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Loading ...I went there a couple of years ago in the winter and got a personal tour. It’s so sweet.
MCC v Notts, Lord’s, 1st day
By Will 2 years ago, mid-April Leave a comment on this post
A great day today. Not only did I get into Lord’s for free thanks to my golden ticket (otherwise known as a media pass) but my boss got me into the pavillion and took me on a guided tour. What a place! What a bloody place. It was like a hotel or, as one of the stewards put it, “a lovely old museum” which was spot on. There are many bars (5, Martin?), many plush and comfortable seats and countless stunning paintings, most of which are original and many date back well into the 1800s.
The long room was particularly amazing. The name rather gives away its essence, for it is a rather long room - and, apparently, packed on match days. The whole place was like a village, a cricket-fan’s slice of heaven, with a slightly different and invariably better view of the play from whichever room/floor you happen to be in.
At the very top is another bar, and on the terracotta-coloured brickwork on the outside are the engravings of player’s names. Rain has stopped play since the game’s inception, but it’s nevertheless magical to see written proof of a player’s boredom, stretching back to the 1800s. Priceless. Let’s hope they remain there for ever.
Before the pavillion I was introduced to the media centre. The lift heaved us to the top and, when the doors opened, my initial reaction was “Shit. I’m in a Big Brother house” which does a huge disservice to the centre’s architect! The design is ultra-modern and incredibly well-planned. All emphasis is on the ground, on the playing area, and the view is astonishing. The roof’s curve naturally dip down onto the glass, and so does your focus; you can’t get away from the view. It’s massive, and “there” - quite brilliant. Lots of blue everywhere too. And free coffee!
I didn’t watch any of the game from the media centre - play didn’t begin until 2pm - but on first glance, it felt…detached, somehow, from the game. The view is so clear, so uninterrupted, you could almost be watching a TV. I imagine I might prefer sitting in the stands for much of a day’s play, or perching somewhere, instead of spending the whole day in the media centre despite its’ many obvious benefits. Oh, it’s all bloody wicked.
Photos are here. More tomorrow.
Tags: big-brother, county-cricket, cricket-photos, lords, MCC, natwest-media-centre, nottinghamshire, photo |
6 Responses to “MCC v Notts, Lord’s, 1st day”
April 15th, 2006 at 1.15 am
April 15th, 2006 at 4.25 am
I just love that place, just love it. Absolute best place to watch is either one of the player balconies, the scorers box - awesome view! or the Grandstand.
Now where is my ODI blog, huh?
April 15th, 2006 at 6.21 am
You’re all missing the KP pyrotechnics here. Despite the bloody awful run out, it’s actually fun and almost worth getting up early for this. Truth be told, am only up this early as I have to go shopping for Easter eggs for my kids before I go play cricket. Yes, play, not just scoring. Laugh if you must.
April 15th, 2006 at 6.56 pm
How is the MCC team selected? I see that England internationals M Panesar and A cook have been selected.
April 16th, 2006 at 8.50 am
I want to go to Lords! 
April 16th, 2006 at 5.33 pm
[...] Will Luke, cricinfo journalist, was blown away at the sight of Lord’s. He went for the opening day of the traditional opening game of the English County season between the MCC and previous year’s champions and writes: The lift heaved us to the top and, when the doors opened, my initial reaction was “Shit. I’m in a Big Brother house†which does a huge disservice to the centre’s architect! The design is ultra-modern and incredibly well-planned. All emphasis is on the ground, on the playing area, and the view is astonishing. The roof’s curve naturally dip down onto the glass, and so does your focus; you can’t get away from the view. It’s massive, and “there†- quite brilliant. Lots of blue everywhere too… I imagine I might prefer sitting in the stands for much of a day’s play, or perching somewhere, instead of spending the whole day in the media centre despite its’ many obvious benefits. Oh, it’s all bloody wicked. [...]
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