A Saturday at Lord's

Andrew Preston

A fortnight is a long time in cricket. Two weeks ago England were the gallant losers. They had been beaten, again, on home ground at Lord's by the skill and sheer ebullience of Mohammad Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and the rest of the young Indian side in the NatWest Series one-day final. But today was England's day.

At the start of play there was an understandable sense of foreboding among the capacity 30,000 crowd. India were in a little trouble, at 130 for 3 overnight. However, just about to walk to the wicket was none other than Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, the 'Little Master', who would join Rahul Dravid at the crease. The wicket had proved itself favourable for batsmen and England captain Nasser Hussain would take the brave decision to give the ball to debutant Simon Jones for the first over from the Pavilion End.

Enthusiastic, fast, but wayward, Jones had been likened to 'a wild colt' by Sunil Gavaskar on his first outing as a Test bowler the day before. Would you dare bet against a Tendulkar century?

But the nervous tension was soon over. The England bowlers were disciplined and accurate, the fielding placings were shrewd, the 'Little Master' never settled and was out for 16, and the rest followed him, only Laxman putting up some solid reistance.

The Saturday of the Lord's Test had lived up to its billing as a showcase for English cricket, as well as being as ever a date in the English social calendar, alongside the likes of Wimbledon and Henley. Always a sell-out, Lord's on that particular Saturday is a place to see good cricket but it is also a place to be seen.

The Grace Gate at Lord's at 7.30 on the Saturday morning is busy, but in an orderly, old-fashioned English way. To one side the queue of members, largely in their bacon and egg MCC ties stretches some fifty yards. The odd conversation is starting up but largely heads are down in newspapers, these are old campaigners prepared to camp out for a few hours to get their preferred seat in the Pavilion or the Warner Stand.

The other side of the gate the queue of members and friends is longer but is a more relaxed affair. There's a spattering of egg and bacon here too, but there are also people in jeans, pyjama cricket tops, shorts and even a woman or two!

By 9 o'clock the queue stretches at least 200 yards and then the orderly rush for seats begins. There was a 15 minute delay in opening the gates, so profuse apologies keep coming over the loudspeakers. The authorities pride themselves on doing things properly here.

This can be good and bad. There is a response as soon as the news comes through of the death of the Indian vice-president - the flags on the Pavilion and the Grand Stand are lowered to half-mast, it is announced that there will be a moment's silence before the following day's play and condolences are offered to the Indian people.

The down side is the petty bureaucracy and the stuffiness of the place. Ties are still essential wear in the pavilion, but even in some of the other stands those who opt to dress in casual wear as if it is a weekend and you are attending a sports event instead of wearing the uniform of blazer, pink shirt, chinos and brown suede shoes can attract insults from those around them.

Gone are the days now of being able to walk out onto the ground as well. As a boy, 20 years ago, I remember sitting on benches on the grass just beyond the boundary rope. Now you can't even step on the pitch after the end of play. Throughout the day officious messages flash up on the scoreboards and the giant television screen, saying, 'Spectators are prohibited from entering the playing area at all times. Players and officials feel threatened by pitch incursions.' There's also a warning of possible prosecution and/or a £1000 fine.

The players now seem more distant than they once were. All credit then to the victorious Indian one-day side who did a victory lap of Lord's with their flags after the end of play to celebrate their win and to pay tribute to their fans.

Ever mindful of a business opportunity however the authorities at Lord's are now to put on sale squares of the hallowed turf at the end of the season - £10 a go, though you have to come and collect it yourself! Parts of the outfield are being dug up to allow for the installation of a new drainage system.

Lord's is still a glorious place to be though. The home of cricket has moved well with the times, blending the ancient and the modern. The new Mound Stand with its tent-like roof, the imposing Grand Stand and even the space-age Media Centre which hovers above the ground at the Nursery End all fit in well, even though the television commentators in there do moan about the bright sunlight in the afternoons and the lack of ventilation.

On your way into the ground and during the intervals a jazz band play. Tom Graveney signs books before the start of play, while Ian Botham is there to sign copies of his latest book in the lunch interval.

There's always a special buzz about the place just before play begins, and a real air of celebration on the Saturday. The first champagne cork popped at 10.55, as the umpires walked down the steps of the pavilion. Many more follow, along with wine, beer and of course Pimm's.

Lunch is then a crucial part of the day. Some buy sandwiches at the ground, others raid supermarkets the day before, but for many this is a highlight of the day which deserves thought and effort. The more home-cooked fare you can bring, the better you have done.

Smoked salmon is always a favourite, in sandwiches or, for the real professionals, on plates with salad, lemon, and brown bread and butter and knives and forks, preferably not plastic. Envious eyes have always moved towards my family's picnic when the little matter of 'Test Match Trifles' are produced from our cold bag, provided by my mother every year since the late 1970s.

Lunch is eaten at your seat except for those who gather to sit on rugs, or even at tables behind the pavilion, to drink champagne or Pimm's, eat and socialise. Sadly many of these groupings are apparently oblivious to the cricekt which continues without them. Maybe they think they are still at Wimbledon.

And as for the cricket, well it was a day for the English. The unexpected satisfaction for an England follower was to see a truly spirited team performance. The old guard of Gough and Caddick may be injured, along with Trescothick and Tudor, but still England put on an impressive bowling display. Then they came out and showed India how to bat as well! The match may not be over yet (England, after all, have made themselves specialists in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory) but this was still a dream day.

It didn't have the fireworks of a Flintoff 50 or debutant Simon Jones hitting a six into the pavilion, and of course there was a lingering disappointment that Tendulkar had not shown us what he was capable of. But watching India struggle was just like seeing England so often in the past turning into putty in the hands of the West Indies or latterly of course Australia.

As Henry Blofeld observed towards the close of play on BBC Radio's Test Match Special, 'England are in a pretty tickety-boo situation.' Now you don't get much more English than that.......

Andrew Preston writes for 'Mail on Sunday'

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