Cricket and Cambridge

Took a walking tour out yesterday..made a welcome change to keep dry! As we passed the Market Square I spied my friend Robin Hammerton, a stall owner (The Vintage Vendour) and keen amateur cricketer deep in conversation with Derek Pringle, former England Test cricketer and now chief sports writer with The Daily Telegraph. One might summise them exchanging memories of bowling unplayable deliveries and crashing shots to the boundary…Robin at Sutton, Derek at Lords!

Cambridge has nurtured some fine cricketers. The University has Derek (Fitzwilliam College), along with two England captains, Mike Atherton (Downing College)and Mike Brearley (St John’s). Brearley took the art of captaincy to a whole new level. All fine cricketers but it is the “Town” that lays claim to a true cricketing great…Sir Jack Hobbs. Hobbs learned cricket on Parker’s Piece and in 1930 a pavilion was built there and named after him. Hobbs broke WG Grace’s record of 126 first class centuries. But, times change, The Hobbs Pavilion is now a restaurant!

Sir Jack Hobbs
Sir Jack Hobbs

By the way the annual Varsity match against Oxford will be at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 16th.

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