An early start on Monday took me to a small café close to Grace Road in time for a bacon sandwich before the gates were open for the championship match between Leicestershire and Warwickshire, Foxes v Bears, match 151 of 153 in my pursuit of seeing every county play every other county at least once.
Asked to show my membership card at the sentry box I staggered the gate man by offering to pay, clearly a rare occurrence and £12 later I had the pick of the seats. It had been six years since I was last here (Leicestershire v Hants), but reassuringly little had changed. The same man in a white coat guarding the access to the dressing rooms but otherwise steward free and I took 'my usual seat' on the benches in front of the pavilion where in time I was joined by three men who reminded me of the trio in JS Finch's excellent book 'Three Men at The Match'. Leicester Tigers men rather than Leicester City and grateful that I could identify former Durham man Usman 'Benny' Arshad, one of three newcomers to the Leicestershire ranks.
Almost inevitably Leicestershire were asked to bat and Warwickshire's formidable pace attack, augmented by Woakes, could not wait to start. Barker, fired up by an endless supply of drinks and bananas from his manservant, started the procession of Foxes' batters to and from the pavilion with the dismissal of Dearden then Ackerman and if an attack of Barker, Woakes, Stone, and Wright isn't bad enough, Cosgrove, not the quickest mover at the best of times, was caught dawdling by a direct hit from Woakes . A short story cut even shorter and Leicestershire were 100 out, a score reached in mid afternoon by Warwickshire without loss, Sibley and Rhodes to thank. Fortified by a piece of cake and a cup of tea served by men who looked uncomfortable in aprons marked 'Friends of Grace Road' I stayed until the tea interval, delayed by the over rate, before heading back up the A46.
Two matches to go both involving Somerset who despite a two day defeat by Hants are still favourites to finish second in the championship and therefore you might think unlikely to play Leicestershire or Gloucestershire in the near future. If that is your mindset hold this thought, Lancashire finished second last year.
* sleuth is the collective noun for a group of bears and my visit to Grace Road means I have now seen Warwickshire play every other county, a journey that started at Edgbaston in 1991 when the visitors were Glamorgan. In the meantime I have seen The Bears at places like Tunbridge Wells, Chesterfield, Ilford and Southampton Northlands Road. Happy Days.
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