Nottingham is another city we know well and having seen the last appearance of James Anderson at Lord’s we were pleased to be at Trent Bridge for the unveiling of the “Stuart Broad End”. We saw the first two days of the second test against the West Indies, a much tighter contest than the Lord’s test.

Driving from Ludlow to Bristol meant briefly crossing into Wales, which we managed to escape unscathed. Bristol was the venue for the third women’s One Day International between England and New Zealand. We saw the second ODI in Worcester and England completed a 3-0 win in Bristol inspite of rain interuptions.

Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire. Up until Covid it was known as a bit of a “foodie” magnet but now attracts visitors because of its listed buildings and castle as many of the top rated local restaurants did not reopen after the pandemic. Sir John Betjeman described it as probably the lovelist town in England. Following the family links, it was also the birthplace of Tim’s grandmother.

The castle sits close to the confluence of two rivers, the Corve and the Teme and was built as part of the defences of the Welsh Marches, playing significant roles in the Owain Glendower rebellion, the War of the Roses and the Civil War. It was also the site of one of the most controversial honeymoons in English history, that of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon. The “did they/didn’t they” led to the divorce of Catherine from Henry VIII and ultimately the separation of The Church of England from Rome.

Worcester has long been an important city in the Midlands due to its strategic location on the River Severn. It is the home of Royal Worcester Porclain and Lea & Perrins and for many years produced half the gloves made in the UK, including those worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation, made by Dents of Worcester.

Worcester Cathedral was founded in 680 with building of the current cathedral starting in the 11th Century; it is the burial site of Arthur, Prince of Wales, elder brother of Kind Henry VIII and first husband of Catherine of Aragon. In addition there is a memorial to Mrs Henry Wood who was born nearby into a glovemaker family and went on to become a famous Victorian novelist, selling over 6 million copies. Her most well known being East Lynne. Mrs Henry Wood is Sarah’s three times great grandmother and also has her portrait in pride of place in Worcester Guildhall.

Worcester County Cricket ground, situated on the River Severn, with views of the cathedral, is one of the most beautiful settings in England. However, with the threat of flooding, which happened eight times during the winterof 2023/24 the club may be forced to move to Kidderminster.

What started out as an idea to watch some cricket over the summer outside of London, ended up as a short tour including; Worcester, Ludlow, Bristol and Nottingham. Around the same time we also attended the second day of the first West Indies Test Lord’s and spent an evening at The Oval for a women’s T20 against New Zealand. The UK had poor weather in July, but luck was on our side and we only lost a couple of hours play at one match. Furthermore England won all the matches we watched.