It was my first time at The Oval on Friday and I really enjoyed the exprience. I was told that I should expect it to be totally different to Lord's and I think that was the case although not quite to the extent I had imagined. It was staggering how much more lively the crowd as. I have seen England at the Ageas whenever I have managed to get a ticket and I think that that experience can be quite lively. However, seeing England recover from a dreadful start on Friday, the game really ivened up. I was sat near to the Indian band and the good natured banter amongst the fans was a reminder just how wrong football sometimes is. The cricket was good during the afternoon.
I think I prefer the gravitas of Lord's and appreciate the heritage more , especially as I had distant relatives who played there for The Players between 1816-21 which makes it a bit more personal for me. After last year's attendance limited to near by St Cross, it was good to get out to a few more grounds in 2021.