England v South Africa, Fifth Test, Saturday 6 September 2003
The Oval, London |
 Alec Stewart returns to the pavilion having been trapped lbw for 38 |
Mickey and Sheila Stewart's visit to the box to reflect on what may well have been son Alec's final innings at The Oval soon turned into a discussion on the future of domestic cricket. The proud parents were on a "real family day" to watch a memorable moment.
"It was all about being together for that lovely reception when he walked to the wicket," Mickey explained.
"Other than that it was no different to any other Test match," he added before the focus of the conversation changed, with Sheila taking something of a back seat.
Alec has called for fewer first-class counties, but Stewart Snr vehemently disagrees with his son.
"The political scene in the game means that that would take ages to happen and it would be a shame if it did," he reasoned.
"We have two million cricketers in the country and if they can't supply 18 first-class counties something's very wrong.
 |  This season the counties have used 64 overseas players - I wouldn't have one |
"The easy thing that can be done straight away is that the 18 counties can be run as Arsenal Football Club is and how Clive Woodward runs the England rugby team. "One man should be accountable and responsible. He should appoint his coaching staff and his playing staff and develop them for 12 months."
Mickey also called for an improved culture of professionalism and the abandonment of the use of overseas players.
The box was crowded at lunchtime when members of the team took the opportunity to view the last Baggy Green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman.
Tim Serisier bought Bradman's 1948 Invincible Cap for A$425,000 and was at The Oval after picking up his purchase on Wednesday. "It has been in England for about 50 years. Bradman gave it to his godson for his 10th birthday," Serisier explained of the cap, which he dug out from what Aggers described as a "dirty black backpack".
"The MCG museum are going to look after it for the upcoming Test series against India. It will be on display at the Test venues and then it will go on a tour of regional Australia," he added.
Serisier was helped in his attempts to buy the cap after winning a windfall of A$250,000 on the Australian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
By coincidence, Chris Tarrant, the British host of the game show, was in the box at the same time.
"There's nothing like holding up a cap on radio. We'll do card tricks later," Tarrant quipped.
Neil Manthorp had the box scratching their collective cricketing brain with a world-class teaser late on Friday.
He asked the assembled throng to name the five father and son combinations to have played international one-day cricket.
 Colin Cowdrey played in one ODI match - the very first in Australia |
Bill Frindall was quick to come up with New Zealand's Lance and Chris Cairns, before Vic Marks threw in the Cowdrey clan with Colin and Chris both playing for England. But there it stopped. "Unless you know it requires some real research," Neil said, giving the box and listeners until Saturday to come up with the full list.
But it turned out that he hadn't done the necessary research when Stuart Allen sent six in by e-mail.
The other four are Ron and Dean Headley (West Indies & England), Don and Derek Pringle (East Africa and England), David and Graham Lloyd (England) and Yograj and Yuvraj Singh (India).
Bill Frindall has been buoyed by good news concerning the redevelopment of The Oval.
Pictures and publications of the new-look ground abound the media centre and the Bearded Wonder was delighted to receive positive news on the scoreboard front, having heard on the grapevine that it was to be consigned to the past.
"I am pleased to say it is going to survive and move closer towards the pavilion behind the Peter May Stand," Bill revealed.
| It will take a while for them to get their money back at �22m for 4,000 seats |
As well as being impressed by the artistic impression of the "new" Oval, Jonathan Agnew was impressed by the county's promotional pamphlet. "They've been very clever with their publicity," Aggers remarked as he nosed through the bumf.
"There are shots of a barren, forlorn rather tatty looking Oval, with nobody to be seen, right next to a beautiful vision of what it will look like, complete with the enormous sweeping roofed stand packed full of people."
Jean Haslam was left speechless after winning the TMS Tea Ladies Grand Final by the narrowest of margins.
Jean won by just one vote. "I thought everybody else's looked so good I'm amazed," she said.
She beat Kim Dangerfield and Christina Munsey into second, with Barbara Evans in fourth.
The panel had real trouble splitting the contestants, with Christopher Martin-Jenkins admitting he could have voted for each of them and Mike Gatting complaining that he didn't have enough time to make a proper judgement.
Of more pertinence to Gatt was that he did not have enough time to hoover up all the food on show!
Mike Selvey had good news from the middle for England's batsmen at the start of the day, and a word of warning for Marcus Trescothick and Graham Thorpe.
"It's pristine out there," Selv said of The Oval wicket.
| The pitch is like a piece of white paper in a green oasis |
"There's a lovely even covering of grass and not a crack to be seen, but with a bit of rain last night and a misty morning, there will be a little bit in the first hour for bowling. "South Africa have clever bowlers who will plug away as Andrew Hall's dismissal of Mark Butcher shows. He did him like a dinner.
"I was impressed with Trescothick. He disciplined himself, didn't get bored and got some reward. It's the best I've seen him play for while."
And Selv had nothing but praise for the efforts of England's bowlers, despite some of the criticism they received in the media.
"They stuck at it well on the best batting pitch of the summer and on Friday morning they got their reward for their endeavour on the first day," he added.
"They gave it a good crack and it was only the last wicket partnership that got away from them."
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Listen at your desk
