Match : Nottinghamshire Outlaws v Leicestershire Foxes
Squad : Bowen, Quincy, Richo.
After much nagging we agreed to Richo's demands to go and watch a cricket match (yawn). Needing the trains to work for us an afternoon game in Nottingham seemed ideal. Plus with it being late July the weather would be good. So off we trotted.
First thing to say is the weather was not good - in fact it was pretty poor all day. The writing was on the cards early doors as we sheltered from the rain whilst waiting for our connection at Grantham station.
G for Grrr, G for grey, G for Grantham
Once in Nottingham we were a little behind schedule so decided to take in fuel first. So when in need head to a 'spoons. The Company Inn is a short walk from the station and is a large place with more seating upstairs. We took advantage of the wonderful Wetherspoons app which means the lazy ones of us don't have to move. The food was solid if unspectacular and it filled a hole.
After food and a couple of beers we headed out into the drizzle and went to find one of the old classic pubs. "Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem" is an ancient old place built into the side of some rocks. It's certainly a quirky place with plenty of character - beer was ok but nothing to write home about.
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| Old and quirky.....Richo at Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem. |
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| Happy drinkers |
As we had lost some time we thought we had better head towards the ground before having another beer. So off we toddled through the drizzle and greyness. As we approached the ground we decided to fall into The Embankment.
The Embankment is a Castle Rock pub and that can only mean one thing - Screech Owl. We found somewhere to park our damp bums and enjoyed a lovely pint of Screech whilst checking the game updates from the Notts CC Twitter feed. They were mostly non committal - "If we get no more rain we will have an inspection at 2 and at that point we may decide to think about getting kitted up, dependent on further rain and the whims of the umpires" - that sort of thing.
So we headed towards the ground, stopping for a swift one in the Trent Bridge Inn (another Wetherspoons affair). Through the turnstiles and what do we see? A Bellhaven bar - with Twisted Grapefruit IPA on draught - heaven!
So we availed ourselves of some beer, had some food from a food van, bought pin badges (for the collection) and caps (to keep the rain off our heads). Meanwhile it kept on raining.....
Eventually we actually got some cricket too. Not much mind just the 11 overs each. However I have to say it was jolly entertaining - chants to chant, songs to sing. Can't really remember who won - think it was the Foxes but enjoyable all the same.
After the game we had some time to kill before our train so returned to an old favourite - The Vat and Fiddle, right next to the Castle Rock brewery. By this time the rain had abated and we stood outside enjoying a beer or two.
From there it was back to the station, and back home via Leicester. A good day - we will do the cricket again.
Stats
Match
Vitality T20 Blast
Leicestershire 125/3 off 11 overs
Nottinghamshire 104/6 off 11 overs
Stadium – Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Capacity – 17,500
Attendance – Unknown
Pubs - 5
Best - The Vat & Fiddle
Worst - The Trent Bridge Inn - just because it was busy
Breakfast - n/a
Lunch - spoons fare
Dinner - Can't remember!
Pies - chips and gravy was not bad
Marks
Ground - 8/10
Match - 7/10
Beer - 8/10
Food - 7/10
Pie - 0/10
Enjoyment Factor - 8/10
