket for bread, a lettuce, chose some diced beef for a stir fry when I returned, some indigestion tablets, kitchen foil and a four pack of baked beans. As a consequence of this stop and being leisurely I arrived at the selected seat only fifteen minutes before the commencement of the game. As expected a enormous bank of garish red seating had been added for the international later in the month and there was a good crowd already assembled similar to that for the semi final last July. The sun was hot and there was little wind in contrast to my first visit of the season just over a week ago. In this instance the visitors, the Nottingham Outlaws won the toss and decided to bat first so it the Men in Black who took to the field of play first. There have been times when Durham's colours were awful especially an unattractive shade if pale blue, so being the Men in Black, given that I usually wear black, seemed another good omen. I decided to wait to see how the game progressed for the first hour before going to check out the Member's Lounge area, refreshments, food and bar, and collect my copy of the 2008 yearbook.
It was a wise decision because before the visitors and put their first run on the scoreboard Jefferson was LBW to Thorpe for 0 and only 11 runs latter Wagh was bowled Davies for 3; Voges was run out for 13 when the score had reached 34 and Swann who was playing well was then immediately LBW to Thorp for 18 with the scoreboard 34 for 4. The unbelievable continued as the sub beat down and I smothered the visible flesh with factor 25 sun cream. Shafayet was caught by Breese off Ben Harmison when the score was 74, Reed was also caught Breese off brother Steve Harmison for 0 at 81 for six, Ealham was hen bowled by Breese for 9 at 100 and Franks was caught Di Venuto also bowled Breese for 0 and at 102 for 8 the match appeared over, and then Patel took control and against some weak bowling from Steve Harmison and Breeze he amazed everyone, especially the rest of the Nottingham side by scoring 114 until bowled by Brian Harmison to bring the innings to a close at 188, with Pattinson caught by wicket keeper Mustard off Steve Harmison for 7 runs but in an invaluable and near match winning partnership which added 48 to the total.
Patel's performance meant that Nottingham had made a match of it and the result was no longer predictable. I nipped away from my seat just before the final wicket fell in order to visit the Gentleman/before the rush, collected the year book and made my way to the Riverside Lounge which is the whole length of the first floor of the Pavilion except for the player's dressing rooms at the far end. Here it is possible to eat a hot main course meal from between £5 and £7 for a roast with fish and chips six pounds something, or but coffee or tea, pints of beer or something stronger and sit at tables the first rows of which look out sideways over the ground although as with the last sixteen games the wicket was set at the far edge of the playing oblong, and if you arrive early enough and the weather is good you can sit outside the lounge m in a veranda also the length of the lounge area. There numerous display cabinets on the history of the club, including the office score card and photograph of that first match at Durham University ground in 1992 when the club played the first County game against Lancashire in the then Sunday League, There was then time for a walk to the ice dream van which ahd attracted a huge queue and I restricted the purchase to a single cone without flake or raspberry sauce.
The innings of Patel, however brilliant appear to be in vain because although the erratic Mustard gave a simple catch when he was 1 and the score 20, Di Venuto and Smith added 107 more runs for the second wick so that at one point Durham was 126 for needing only 83 runs to win at an average of only three runs an over.
Then disaster as wickets fell at 127, 129,134, 136 and 139. There was a temporary recovery before the seventh fell at 163, the eight at 167 and the ninth at 177. Worse still the scoring rate slowed to that of a snail and then Mr Breese came to the rescue of his colleagues by hitting two dour in an over and then came to the last ball of the penultimate over with six runs required. By this time tension among the home crows had reached unbearable proportions. Some who could not stand it left. For the greater part of the day the talk had been about the chances of another visit to Lords for the final of the competition and the change from not expecting to win matches let alone a trophy or two, to the expectation that very game at home could be won and should be won.
And then as I say Breese faced the last ball of the over. Someone near said a winning would be fine but he would accept a single so that Breese would have the strike for the start of the next over, or a four which would mean two runs needed with six balls to play. He hit a six there was stunned silence before the ground erupted in ecstasy and we were as stunned as the Nottingham team.
I made way to the Gentleman's as everyone took in the significance of yet another win with the semi finals played in a month's time and the final in mid august. I have not planned a trip for August or had a visit to London this year so with a special Travel Lodge offer for summer announced for 6 am tomorrow I might book . With everyone staying until the last ball it was pointless trying to leave the car park so I switched on the radio and listened to the news of Obama securing the Presidential Candidate Party nomination for the Democrats and eat the carton of prawns in shell I had bought earlier in the day.
On return it was time for the stir fry followed by a few more grapes and coffee which I eat watching a programme about the creation of the largest cruise ship in the world, with fifteen passengers decks for the 4300 passengers and 1300 crew, it is indeed a floating township and mini city. It has a water park, a dedicated adult pool and a main pool as well as 2 whirlpools. There is mini golf and rock climbing flat TV in state rooms and Wi Fi and cell phone connectivity. There is a casino and an Ice rink well as a theatre, and various bars and restaurants I have said it before but I say it again. I am puzzled by the concept in the days of the jet plane.
I then watch John Thaw in the TV film Into the Blue, not to be confused with a Hollywood film of the same name. This is a clever film set on Rhodes and England about the relationship between John Thaw as a failed character and his friend who had to resign and leading politician because of a scandal but then made his fortune in the arms trade, There are two back stories. The first is that of John Thaw who led a successful like with wife, son and profitable businesses until his son dies, his wife leaves for some one else and he loses everything else from drink and self pity. H is rescued by the former politician who makes him care taker of his home on Rhodes where he is seduced by an attractive young women who then disappears, [presumed dead. John is suspicious about what happened and comes back to England to fin out where all the evidence points to his friend having a murky past, first with the death of girl who drowns in an inland waterway, then a girl in the sea near the family home and also involves a brilliant graduate developing brain damage after an accidental fall from a window.
John discovers that the girl who disappeared from Rhodes is the sister of the girl who died in the sea and that she has been visiting and checking on all the friends of the politician. As a result of the research he befriends the receptionist and mistress of one of he friends, a psychiatrist, who they subsequently find murdered and then manage to escape when the home is set on fire and exit doors locked against them. Everything points to the politician until it is realised that the culprit is one of the other friends with whom the politician had a long term gay relationship. The politician disappears Into the Blue after the main secret of this mystery is revealed. The former politician was not the birth son of the wealth inherited from his parents, but a replacement adopted child when the birth son died at the age of two. When the character played by John Thaw was around 10 to 12 years old he discovered an abandoned baby which featured on national TV so there is a tape which before he disappears the former politician gives to John revealing that he was the baby which John had discovered and saved. The former politician had found out what had happened to John hence taking him under his wing, and far from threatening John he had him followed and encouraged his friends to keep him informed because he had become aware that his gay lover was responsible for the deaths and threatening the life of John. The story struck chords. It was time for bed with an early start tomorrow when there is a lot to do
No comments:
Post a Comment