England v Zimbabwe, NatWest Series, Thursday 26 June 2003
Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
John Major's interest in cricket is well chronicled, Ken Clarke's less so.
 Clarke was elected president at Trent Bridge in 2002 |
But the former ministerial colleagues share more common ground than being former residents of 11 Downing Street while Chancellor of the Exchequer. Both men have been appointed president's of their county cricket club, Major at Surrey and Clarke at Nottinghamshire, where he is the present incumbent.
Clarke showed off his passion for the game during the break between innings, but was startlingly honest when it came to describing his panache - or lack of it - while wielding the willow.
"The last time I played was for the Department of Employment. I was out first ball, retired hurt," Clarke explained.
"With Norman Fowler at the other end, I tried to take a quick single, a calf snapped underneath me and I had to be carried off in agony.
"It was probably a suitable way for my career to finish. Although I have a lifelong love for the game, I was never any good at it."
The source of the downturn in Clarke's sporting fortunes can be traced to his university education where he got "extrememly unfit, very quickly" partly due to his ability to "drink with enthusiasm".
Now he watches with enthusiasm at the Test ground which lies in his constituency, an area he has represented in parliament for more than 30 years.
"I can get away from the House easily because of the large government majority, and the whips are aware that I have a vital constituency engagement when I come here," he continued.
"At the moment we've got a good side, although the real aim is to stay in the first division."
And like any county fan, Clarke enjoys seeing Trent Bridge regulars excelling on the international stage. "We're delighted to see Chris Read back in the England side, he's improving all the time as well.
"And I'm a great fan of Bilal Shafayat [former Under-19 captain], although my only concern is the pressure being put on a young man. It is tough to be regarded as a future England player at his age."
And Clarke put up a staunch defence of his county's contingent of South African accented EU passport holders, notably Kevin Pietersen, in that their presence had not held Shafayat's progress back.
Despite England spiralling to an unexpected defeat, Bill Frindall was celebrating a victory at Trent Bridge.
Bill heard notice that he had won the Beard Liberation Front's "Best Beard" award for another year.
"BLF believes that hirsute broadcasters have greater gravitas than clean shaven ones," read a statement from Keith Flett, the spokesman for the informal network of beard wearers.
"The BBC, along with other broadcasters, still operates an informal ban on hirsute broadcasters, so this award is restricted to radio and Bill Frindall is a worthy winner."
Hear, hear... or should that be hair, hair?
Talking about hair, even when James Anderson's not in the team, the new pin-up boy of English cricket remains the talk of the town at Trent Bridge. The fast bowler has been given a rest following his exertions over the last six months since his one-day debut in December.
The latest success story was his hat-trick at the Oval, and it clearly went to his head.
Out have gone the peroxide blonde tips of early summer, with a red mohican the new chosen style.
"Only he could get away with that," skipper Michael Vaughan commented out in the middle before play started.
MMIX
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