Of Music & Magic

There’s Music in the names I used to know

And Magic when I heard them long ago

The Names, Thomas Moult

Hi everyone!

The fixtures for Season 2016 were published a couple of days ago.

And in January I’ll be issuing a long list of games I plan to go to.

As always, I hope to see plenty of you throughout the Season: 
Championship matches (sadly Division 2 for Sussex this season),  t20s & RL50s.

Lots of days and evening games at Hove; Never in Doubt.

The regular trips to the Ageas Bowl at Southamption, Arundel, Beckenham, Lords and the Oval.

Though no Horsham this year, as Sussex couldn’t find a sponsor.

But there was one fixture I was especially looking out for.

Mrs Lambourne – known throughout the cricketing world for Mrs Lambourne’s Luxury Cricket Picnics – got there first. 
And was quick to text me with the Good News !

I go to the ground every year.

There’s always Music & Magic for me.

Where there are Old Friends  - those who still live close by and those who live on the other side of the world, but still make the  Pilgrimage back to the Wells - to meet up and remember the Good Old Days.

Of playing cricket at School and for the Borderers. And Upper Banner Farm Cricket Club.

And thoughts of those whose innings have ended far too soon

It was the ground where (I want to remember) I saw my first game, way back on Saturday 7 June 1958.

And my first limited overs game on Wednesday 22 May 1964.

This coming Season on Sunday to Wednesday 17 to 20 July the same two counties will be playing as in 1958 and 1964.

It is Kent v Sussex in the Championship at the Nevill, Tunbridge Wells.

Why not in ink the date into your diary to come and watch with me ?

After all ….

Why read a Lord Ric Cricket Blog, when you can be in one. ^©

See you soon !!

Lord Ric of Beckley Furnace

Follow me on Twitter: LordRic52

PS

Too early for you to make Diary Dates for July 2016?

No problem at all  !

65 Seasons ago Kent were playing Sussex at the Nevill: Saturday 23 June 1951.
(No: I wasn’t there as  a teenager watching from the Railway End !!!!).

Of the three key protagonists that day long, long ago, the first  - a 19 year old doing National Service in the RAF  - only received permission to play from his Station Commander late on the Thursday afternoon.

Though it famously required a  last ball of the day  - one bounce 4 through midwicket - into the iconic marquees on the tennis court side of the ground, he got a century that Saturday.
And  seven years later  - already my Favourite Player, just as he is almost 60 Seasons later - I was there as a five year old to see him hit another century.
(To save you looking up Cricinfo: at the Gillette Cup match in 1963 he scored a rapid 59 before being run out by Les Lenham)

Who knows, now well into his 80’s, he may be at the match this year.

And if Sussex are short of runs from their middle order.... well, he might even be playing !!

And the other two protagonists?

Well, it was as late as just after quarter to ten on the Friday evening in the saloon bar of The Queen’s Head in Rye before they heard of the game and decided to come along.

(Of course, the Pipers have always known that the biggest & best decisions are taken in bars !!)

It was to prove one of the Never To Be Forgotten days of cricket … …

One I know that I will still be telling the story of all the (hopefully many) days of  the rest my Life.

 *** If you can, I’d really love you come along with me to watch Kent v Sussex at the Nevill … …