BUMBLE AT THE TEST
RORY’S WRONG IMPRESSION
I’VE got a new book out! And to celebrate we had an evening with Rory Bremner. Just one snag. Before we went on stage, Rory said: ‘I’ve got a confession to make. I took your book on holiday to read but it was the wrong one.’ He had Tin Bath instead of 80 Pints! So we just had to busk it for an hour.
SUDDENLY I SEE KT’S A STAR
LOVELY night at the Waterside in Bray doing the auction to raise money for the Grocery Aid charity. It was hosted by Michel Roux with entertainment from the brilliant KT Tunstall (right). What ann absolute star she is. Wonderful voice. Great lady. And she had the bigg hitters there in the palm of her hand.
Suddenly I See and some song about a horse with a bag of cherries up a tree were the highlights.
MICKY HAS THE WRITE STUFF
CAME to the Oval in a black cab yesterday driven by a cricket-mad cabbie by the name of Fred Evans. Turns out he worked at the same printing plant back in the day with Micky Stewart. He told me Micky had a really nice inscribed Parker pen awarded for winning the Championship with Surrey. Those were the days. I’d like to see the players’ faces if they are given a pen for winning it this year.
OVAL SHOWS BOTTLE
REALLY pleased to be involved with the Sky Ocean Rescue initiative during this final Test. It’s fabulous the Oval has taken a lead in this campaign. This great old ground is aiming to be plastic-free by 2020 and 25,000 reusable bottles have been handed out to cricket fans here. Everyone is aware that the oceans are full of plastic and it has to stop. We can all help.
OLD SCHOOL, OLD STORY
OLD-FASHIONED Test match cricket yesterday with very sedate progress. And then India got to work in the last session first to end Alastair Cook’s dream of a goodbye century and then go bang-bang to get rid of Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow. Fabulous response from India. All too familiar from England.
HAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT!
VERY excited yesterday to be measured for a hat. I do like a titfer tat and I picked up one for a tenner in Camden market last time e I was in town. This one will be different, a real proper bespoke hat from milliner Lisa (right) of Taylor Red London. I’m m looking at a lovely trilby or a Peaky Blinders job. Can’t wait. Watch this space!
MOEEN’S FINE AS THIRD MAN
I CAN see the merits of Moeen Ali at three, not least because he wants to bat there and does so for Worcestershire. I’m sure he’ll be fine on the slow pitches of Sri Lanka and West Indies this winter even though he found it so difficult to play his natural game here. The big question will come next year. Can he bat so high against Australia?