So, as Neville Cardus never said, here’s the thing. I was bought Surrey membership for my birthday. It’s an Ashes year and the Hobbs Gate at the Oval has been renovated, actual wrought iron heaved into place to give the approach to the great ground some sense of grandeur. About time. Every other cricket website is blogging about the county game like it’s going out of fashion, so why not ours? I have an aversion to the word “blog”, but this intermittent journal needs a name. Bad puns are the tools of my trade. Thus, in the sort of flash inspiration that oft fills a down-page caption, The Hobbs Grate.

Highlights package (click on archive, left, for full stories)

Apr 18 -     The Maccabees' guitarist's fantasy XI

Apr 20 -     What the Buttler saw or, rather, we saw in him

Apr 25 -     All's well that ends Wells

May 3 -      Ginger Rogers... and Wendy Hurrell

May 6 -      Hogs roasted, plus memories of Maco and Gordon

May 10 -    Beer-festival batsmanship

May 11 -    Ben Stokes's game of thrones

Jun 3 -       Grisly Adams

Jun 13 -     When the Bell tolls

Jul 11 -      Punter's last stand

Jul 19 -      Royally thumped

Aug 2 -      The only way was Essex

Aug 21 -    A day to forget

Sep 5 -      Spin city

Sep 29 -    A star is born?

Oct 1 -      Strife on Mars