An extra fixture

posted by John Winn

The Harrogate CC fixture card advertises a fixture for Thursday May 18th, an otherwise rather thin day for PCWs. Under 'Other Fixtures at St George's Road 2017' is listed 40 Club Scotland v 40 Club Eastern.

For full details of The Forty Club go to thefortyclub.co.uk but in brief it was founded in the 1930s by Henry Grierson who won a blue for Cambridge in 1911. Under its administration the UK is divided into 11 districts each with its own chairman. Thursday's match brings together players from the Eastern Counties District, which comprises Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire and Essex, who will face the Scottish District. On the club website the venue is shown as tbc but I confirmed the fixture with the HCC grounds man on Wednesday and wickets are pitched at 12:30.

In case you can't wait until Thursday to see what the standard of Forty Club Cricket is like then on Monday 15th the North East section take on Richmond School at Richmondshire CC. The North East District stretches from the Trent to the Tweed.

Finally a favourite John Arlott story came to mind this week. JA was commentating on a county match with a novice commentator keen to be heard to be as poetic as the master but whose repertoire largely centred on informing listeners repeatedly that that the sun was sinking in the west. Arlott on resuming commentary confirmed that this was so but added 'If by chance it should start to sink anywhere else, we'll be the first to let you know......' I was reminded of this on Wednesday while listening to commentary on the Royal London Cup match between Essex and Sussex from Chelmsford when listeners were informed that 'the sun was continuing to sink in the west'. Gratifying that despite Brexit, Trump and Durham's relegation that in the words of the Neil Young song 'this old world keeps spinnin' round'.