Escape from New Street

In Sunday's posting I spoke of awkward choices to be made this week and that has proved the case but I have stuck to my outline plan which saw me at the Riverside on Tuesday where for the first time this season Durham did not bat first in four day cricket . Notts won the toss, took first knock at 10:15 in mid September on a wicket where 250 has been the par first day score, found the going difficult and compounded their problems by playing shots that suggested their flight south was at the latest on Thursday.
During the afternoon Durham fared little better until Collingwood and Mustard took advantage of better batting conditions** and put their team in a good position by stumps. Throughout the day I was still pondering where I should spend Wednesday but decided to stick to my original plan to go to Edgabston for a 'listed match', my eighth this season. A decent forecast and the strong feeling that Warwickshire v Surrey might not be on the agenda next season were the clinchers.

CrossCountry* trains duly deposited me at New Street station shortly after eleven, twenty minutes later I had still not found my way to the exit where the bus leaves for the short journey to Edgabaston: what a transformation there has been to the station since I was there last year. A frequent user in the past I twice had to visit the local transport information office to ask directions. Meanwhile there was no cricket for twitter had informed me that lunch was being taken at twelve with a view to a 12:40 start.

Such proved to be the case and when I had paid my £20 (yes £20 and no concessions for carrying a bus pass) I took my seat in the Wyatt stand, my favourite spot, and watched Amla and Solanki take easy pickings from a toothless Bears' attack. The only surprise of a two and half hour session to tea was that a wicket fell, that of Amla for 77 and the seven bowlers used by skipper Chopra had no further success until Solanki and Davies had added almost two hundred. By the close Surrey had achieved maximum batting points and might have an outside chance of victory. Rain today may be a problem however.

I gave myself plenty of time to negotiate the new New Street but thought how prudent it had been of Theseus when he entered the maze seeking the Minotaur to mark his way with string. The 6:30 train was spot on time and deposited me back in York a little over two hours later. By this time I was fully up to speed with events at The Riverside but aware that for this morning at least there is unlikely to be any play. The forecast suggests that things will improve and I will make the journey.  

** This morning's Guardian reports that pitch liaison officer Jack Birkenshaw has passed the surface as satisfactory.
* Their spelling not mine.