Mid-morning and out went the shout of: To The Oval! For a table top clash against the Essex Slappers!
This is likely to be a familiar shout over the next four days.
I left the front door, saw the drizzle, then headed back indoors to listen to a Forest podcast. Half an hour later and I stepped out to SE11 again.
The rain had stopped at The Oval, but the covers were on. I met up with T. We waited. And waited.
An early luncheon was taken.
Blue skies then descended across S Ldn. Umbrellas went up again to protect against the heat. County cricket is a gloriously odd pastime.
The main focus was on Dan Lawrence for the ‘rrey. He was playing the role of pantomime villain, having joined the County Champions from Essex last summer. I get the impression his departure from Chelmsford was not welcomed by everyone.
He was greeted by boos from the Essex fans scattered around the ground as he took to the crease. Six runs later and he was back in the hutch, along with some ironic cheers.
Ta for coming, etc.
Jamie Smith however had other ideas. On the same morning as being called up to the Test squad for the first time, the Surrey Young Gun went about his business in a brisk manner. It was a little awks when he shared the middle with Ben Foakes.
The impressive 6k+ crowd started too thin around 4:30pm ahead of the England football KO. Surrey were showing the Slovakia game on various HUGE screens around the ground. I came to watch County Cricket, not football.
I headed up to the top tier of the Galadari, my new fave location at the ground. It’s great that this seems to change almost every season. It shows the investment at The Oval and the five star facilities that are available to Members.
I had a bird’s eye view of the LTN below. Lambeth have installed a couple of table tennis tables on a stretch that use to be a nasty rat run.
This made me VERY happy. Lambeth aren’t SHIT at everything.
I could see and hear Surrey legend Lobby, even from three tiers up. He seemed to be a little tired and emotional as Surrey struggled to hold it together towards the close of play.
I had a smile as I realised that I was watching Porter bowl for Essex, whilst drinking… Porter.
Chin chin.
Same again tomorrow.
I think it’s the school kids day. It’s great to get the 5,000 or so ankle biters into the ground. I need to pack my AirPods though.
