One drink far too many

Drinking is a major problem in England, particularly among the Asians of sub-continent origin. They perhaps do not have the background of...

Drinking is a major problem in England, particularly among the Asians of sub-continent origin. They perhaps do not have the background of those emigrating to the United States. With liquor easily available all over, they simply imbibe it without inhibitions and then end up making a nuisance of themselves.

Every ground has had its share of problem from this lot. The assault of Azharuddin and Rahul Dravid in Hove and the stoning of the Zimbabwe team bus at Leicester has shown them in very poor light. Surely they would be more at home among the English hooligans at soccer matches, rather than darkening the steps on cricket.

INDIANS settled here are simply disgusted with the Indian team. On Wednesday night some blokes stopped our car and told us they were finished with Indian cricket forever.

On Thursday it was worse. People, recognising us by the press accreditation card hung around our neck demanded to know how a guy like Azharuddin was made skipper.

8220;He can8217;t talk, he can8217;t bat, he can8217;t lead,8221; saidthe more uncharitable ones. 8220;Why is the Board tolerating him?8221; they asked with indignation. Incidentally a rumour doing the rounds is that Azharuddin has resigned. Fat chance! Raj Singh Dungarpur would surely have a fit!

ONE of the best known pubs in the cricket world is the Lord8217;s Tavern behind the pavilion at the Lord8217;s cricket ground. Its entrance is besides the hallowed main gates. On any given day featuring cricket, the pub overflows into the sidewalks where a few tables and chairs are thrown in.

The theme of this huge pub is cricket, naturally. There are photographs of cricketers, their signed autographs and the like plastered on the walls. The televisions beam the game to the patrons. Interestingly the pub is run by a group called the Front Pages. They manage six exclusive pubs in London, each catering to a different theme. They wanted to have a Page Three pub in Central London, featuring the notorious Sun8217;s page three which has a topless female model everyday, but the Free Masons who own theproperty shot down the idea. London is surely the poorer for it!

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IF there is better attendance in the grounds towards the tea break, there is a reason behind it. Apparently ticket prices drop by 50 per cent close to the tea break. Some cricket enthusiasts gather at the Pub, chat up the game, tank themselves and then repair to the ground availing of the 50 per cent discount.

We dropped in a while for the Middlesex Vs Hampshire match by this route. But the atmosphere at Lord8217;s was stifling. It was more like a funeral service. No wonder the English believe this World Cup to be a Carnival of Cricket8217;, although they have little idea what a carnival means!WHILE still on pubs, The Ostrich Inn, London, along with The Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham and The Fighting Cocks in St Albans ranks as the oldest pubs in England.

The Ostrich has a gory past. Its landlord Jarman used to offer the Blue Room to rich travellers. When they were fast asleep he would operate a lever that would send them head first into a vatof boiling liquid. He murdered 60 travellers thus and made a fortune for himself before being caught in the act and hanged.

This pub is certainly one with a history. It was the site where on June 15, 1215 A.D., King John stopped over en route to signing the Magna Carta! If that was regal, notorious highway man Dick Jumper used this place as a base to loot the population of what is now the Heathrow Airport. By the way his successors are still at it!