Surrey v Essex, Essex won by 8 wickets (with 19 balls remaining)
To The Oval! …shortly after luncheon on Saturday afternoon. t20 twaddle was on the agenda, with Surrey at home to the Essex slappers.
This was a fixture that had long since had a big red circle scribbled around the date in my Google Cal.
Hover your mouse underneath the online diary entry and the word #BOOZE appears.
Friday night t20’s at The Oval are all well and good. But it is a mad scramble at the end of the working week to make it to the old ground on time, and then get set up for the light refreshments.
No such concerns for Saturday afternoon.
Anna and I rocked up at The Oval an hour ahead of play, and then took the strategic decision to stake our territory in the John Major Suite in the OCS.
This was no time for wet Conservatism; it was simply that the JM Suite is the best at addressing the boozers to pint pulling ratio.
Thirsty work.
But first some football.
I am completely unaccustomed to what takes place out in the middle before the first ball is bowled.
Essex it seems play a game of football - which is odd, as you don’t see Premier League teams setting up a four day white ball match before kick off.
Elsewhere around the ground and it was a relaxed atmosphere. Surrey had marketed the occasion as Family Day.
The City Boys and Girls were absent, and so was the typical t20 booze fest.
I attempted to address the balance as soon as I saw Ravi Bopara put in a late tackle just backwards of square in the Essex 5-a-side warm up.
And then the cricket started.
I did pay attention - honest, but as ever I was slightly tired and emotional halfway into the Surrey innings.
A DJ Bravo Champion dance was attempted with Caesar the Lion at the interval. The man dressed in a furry animal costume came out of the encounter with slightly more dignity left intact.
The Essex innings was spent back on the other side of the ground on the piss in the Pavilion. Some pals had tempted us over with the promise of South London sun and BOOZE.
They didn’t mention a bird’s eye view of a weak Surrey bowling ‘attack’.
Whoops.
The Red Arrows Pride flyover was pretty spectacular. The rain break in the fag end of the game was a bit of a downer.
And so not a classic t20 slog, followed by not a classic Euro 2016 match in the Long Room as Wales battered down NI.
I hovered my finger over my Google Cal entry for later in the day as last orders were called in the Long Room.
It simply said: HANGOVER.
Ouch.
We are the ‘rrey…