On Hallowed Turf

Regular followers may have gleaned that some of the Onions have a penchant for a certain form of football that involves blue & white hooped felines demonstrating their athletic prowess on a large field with four posts at each end.*

However, we** are also inordinately fond of the fine gentleperson's game commonly known as cricket. And the down-to-the-wire First Test in the battle for the Ashes in Cardiff certainly justified our faith in the five-day game.***

The prospect of encountering an Australian eleven without the blockbuster players of yore (as an AFL commentator might put it, the Aussie team was missing 'your Warnes, your Gilchrists and your Lees') had England fans salivating. But we all know what pride goes before - a solid if uninspired first innings followed by an inability to bowl Australia out, and then a desperate last stand to pull a draw out of the jaws of defeat.

The Australian team might have been lacking a few key protagonists, but the First Test had all the hallmarks of a best-seller: drama, suspense and edge-of-your-seat-action, a plucky underdog, a willing villain, a thrilling climax... and the perfect set up for the sequel.

But why this sudden desire to wax editorial about cricket, you ask? No, it's not because Justine Larbalestier has been campaigning behind the scenes. It's because today, on the dawn (well it will be dusk here by the time it dawns there, but you know what we mean) of the Second Ashes Test at Lord's Cricket Ground, we are mightily chuffed to reveal that the House of Onion was recently featured at that most-hallowed of all grounds in St John's Wood. Yes indeedy.

Look. That's us. On the score board. At Lord's. Oh my.

How did this wondrousness come about, you ask? Well, to celebrate our 19th year of independence our (cricket-obsessed loving) fearless leaders Patrick & Robert hosted the first-ever Allen & Unwin Ashes Party and, indeed, why not do it at the Home of cricket!

As well as our humble cocky being proudly displayed on the Lord's score board, we believe the event included much conviviality AND a tour of the Long Room and the players' dressing rooms.

Colour us more than quietly envious.

*And as such we have had a quiet case of the glums this week. Ms Constable, we suspect you too may be recovering from a touch of the (heart-stopping) glums. Ms McNamara, though, is likely to be all sunshine and rainbows.

** Using the term 'we' loosely - as some in the House care not for cricket, football, rugby or any other activity where people run around in strange ways doing all sorts of odd things for inexplicable reasons.

*** If you are a cricket tragic AND you're on Twitter, we can recommend following Jonathan Agnew @aggerscricket for a spot of hilarity with a pinch of insider goss. Sample tweets:

True conversation. HRH 'I never listen to you Takes 10 mins for the score' Me grovelling, 'Thank you sir'

Its 2 O'clock...Harmy in squad...Flintoff dodgy knee...needs scan

Nice bloke Webber - loves cricket. Interviewed him at Edgbaston 2005.