A trip to watch a strokeplay exhibition by England’s restored captain serves as a reminder of what can be lost amid the demands of leadership
My wife and I walked the kids down the hill to Edgbaston last Saturday afternoon, where our latest attempt at cricket indoctrination was the Birmingham Phoenix versus Welsh Fire game in the men’s Hundred.
Though a one-sided defeat for the hosts – the Phoenix women at least got the win earlier in the day – it was decent enough, with the youngest (six) the only one to get restless before some tactical popcorn lifted spirits towards the back end of the game. The kindness of strangers meant she was happy regardless, having been gifted two foam meerkat paws and a giant red/orange Phoenix flag that looks as if she now supports some obscure separatist movement in the Balkans.
