It's just not cricket

[flash_uk]

10:48 They're doing their very best to throw this one away...Taylor and Butler both gone.

[LGTrotter]

Two port houses are batting for England at the moment. Can anyone remember when the last time this happened might have been, before Morgan and Taylor?

Top port/cricket crossover fact . Are we allowed first names too? As in Graham Swann.

Oh we won. Nothing much to moan about here now. Apart from Bell.

[jdaw1]

Alas not quite Buttler ≠ Butler Nephew.

[djewesbury]

Yes I wondered whether Buttler should be allowed but I decided against.
Croft would have batted with Cork of course, and that would have provided a timely opportunity to open a bottle once Cork was out.

[djewesbury]

And Croft would also have got both Waughs out a few times..!

[LGTrotter]

There was a GRJ Roope who played for England, as did CP Schofield. D'Oliveira could form the basis of Madeira based cricket trivia. I assume that JF Crapp would represent Real Vinicola or whatever they are called.

[djewesbury]

I think once you'd got past D'Oliveira your Madeira XI might start to struggle. I don't have my Wisdens to hand but I cannot recall a Blandy or a Barbeito emerging from the Long Room on a late summer's afternoon.

[flash_uk]

Are we allowed first names too? As in Graham Swann.

You could have Graham Onions perhaps, but not Graeme Swann.

[djewesbury]

Are we allowed first names too? As in Graham Swann.

You could have Graham Onions perhaps, but not Graeme Swann.

Regardless, the answer is no.

[LGTrotter]

Lots of Smiths, no English Woodhouses, there is a Zimbabwian, he could have played with a Smith.

[djewesbury]

Owen, get on Cricinfo and find that match. Go on. Do it for us.

[djewesbury]

Owen, how did you miss Somerset batsman George Woodhouse?

[jdaw1]

Tuke Holdsworth?

[djewesbury]

Tuke Holdsworth?

Nice, but neither of them played for England and their active careers were about 60 years apart.
So far we have still found no other English port-house partnership.
Is this worth an email to TMS?

[LGTrotter]

So far we have still found no other English port-house partnership.
Is this worth an email to TMS?

Oh yes, that or wait until they are both in next time and get to twitter.

[djewesbury]

So far we have still found no other English port-house partnership.
Is this worth an email to TMS?

Oh yes, that or wait until they are both in next time and get to twitter.

That might not be too soon.

[LGTrotter]

So far we have still found no other English port-house partnership.
Is this worth an email to TMS?

Oh yes, that or wait until they are both in next time and get to twitter.

That might not be too soon.

Yeah, anyway that celebrity junkie Wiseman will get in there first, I swear he would turn up to the opening of a letter.

[djewesbury]

They receive many thousands of emails so I don't expect a reply. If I could have encapsulated this in 140 characters perhaps I could have tweeted Jonathan Agnew, but this will have to do.

I'm writing as a fan both of English cricket and vintage port. Listening to this morning's ODI against India I heard something that, to the best of my knowledge, has never happened before in an England match in any format. I was wondering whether TMS listeners who share my enthusiasm might be able to verify this.

The realisation came during the partnership of Morgan and Taylor, as England's batting was collapsing. Taylor is a very famous port brand; Morgan was a less famous but still well-known port house until quite recently. I think this was the first time that two port brands have batted in partnership for England.

Can anyone out there enlighten me on this? Are there any Grahams, Warres, Dows, Cockburns, Skeffingtons or Smith-Woodhouses who might have shared an innings with (for instance) Robert Croft?

[djewesbury]

On a brighter note, I now have tickets to both London Ashes tests. The next 7 weeks will pass in a blur of irrelevance while we wait for the real fun to start.

[LGTrotter]

On a brighter note, I now have tickets to both London Ashes tests. The next 7 weeks will pass in a blur of irrelevance while we wait for the real fun to start.

Hurray! An English summer would not be complete without your view from the boundary and attempts to smuggle seven courses and matching wines past the stewards.

[djewesbury]

On a brighter note, I now have tickets to both London Ashes tests. The next 7 weeks will pass in a blur of irrelevance while we wait for the real fun to start.

Hurray! An English summer would not be complete without your view from the boundary and attempts to smuggle seven courses and matching wines past the stewards.

At the Oval I will be accompanied by a young and enthusiastic cricket fan beloved of many here, who will help me in selecting the right wine for the hour of the day.

[AW77]

At the Oval I will be accompanied by a young and enthusiastic cricket fan beloved of many here, who will help me in selecting the right wine for the hour of the day.

Let me guess, it's Derek, TPF's astronomer general?

[djewesbury]

Yes. It was the 'young' bit, right?

[djewesbury]

Yes. It was the 'young' bit, right?

[AW77]

Yes. It was the 'young' bit, right?

It sure was.