This could have well been the title of an Agatha Christie¢s novel, the

leading most crime writer of the past century, this could have been that

unwritten book, for it has her hallmark, written all over it.

She did write " Ten Little Niggers",the original printed edition now a sort

after book, the prices are going up and up. This book cn feach £1.000 as is colect by some of the Howood top stears. murdder was her tread mark, a sort of who done it.

Agarhe Christie worte at the time of tht empiers was in full on a vast

The game of cricket is not played at a fast pace at all; as we can say of

football or tennis. The game of test cricket can last for five days and

still end up in a draw. It is played on grass, well manicure by the grounds

man as far as I know they are no women yet doing the job.The game was played

during the height of the British Empire, when leisure time to play was

available for a few.

On the first day of a test mach, lets say at Lords or the Oval in London,

the home of test cricket. At about 10:00 the doors are opened and the crowd

move, there is a buzz similar to bees making honey when returning from the

flowers, full of pollen.

I have seen a few test in Barbados and in London, so I speak of them with

fond memories. The smell of the newly mown grass, the freshly marked lawn

with lines already to record the boundary, which adds another 4 runs to the

score if the player hits the ball over the line

When a test is played in Barbados everything stops, shops close and school

might as well too, as a boy I bonked off from the classroom to see what I

could of a cricket test match. The atmosphere alone was worth it, and I was

there.

A bowler can deliver a ball at 90 mph. When that happens the batsman does

not have time to think, he has to play purely by instinct. He last saw the

ball as it leaves the bowlers hands. A flick of his wrist, a step forward

out of the crease and the bat sends the ball rolling to the boundary for

four or the two batsmen can run between the wickets for one, two, or three

runs, sometimes the bat to the ball can send it into the spectators area and

that is for six runs.

I have been a fan of the game longer than I care to remember. As young boy I

saw the team return to Barbados after the win over in England in 1948.

more to come

Mike