Cricket

Yeah, TMS was saying even the Eng batting was recently subdued if still maintaining 6/over.

Considering streaking to liven things up about. (Four £7 pints down already)

Four £7 pints

That'll be an expensive streak of piss in the latrines.

£7.60/pint at the Oval last weekend. Luckily I'd got the tickets for free.

£5 for members' pints.

I may make back the membership dues in pint discounts alone....

Ireland mauling England's 'attack' here. And making us bat again, which felt unlikely this morning.

For the record - it is Day 3 and we are currently winning.

What's on offer this year?

I just had a flashback to the halycon days of Stella and Scrumpy Jack in the pavilion

Hobgoblin ipa
Brookyn pilsner
An APA
Others, can't remember

An entertaining day to be a Lord's

How long ago was that? I can't remember anything other than Marstons beer at any England match for the last 10-15 years.

It was at the domestic matches, must be 12 years ago? Scott Newman opening the batting, from memory

Actually that must be much longer ago than that

The Oval has a guest IPA that has an amusing cricket related name that I can't recall right now.

In the long room the have a load of casks set up with various real ales in.

Also standard modern lager and ciders.

All very pleasing, to be honest.

Shame the coffee is shit and slowly served.

So, anyway, cricket...

Yesterday's belated fightback was a bit of fun, but is probably going to mask the shit state of affairs for Irish cricket. We have nobody in the County game and just 3 teams who play in the Intra-Provincial Championship, only they don't, as it hasn't been held since 2019. Our players have barely ever seen a red ball, never mind played with one. Putting us against a top Test side is frankly silly. It's like putting a pub 5-a-side team against Man City.

We've only ever held one Test match, and lost £1m by doing so. The ICC Future Tours Programme is a fantasy, and I'm not sure if or when we'll play another Test. The game is dying and we got into it too late. Shame we couldn't get any players onto the Lord's boards yesterday, as they're unlikely to get more chances.

So, thanks to the ECB for throwing us a bone, hopefully we get a few quid from it to plug some of the debt. But it's sad to know that Day 1 of the 2019 Test will forever be the high-water mark of Irish Test cricket.

Normally go for the 175 IPA myself, when I rarely have a drink

For coffee they sometimes have a little Change Please cart outside the entrance to the long room, frustrating as you never know when they're going to be there

Jack Leach out of the Ashes. Sounds nasty. Gutted for the lad. Real shame.

Not sure what we are going to do without Leach.

I guess first test will be a full seam attack

Anderson
Broad
Robinson
Wood

Will Jacks would fit nicely in with Bazball?

Livingstone should've worked more on his bowling.

Rob Key said Crawley should be able to do a job with the ball.

His continued selection would imply he should be able to do a job with the bat also. But here we are... ;)

Feel like it will be either Jacks or Rehan.

Beeb reporting Moeen has had the call

How far down the list do they go? Should Pat Pocock be sitting by his phone waiting?

Vic Marks is presumably still ambulant.

the Eddie Hemmings comeback aged 40 springs to mind