Now building stops play at mini-Lord’s
MCC will have no cricket matches on their Nursery Ground at Lord’s for six years because of the increased spread of the fresh designs for the £50million Compton & Edrich stands.
The stunning blueprint that was exhibited to MCC members during the Lord’s Test will mean the Nursery Ground will be reduced in width by around 20 yards to 70 yards — too small an area for club cricket.
However, in six years’ time, the lost grass surface will be reclaimed from the far side of the Nursery End when MCC knock down their temporary function rooms above the railway tunnels owned by property developer Charles Rifkind.
The design by WilkinsonEyre has the wow factor missing from the original blueprint in MCC’s Masterplan literature. The new design has sweeping wings on both stands that will house 11,000 spectators and even improve the overall look of the eyesore media centre in the middle.
The stands, which will take two years to construct starting after the Ashes match in 2019, will outrage the Rifkind camp, who are campaigning for a Lord’s revamp paid for by their residential flats. Rifkind’s rival plan for the Nursery End, rejected by over 90 per cent of the membership in a vote last September, was heavily criticised by MCC at the time for impacting on the Nursery Ground — and now Lord’s are doing the same, and to a significantly greater extent.
MCC say the £50m cost will be funded by more debenture seating.
ENGLAND’S woeful display in the field during Pakistan’s first innings did not say much for the impact of new fielding coach Carl Hopkinson. However, the former Sussex coach is understood to have impressed the squad in training with his fresh techniques. These include using props to give slip catchers less time to sight the ball and sharpen reactions. THE ECB have the unusual set-up of national selector Ed Smith being leapfrogged in the hierarchy by temporary England director of cricket Andy Flower (right). Yet it was Smith who was preferred to hot favourite Flower for the chief selector role. Despite Flower’s title while he fills in for Andrew Strauss, it’s understood that Smith will report directly to chief executive Tom Harrison
DERBY COUNTY, whose volatile owner chairman Mel Morris has got through six managers in three years, admit there is a new austere regime coming at Pride Park, with the football budget slashed after missing promotion to the Premier League. This prompts the question of why Frank Lampard, a highly intelligent model professional who will have numerous offers down the line, has chosen Derby to begin his managerial career.
Is ‘fix’ story just politics?
THERE is a conspiracy theory doing the rounds that the Qatar-based Al Jazeera cricket spotfixing documentary is aimed at embarrassing the ICC, who are based in the UAE, a leading mover behind the blockade of Qatar.
That theory is enhanced by the fact that Chris Eaton, a former FIFA security chief who left Zurich to work for the Qatar-funded security company ICSS, is the match-fixing expert used on the programme. Eaton has kept an unusually low profile since retiring from ICSS a year ago, including stopping his prolific Twitter account.
THERE is likely to be a summer transfer saga involving Champions League final hero Gareth Bale coming back to the Premier League. But can any club really afford the £500,000-a-week-plus needed to get near his net wages at Real Madrid? SOUTH AFRICA great AB de Villiers, who has just retired from international cricket, is understood to be interesting Surrey as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who was prevented from coming to the Oval by injury. Yorkshire are also in the hunt for De Villiers but living in London is always a major sway.