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Articles by Douglas Heath

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About Douglas Heath

Douglas Heath began his lifelong love affair with cricket as an 8 year-old schoolboy playing OWZAT? Whilst listening to a 160s Ashes series on the radio. He later became half-decent at doing John Arlott impressions and is a member of Middlesex County Cricket Club. He holds no truck at all with the T20 version on the game. More Posts

Applying for cricket tickets ….

One of my favourite features of the New Year is the arrival of the ticket application forms for the Lords debenture holders. I would consult my diary, inscribe the fixtures in it and book the hospitality. The executive in charge, an excellent fellow who did much to create a club ambience in our [...]

February 5, 2019 // 0 Comments

The fourth day

It may well be the weather that stops this marvellous Test from ending with an exciting flourish. Sri Lanka have 75 runs needed with three wickets remaining to win but heavy rain is forecast after 2 hours play. I would put England as favourites as 3 wickets on average have fallen every morning, Sri [...]

November 18, 2018 // 0 Comments

The third day

It’s been an absorbing see-saw of a Test but England were the victors yesterday. Joe Root played a captain’s innings. He now has 15 centuries for England but only 4 on foreign soil. None was more necessary than yesterday’s. The England innings did not follow a familiar path. Rory Burns [...]

November 17, 2018 // 0 Comments

Second day

It was not scintillating cricket but Sri Lanka will not mind. They had their best day of the series to date and their highest score of da Silva when in the afternoon they fought back resolutely. Sit Lanka started the day at 26-1. The morning witnessed two fine pieces of fielding by Ben Stokes, a [...]

November 16, 2018 // 0 Comments

Tea and Kandy

Yesterday was another day of transit as the group went from Nuwara Eliya to Kandy via a tea plantation. This involved yet another hairy coach journey through mountain roads of sheer drops and hairpin bends. Down one of these a boy was brandishing flowers for sale. By cutting the bends he kept with [...]

November 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

Fortress Galle stormed

England achieved their first victory at Galle by 211 runs and ended a losing sequence that went back to October 2016. After the uncomfortable start in the morning of the first day, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran and before them Keaton Jennings steadied the ship. In the end the win was comfortable. Not a [...]

November 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

Day two

Our resort Weligama is some 45 minutes away from Galle where the Test ground is situated but it’s a pleasant coastal drive past surfers and fishermen some on stilts. It would be even more pleasant but for the random style of driving. Stray dogs, three wheelers called tuk-tuks, scooters, buses and [...]

November 7, 2018 // 0 Comments

First day/ Galle

It is always exciting to visit a new stadium for the first time. I certainly was not disappointed by the International Cricket Ground at Galle. It’s situated so close to the sea fort that one of the best views of it is from the ramparts. Seeing the spectators gathered there in silhouette along [...]

November 6, 2018 // 0 Comments

En route and first impressions

We assembled in the BA lounge, tour leader Allan Lamb and wife Lindsay and Graham Gooch and his partner Karen. Lamby I know well from 2 previous tours to South Africa  and India, Goochie less so. His run accumulation of 44,846 first class runs at an average of 49 and 8,900 Test runs at 42 is [...]

November 4, 2018 // 0 Comments

Sri Lanka – rainwash or whitewash?

Today I leave for Sri Lanka to see the first and second Tests. I do so with some trepidation for two reasons. For some reason best known to themselves the England tour has been scheduled in the rainy season and the first Test at Galle may well be a total washout. Indeed a tropical cyclone is [...]

November 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

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