Nottingham

Wednesday 12th August saw Stephen, Nick and I venture into Robin Hood territory with a visit to Nottingham. We were there primarily to see Warwickshire play Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, although the outing also offered up some fascinating East Midlands exploration...

• Meeting at Wolverhampton Station, the omens don't look great as its bucketing down with rain already. Nick maintains an air of cheery optimism as our train connections take us first to Birmingham and then on to Derby, although the precipitation seems to be following us along.
• At Derby we change onto the local Nottingham service coming through from Matlock. It was interesting to note the ongoing development of Derby Station, the place is really starting to look quite smart as the blue hoardings are gradually disappearing to reveal upgraded platforms.
• We arrive at Nottingham just before 11am, and I'm immediately impressed by the traditional feel of the station. I get a few platform views (including some ornate staircases) before we follow the central footbridge and exit via the car park.
• We quickly make a beeline for Trent Bridge to see what prospects there might be for play. As its fairly damp, we're not too hopeful and its certainly no surprise that there's a delayed start. With a bit of free time on our hands, we do a perimeter tour of the ground before investigating the City Ground, home to Nottingham Forest FC.
• Next, we decide to investigate Nottingham City Centre, strolling up London Road before navigating our way through an indoor shopping precinct that was rather reminiscent of Merry Hell. Back outdoors, the city streets were busy with shoppers, and we spotted a tram whilst trying to track down the castle and a pub Nick had told us about.
• The pub in question is Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, reputedly the oldest pub in the country with connections to the Crusades undertaken by Richard the Lionheart. A fascinating discovery, the building has a real quirkiness nestled into the rock beneath the castle. Nick and I eagerly sampled a pint of Olde Trip each - both the pub and the ale proved a real highlight of the day.
• The weather had taken a turn for the better, and whilst in the pub we received the excellent news that play was due to commence at 1.30pm. We had about half an hour to make our way back to the ground, just enough time to explore a stretch of the Nottingham and Beeston Canal. Like so many cities nowadays, the waterfront here had been the focus for some high quality urban regeneration and made for a pleasant stroll.
• Back at Trent Bridge, the action was indeed underway and we find a lofty vantage point in the Radcliffe Road Stand from which to watch events unfold. Unfortunately, we had timed our arrival to coincide with a Warwickshire batting collapse - 35 for no wicket rapidly turning into 66 for 6 with Stephen regularly holding his head in his hands.
• When Chris Woakes was inexplicably bowled for 22, Warwickshire were 94 for 7 and we feared the worst. Thankfully, Rikki Clarke led a useful fightback assisted by Tahir and Sreesanth, although Stephen was soon wincing again when Clarke criminally ran himself out on 67. The follow-on was now looking a remote possibility, although there was some entertainment to be had when Sreesanth hit a couple of fine sixes, one of which made its brutal way into the pavillion.
• Just after 6pm, cloud set in and the light was deemed too poor to play (although we felt the decision to suspend play was somewhat debateable). Whilst this was a little disappointing, we'd actually seen more cricket than had earlier looked likely given the morning rain. We thus trooped back off to the station, failing by seconds to catch the 18.37 Brum connection so we waited instead for the 19.08 to Cardiff Central. The extra half an hour provided me with some bonus photos of the station frontage (very reminiscent of Leicester) and of the Express Transit tram awaiting departure for Phoenix Park.
• The ride back home was a reflective one, and I think we were all in agreement that it had been another excellent day of cricket-based adventure. I would certainly visit Nottingham again, and was very impressed with Trent Bridge as a sporting arena. Hopefully Warwickshire can secure top flight Championship status, thereby allowing us to plan a return visit some time next year...