Only last week, TMS once more revealed a canny knack of bringing those happy memories to the fore. Morne Morkel was in the middle of a typically high class spell of fast bowling. The commentator, possibly Ed Smith, (his father taught me cricket at school!) made mention of the fact that the eccentric start to Morkel’s run up (he walks round in a circle before running in) was a throwback to his childhood and learning to bowl in his small back garden, where he would run round in a circle to build up speed, his garden not being long enough for a full run up.

I immediately saw my brother, right arm over with a large kink in his run up around our small flower bed in the garden in Salcombe. (He went on to play cricket to a decent standard, good fast medium bowler, with the inevitable kink in his run up!).



This week, I am taking the family on holiday…to Salcombe. Two grown up sons and three young daughters, ideal for a competitive game of beach cricket. Two test matches v West Indies while we are there. Embarrassing commentary of my own to accompany dreadful impersonations of Bob Willis and Tony Greig bowling. Hours of professional commentary courtesy of TMS to while away the hours. Timeless bliss.

UPDATE for 2020

Blofeld has retired, Australia holds the Ashes but Test Match special had perhaps one its finest hour this century in the final moments of England’s astonishing victory in the 2019 Ashes test at Headingly.