England v South Africa, Second Test, Thursday 31 July 2003 Lord's, London

An "Ed Smith for England" campaign gathered momentum during the lunch break when TMS went around the grounds in County Talk.

Smith was the first man to 1,000 runs this summer

Smith has scored six centuries in as many matches, the latest coming in the present game against Essex.

"No bowling attack has an answer to him at the moment, he's even a nightmare to bowl at in the nets," his county colleague Mark Ealham said.

"He has been in fantastic form and is pushing his claims to play at a higher level," Ealham added, before revealing that Smith aims to emulate team-mate David Fulton's achievement in scoring 10 centuries in 2001.

There were also words of support for the 26-year-old from Sussex all-rounder Robin Martin-Jenkins.

"I spent time with him in India this winter where we practised batting against spin bowling, and he's a quality player," Martin-Jenkins said.

"He plays straight and late, has a great eye and, if he carries on the way he is, England should have a look at him."

It seems that the influence of Twenty20 cricket knows no bounds.

FRINDALL'S FASCINATING FACT Alec Stewart became the first playing cricketer since WG Grace to admire his portrait in the Long Room on his way out to bat on the first day

Messrs Ealham and Martin-Jenkins (Jnr) also had kind words for the County Championship which is going through something of a renaissance this season.

"We're lucky in that over the years we've always been well followed, but since Twenty20 the crowds have stayed on," Ealham explained.

"Festival week is special and at the moment there's interest and it helps when the national team is going well," he added.

Martin-Jenkins echoed Ealham's verdict.

"We've always had reasonable crowds at Hove, but they've swelled since June. I don't know if it's anything to do with Twenty20 but we've had fantastic crowds in all our games."

Trouble with your Long Wave reception on Radio Four? Enter the secret world of Medium Wave TMS listeners.

"In The Hague we do get a LW signal but the trouble is that every time a tram goes by or the neighbours switch on the microwave, the signal becomes horrid," writes James Stokoe.

It's a common problem, the poor reception that is as opposed to the trams.

So get twiddling the dials on your radio and try tuning to MW on...
London 720; Plymouth 774; Hayle (Cornwall) 756; Newcastle 603; Carlisle 1495; Aberdeen 1449; Enniskillen 774; Derry 720; Glasgow 720.

And like any cheesy adverts for car insurance or the like, we've got recommendations from listeners.

"I can get you on 720AM all the way from Preston to Wolverhampton on a good day. German car = no LW..." writes Rob.

The history of Lord's, the thrill of walking through the Long Room, down the pavilion steps and onto the grass of one of the great sporting venues.

It's the stuff that young cricketers dream of... and the walk back up the steps into the pavilion for lunch.

Donald looking for Lord's effect

"The lunches are fantastic," Allan Donald revealed.

"It's every cricketer's dream to play here, but also to have lunch here. It's not often they put a menu in front of you and ask you what you'd like."

Donald will miss out on such hospitality now he's up at the other end of the ground in the Media Centre, as Christopher Martin-Jenkins knows only too well.

"When we used to be in the pavilion, Nancy, who was in charge of the Lord's kitchen, made sure Brian Johnston had his own special tea on a tray after a helping of beef sandwiches at lunch," CMJ reflected.

All a far cry from the scrum in the bowels of the Media Centre these days around 1230.

Lord's crowds, in particularly the members, can be a fickle bunch and it normally needs an outstanding performance to get a standing ovation.

Former captain Nasser Hussain was rewarded with just such a reception when he took the walk to the crease following Mark Butcher's dismissal.

Ask Angus Fraser

"He treasured the job and in an ideal world he wouldn't have given it away, but it was a lovely reception and it will mean a lot to him," Angus Fraser said.

And Hussain wasn't the only one having to compose himself when he reached the crease.

Up in the box Neil Manthorp was taken aback by the warm response.

"It was quite amazing and gave me Goosebumps," he explained.

"The atmosphere was highly charged and several South African players applauded when he came to the crease, including Shaun Pollock who knows all about returning to the ranks."