England v South Africa, Fifth Test, Sunday 7 September 2003
The Oval, London |
Jonathan Agnew mixed his sports after bad light stopped play.
"Good tackle" he exclaimed as a streaker came onto the playing area - making pointed reference to a steward's efforts to stop the intruder rather than towards the invader himself.
And his timing was as good as the steward's with England scrum-half Matt Dawson coming into the box.
Dawson's visit gave Aggers the chance to show off some patchy rugby knowledge and reveal a sinister side to his early days in journalism.
"I covered rugby for a couple of years for the Today newspaper," Aggers declared.
"Internationals in Dublin or Cardiff would go by in a bit of a blur if I'm honest and I always had a good night.
"The next morning I'd pick up a copy of the Sunday Times, copy out eight paragraphs, send it off and that was it."
And we wonder why Today disappeared from the news stands.
Freddie and the seamers. For the second Sunday of the summer Andrew Flintoff bludgeoned South Africa's bowlers to all corners of a Test ground.
And for the second Sunday of the summer Freddie has broken a bat out in the middle.
Although less dramatic than the split down the middle of his Woodworm Wand at Lord's, Flintoff had to call for a replacement when he cracked the shoulder of the bat at The Oval. However, it begs the question, is all publicity good publicity.
"It has been breaking as if it's full of woodworm. It gets you coverage but it's not the best advert," was Neil Manthorp's view of things.
And while Bill Frindall suggested that the bat was doing well for something with woodworm, Angus Fraser had his own take.
"The name doesn't fill you with confidence, having something that's full of holes, but it stays hit when he hits it," he said.
Far from wanting Woodworm to provide him with stronger bats, Flintoff has instead asked his bat producers to get him a woodworm earring which he is sporting at The Oval.
Made from 18 carat gold, rubies and diamonds, Flintoff will be hoping it lasts longer than one of his bats.
Henry Blofeld has a new fascination.
 |  In New York in addition to bendy buses our buses also kneel for wheelchairs and elderly passengers |
The Kennington Oval is a good venue for Blowers, providing not only wonderful views of the cricket but also planes on the flight path, London pigeons and buses on the A202, better known as the Harleyford Road. Buses, taxis, ambulances and joggers have all caught Henry's eye on the Harleyford Road this year, but it is a new breed of bus that has really caught the imagination.
"The low single-decker bendy buses are most extraordinary. I'm fascinated by them," he explained.
"I've never been on one but I must. I overtook one in my car and took my eye off the road for a moment and looked at the wobbly bit - it was frightfully exciting."
Talk of an interest in "benders" can bring muffled mirth from the back of the box and in the e-mail inbox.
However, correspondence from far and wide, including Toronto and Riga, shows that plenty share Henry's healthy curiosity.
Blowers and the rest of the box have also had more than a passing interest in Neil McKenzie's sun hat during the Test.
| It's his trademark, a beauty turned up at the front like Father Giles |
"He wears it at a piratical angle. I wonder whether he has to look at himself in the mirror to see whether he has it at the right angle," Blowers queried. "He wears it like Paddington Bear," was the verdict of Christopher Martin-Jenkins.
Jonathan Agnew has been particularly interested how the South African floppy sun hat stays atop his head.
"It's enormous but it has never come off," Aggers explained.
"He has chased and harried and dived all over the place, but that hat always remains miraculously intact and has never come off, goodness knows how.
"He pulls it very tight down over his ears so there maybe something in that, or maybe he has some sort of invisible chin strap."
Jonathan Agnew has had a bug bear throughout the summer that England's cricketers have not played enough county cricket.
Aggers was very critical of the fact that James Anderson did not bowl for Lancashire inbetween the one-day matches and the start of the Test series against South Africa.
Be prepared for more of the same next summer.
| SUMMER 2004 May-June: New Zealand July-September: West Indies September: Champions Trophy |
Aggers was left fuming when unofficial dates for the 2004 international summer were passed his way at The Oval. "The answer to when England cricketers might play some county cricket next summer is zero," he revealed.
"There's an opportunity between the first and second Tests, but they [the players] will have just come back from the West Indies so they'll need a rest.
"The next possible opening is 10 days in August between two sets of back-to-back Tests so it will not happen then either.
"There needs to be an urgent focus put onto county cricket and how the system is going to produce the best players to play for England."
What makes the perfect Test pitch?
It is a question that has been mused over in the box in light of the perfect batting track on view at The Oval.
"It's certainly not the best watching pitch of the summer," Barry Richards declared.
"Groundsmen always get lauded when there are lots of runs while the poor blokes at Trent Bridge and Headingley got absolutely castigated.
"But wicket's that are a little bit up and down provide me with more interest. The good players will still fashion out a score which is more valuable than a big score on a good wicket.
"One of the things that keeps cricket going and gets the juices flowing is the anticipation of what's going to happen the next ball.
"There's a happy medium but it's very hard to find one."
MMIX
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