Developing 34 - Day at the cricket

We had a great day out at the cricket. I had no idea what to expect and even thought that we might be a bit bored spending such a long time there. But - it was fab. A proper day out. I don't think the cricket itself had a great deal to do with it - the game seemed to be trundling along in the centre without much attention being paid by anyone - but the crowd, the company and the weather were all great!!

Actually that is a bit harsh on the poor old cricketers - they put on a great show. I saw Michael Vaughn get a much needed century in Yorkshire (which was a great moment) and Kevin Pietersen also scpred over 100. The competition from the West Indies was, sadly, quite poor though so maybe that took away the competitive edge.

The crowd was hilarious - loads of fancy dress and stag do's. It got louder and more boisterous as the afternoon progressed and the amount of beer consumed reached reservoir-like proportions. The making of plastic beer glass snakes (as illustrated in one of the photos above) became a pressing pastime and, at one stage, completely overtook the cricket - I looked round and the whole West Stand was facing away from the game watching the progrss of joining 2 particularly huge "snakes" accompanied by chants of "Join em up, Join'em up, Join'em up"! Very funny if you like that sort of thing and, being bit of a football hooligan at heart, I do!

For the more romantically inclined, I would report that there are a lot better looking blokes at cricket games than at footie matches and, if you're really shallow, wealthier looking too!! They would definitely be my hunting ground of choice if I hadn't already snared the lovely Mr D!! Very tasty surroundings.... My mate Jim was resigned yet exasperated at my appreciative comments...LOL!

For the dieter though - NOT a good venue. I have never seen so much food!! Apart from the beer, food counts as the number 2 pastime of the cricket watching public. And not just scrubby pies like at the football. There were pizzas, pork roasts, the usual burgers, cheesy chips, a wine stand, muffins, sandwiches, and then loads of people brought their own hampers with even better stuff. Everywhere I looked there were plates of lovely looking food being passed round. The (rather large I must admit) bloke in front of us had a seemingly bottomless coolbox from which he kept trying to press titbits on us - chilli and coriander prawns, chicken satays, sandwiches, quiches. It was a bit of a nightmare but I remained strong. On the food front at least...

I did have a pint of lager though! I thought about it and, honestly, really fancied one and decided that I would go for it. It was great too - made the day. It was the first beer I've had since before Christmas and I was a little bit woozy by the end of it. No guilt either as I had made a conscious decision to go for it. It wasn't a giving in to temptation thing and I knew I would stop at the one. It enhanced my day and I loved every sip. You can see that from the photo!!

After the match we went into Leeds and met up with Jim's girlfriend after her work. Had a drink and then went to Wagamamas for a meal (well they did). I was fine - had my bar, green tea and water and didn't feel bad at all. Jim's GF is a bit of a dullard (don't think she'll last long to be honest) but very slim. She went on and on about eating properly and nagged Jim (who isn't fat) about what he eats. It was a bit of overkill I thought so I hope I don't turn into one of those sort of thin women!!

Then a long drive home from Leeds via Holmfirth to drop Jim off (somewhat sozzled after God knows how much beer) and then home.

A really lovely day and one I hope we do again sometime.