Perhaps I prefer flowers over cricketers?

Pottering around the Shipley ground has always provided me with a great deal of pleasure. Whether it be a tree planting scheme or attractive borders my belief has always been that a cricket ground must  be more than a wicket and outfield.

The trees around the ground are mostly well matured  and some I planted as saplings have certainly sprung up

                           

In Spring -the tuplips

Lucky heather on the bank

Rowan  ,Buddleia and

Quinces                                               

Autumn mushrooms and conkers

Collecting Punch Cricket Cartoons

PUNCH was a weekly British magazine published ( with a short break) from 1841 to 2002.  It specialised in humour and satire and peaked in the second world war with patriotic themes.
In the earlier years many fine cricketing cartoons were produced and as a true cricket nut I started to collect originals and copies which I framed and together with other cricket pictures adorn most of the walls of my cramped  flat. Most have been hand painted.

Here are a few which I hope you will find amusing, although they are of an age long past,

By clicking on the pictures you can obtain a larger print which makes the wording legible

The first couple are a pair. Enlarge and read what happens to the Squire

                                                        What of the umpires ?
This one's my favourite

Seems the umpire holding stick is a farmer ,anxious to get his cows back th' field in case it rains


                                                            But how bad are we ?

                                                   And how well do we play the game?

                                        

                                               Much better to leave it to the youngsters

       

                       They will play anywhere-with whatever-never mind the problems

           and never argue !

                                                      and accept dismissal gracefully

                                            

Well it's only village cricket

                                         


     

                           
               

Robin Pratt- RIP

I was saddened to learn of the death of Robin Pratt today. We played cricket together in the late sixties early seventies and although he could be quite a handful for any skipper he was a great man to have by your side.

He bowled right arm leg spin before it was in fashion and could score useful runs.

Perhaps the most colourful episode I can recall concerns a friendly game Shipley v Dunstall at their lovely ground . The Squire's son was playing for the home side and was a bit up himself- cravat, multi-coloured cap- and really not wishing to associate with the hoi por loi. Just the sort that would annoy Robin and the two were exchanging words from the start. Robin was bowling all scruffy and beard flowing beating the bat frequently before finally bowling and sending off Son of Squire who made the mistake of calling Robin a scruffy bugger. The next moment Robin had the offenders head under his arm threatening to send him skywards and had to be restrained.
We never played at Dunstall again!

Simon Lacey recalls that Robin decided he wanted to live in the USA and duly got visas and flights and set out for his new homeland. The customs officials took one look at him at Kennedy Airport and promptly shipped him back on the next available plane. His exile had lasted 3 days and he could be found in the pub on his first night back complaining of rights violation.

He suffered ill health in his later years with severe arthritis and breathing problems but treated such misfortunes with light hearted distain.

A lovely, funny man the like of which we are unlikely to come across again. RIP Robin.