Dairy … no, Diary: A Day at Lords

When I was a lad my idea of the ideal life was watching a lot of sport. I had read every single PG Wodehouse book and thought Bertie Wooster, really, was no fool. Drones Club, Racing, Test Matches, the Open Tourer and someone to sort everything out. Nice life if you can afford it. Then I got a job in wine and that was that. Not complaining. The Wine Life was more fun than The Sporting Life.

And took over completely.

But yesterday was special; we had BOTH Lives.

I can't remember when I was last at Lord's. But yesterday it looked stunning. I saw England play rather well, in front of a backdrop that said "Laithwaite's WINE".Oh Boy! Paradise is here.

There's a lovely picture of a mid-air Stuart Broad in front of the word 'Laithwaite's.' Or 'waites....Laith' to be precise. If the photographer had just moved a bit. But no matter.

Keen readers will note that Laithwaite's Wine is not in the typeface we've used for the last five years or so. Because we've changed it again. Over the summer the look of our whole offering will also change. Not the wines, just the look and sound and feel.

We will of course be very keenly interested to see how you all react. That's somewhat important.

It’s all to do with the re-energising of my Company by this Young Crowd we now have. Barbara and I are just about the only members of the Old Crowd left. Apart from Ade. But we sent him to sort out the USA for us. He is one who REALLY misses his cricket. We send him Wisden for Xmas.

During Tea I introduced myself to Sir Ian Botham and said I was a wine merchant. He said he knew that. Which was kind. But he's a big wine guy. Spends time with Geoff Merrill in McLaren Vale just near Red Heads so perhaps surprising we haven't met before.

My super idea of following this month's – sorry, NEXT month's – Oz Clarke's Lords Taverners Wine Selection with a Great Cricketers Selection (to be tasted and chosen live at a table just next to the wicket during Tea at the Oval by him and other cricket-and-wine types like Willis, Atherton, Gower, Ian Chappell, Allan Lamb, etc) caused him to move quickly away but it was nice to have met the Great Man. 

You meet a lot of very nice people at Lords. But you just can't remember a lot is the problem. Possibly wine was involved here. I just remember it was great. All of it. And someone got me home.