Lord’s: The quintessentially English sporting attraction

by Steve Clare

If you have been to London more than once and seen all the tourist traps in the guidebooks, you may still have missed out on the most quintessentially English experience of all – county cricket.

Whereas the once a year Boat Race along the River Thames is world renowned and actually between two universities most English people never attend, cricket is more readily available but strangely has rarely made an appeal to the tourist industry.

This article – fortunately – isn’t the place to go through the entirety of the rules and to a great extent, you won’t need to know them all to thoroughly enjoy a day out at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the iconic home of English cricket.

Built in 1814, Lord’s is located just north of Regents Park, a tourist attraction itself with its iconic mosque and zoo. It is also one tube stop from Baker Street, an area already redolent with its own draws including Madame Tussauds and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

[Also see: The 74 bus ride from Baker Street to Craven Cottage that seems to pass everywhere]

Lord’s is not only the home of English cricket but of international and world cricket. However I would not recommend an England international with its packed stands, copious drinking and febrile atmosphere for a first visit. Choosing your first date with cricket is like choosing your first date with a new potential partner. There’s just no downside in getting to know them well before embarking on something more raucous. It’s more idyllic to take in a club game known locally as a county game because the participating teams represent counties of England and Wales, as opposed to cities and towns like most other sports. The crowd will be smaller but you’ll have a better chance of encountering a friendly face who will patiently answer your questions. Children are welcome.

The home team at Lord’s is Middlesex County Cricket Club, a county whose name now only survives elsewhere in post codes although Lord’s itself ironically lies inside the London postal boundary not in Middlesex. The County of Middlesex itself hosts such attractions as Wembley Stadium (home of the England football team), Heathrow Airport and Brentford FC, all widely considered to be ‘in London’.

The name originates from England’s roots as a Saxon country, meaning Middle Saxon Land. To the east lies Essex (once East Saxon land), to the south lies Sussex (South Saxon land), and in the west country lies the old county of Wessex (West Saxon land).

On the coat of arms for Essex and Middlesex are three seaxes, a weapon resembling a curved sword with a notched blade. The word for the modern cutting tool, saw is loosely descended from the old English seax.

GETTING THERE

The most pleasant way to access Lord’s is via the St Johns Wood Underground station, one stop from Baker Street on the Jubilee Line. On exiting the station, turn left and enjoy a pleasant walk down Wellington Road towards the cricketing Mecca. Buses 13 and 113 among many others scurry by.

There you can enter the stadium at Wellington Place, although there’s a solid argument for walking anti-clockwise further around the periphery of the ground to enter at the more formal and storied entrance known as the Grace Gates, named after the first cricketing superstar WG Grace, at least on your first visit.

There are two ways of paying for the ticket.

You can pay for a one off ticket at the gate which at £20 for county game is not unreasonable, or you can join Middlesex CCC which entitles you to free entry throughout the year and access to several members only stands including  the legendary Pavilion, Long Room, Middlesex Room, and Warner Stand.

If you catch the bug and want to return, I’d recommend you join the County on the day.

Middesex offer a ‘Country Membership’ which is cheaper and available to those who live over 50 miles from London but the overseas membership which is further discounted was not available in 2018. It may be reactivated for 2019 which would be a boon for tourists.

Bars and restaurants are open around the stadium but there is no ban on outside food, so you should feel free to bring in your own supplies and make a picnic of it. The day’s play lasts from 11am to 6.30pm with breaks for lunch and tea but as a member, you can come and go as you please and combine visits to other nearby attractions with your visit.

Matches can be either four days or one day depending on the trophy being contested. I visited on the first day of a four day match between Middlesex and Derbyshire from England’s midlands.

With about 500 people in attendance at the start, it was a relaxed atmosphere for what was to be the final league game of the season. It being mid-September, the weather was not especially conducive to sitting outside but the attendance climbed throughout the day as the weather improved. It’s always a good idea to check the weather forecast before you devote a day too the cricket as they suspend play if it rains.

Despite the presence though of ominous cloud, a full day’s play ensued with Middlesex knocking out a very healthy total of exactly 350 runs and their midland opponents dismissing eight of their 11 batsmen in the process.

Once you have dismissed 10 of the 11, the batting side are considered ‘all out’, and they then bowl at the opposition.

The highlight of the day was a century for Middlesex batsman Sam Robson who made 134, easily his best score of the season. He maintained his concentration while Derbyshire dismissed a succession of his  teammates.

After the third teammate departed went, he was joined by the very young Max Holden whose batting display was the highlight of the day as he eased to 96 runs at the close of play, just four short of his own century. (He duly completed it the next day).

The ball flew frequently to the boundary throughout the day and there was plenty on the field to entertain, beyond the atmosphere of just doing something so indubitably English.

Although cricket is traditionally considered a summer game and football a winter game, the seasons actually significantly overlap. In April-May and August-September, both sports are active in London. This makes a very appetising double attraction to the many Americans who come over to London to catch an EPL game. Tourists could take in an EPL match on a Saturday and take in cricket on a Sunday.

It seems somewhat strange that cricket has not yet tried to benefit from the sports tourism industry which brings large numbers of Americans and Asians especially to England. The USA, Canada and Japan are all baseball loving nations and the two sports have much in common if strategy and the intricacies of the game are your passion.

Although the season ends this week, the season restarts in April with the fixture list due out before the new year.

If you’ve done Buckingham Palace, Westminster, Hampton Court, Wembley and Tussauds, Lord’s should be next on your list if you want to understand England better.

It’s not essential. But it’s quintessential.