A close shave
Yesterday I had lunch at le Bistro Nantais, currently Daffer’s fave Brighton restaurant though situated in Hove.
Who should walk in but Brighton’s most skilful player Anthony Knockaert. He may be skilful, but he is yet to score, nor has anyone else in the team. Chris Hughton has bought in Jose Izquierdo a Columbian speedy winger who came close to scoring at the 0-0 draw at Watford. I texted my neighbour at the Amex who replied “Tell him to score us a goal”.
Last Saturday Knockaert was subject to a flying martial arts type kick – one of the worst I have seen – from a Watford defender who was promptly red-carded.
A taxi took me back to my home. In Montpellier Terrace, a quiet residential expensive area once patronised by writers and artists and now successful professionals, a car from Denmark Drive driven by a youth at over 60mph did not stop at the give way junction. Fortunately the taxi driver was alert enough to see and anticipate the idiot as he continued across our bows down to the sea. Had be not been so alert I may not be writing this. What makes someone drive so crazily fast and ignore road signs? Had I stopped to ask Knockaert about his injury I would have not be there at the same time or indeed had I asked the driver to take the pleasanter sea route gridlocked on a bank holiday. On such circumstances of fate does life and death turn.
Our cricket team Sussex CCC having missed out on the t20 has only the Specsaver Championship – division two – to play . There are 5 games left and we had the best of play on the first day at Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay.
Nottinghamshire are the division’s run-away leaders and have already won the Royal London Cup. They are finalists in the t20 too.
Peter Moores their coach was ours when we won the championship in 2003, England’s and Lancashire when they won the championship. They said he could not manage stars (aka Kevin Pietersen) but it was he that brought in and on Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Mooen Ali, Jonny Bairstow – the backbone of the England batting side.
My excellent taxi driver, who had to avoid 2 pedestrians walking right in front of us and a motorcyclist who was performing stunts ahead of us, had the test match commentary on his radio. He still managed to reflect on the fact that Pakistan has arguably more domestic turmoil than the West Indies but still held England at home last year and this year were crowned ICC World Champions. I gave him a tip of £1.50, a small price for avoiding me a period in A & E and perhaps a lifetime of rehabilitation.
