The Annual 08 from the MCC and Lords
I was kindly sent a copy of “The Annual” last week - the launch copy of a magazine written on behalf of MCC and Lords, and as it isn’t the sort of thing you might not know about I thought it would be of interest to give it a bit of publicity.
Available from Lords itself or their shop at www.lords.org, it is an interesting publication which reads a bit like an in depth program you might buy at an international game - and it is the same sort of size which is pretty handy - means it doesn’t take up much room in my cricket bag! It is entirely based (unsurprisingly) around Lords, and through things like interviews with players and ground workers it helps give a real insight as to how the “home of cricket” is felt by players (Sidebottom, Broad, Dimi etc), and how it all functions on the big days.
One part I really liked was “How to play Lords” which gave tips on how to react to the slope etc. Now, given that I’m never likely to play at Lords I don’t know why I found this interesting but I think as it has such a mystique about it, it is nice to know how sportsmen and women approach it!
There are good previews of the England, Kiwi and South African squads for the summer’s cricket - which if you pick it up later in the summer will be a bit out of date, but it gives enough info without boring you if this was the case. It is difficult to try and put up to date info in annual publications like this, but they seem to do it quite well and you don’t get the feeling that its particularly lacking in this area.
Along with some commentary on England’s preparation towards next year’s Ashes and a review and preview of the games at Lords for this year and last, and a couple of other stories there is also a promotional bit for their shop and conference facilities, which is fair enough - it might make me visit their shop over a lunch break in the cricket if I was there watching a game!
I think overall this is a decent publication, well written and with a ‘quality’ feel, it is something I could definitely see myself buying if I was at Lords on a match day for something to pass the quieter periods of a game. I don’t know if it holds as much appeal for someone who isn’t there - it isn’t quite “deep” enough to keep you busy for hours, but as something to drift in and out of it was perfect. In fact I read some of it whilst i was waiting to bat at the weekend, it is perfect for that situation. At 5 quid it might seem expensive compared to a magazine such as All Out Cricket, but compared to match programmes I think it’s acceptable and well worth a shout if you find yourself at Lords this year, or if reading about the greatest cricket ground in England is up your street! Buy from the Lords online shop here.
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