Back Garden Cricket Club

From the backstreets of Accrington to the commentary boxes of the world, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd has never been short of a story. Or an opinion. Or an unexpected musical interlude.

This week, Bumble joins Whispering Bob Harris and Jon Siri Briggs for a gloriously unpredictable journey through cricket, childhood, rock ’n’ roll and the occasional broken window. Along the way, we discover the surprising origins of his nickname, why AC/DC might be more his style than the MCC, and how a shy Lancashire lad became one of cricket’s most unmistakable voices.

And, of course, Bumble delivers another priceless addition to the Laws of Back Garden Cricket that Lord’s somehow overlooked.

Expect laughter, nostalgia and absolutely no guarantee of staying on topic.
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Before the commentary box, the county wickets and the blue blazer, Charles “Daggers” Dagnall was a boy in Bolton determined to become Ian Botham. The back garden had other ideas.

Daggers joins broadcasters Whispering Bob Harris and Jon voice of Siri Briggs for a gloriously wayward innings involving childhood cricket, questionable rock-star ambitions and a celebrity dressing room where the usual rules barely applied. What makes a cricket bat worth taking to bed? How did cricket broadcasters end up in spandex? And whose version of Bob’s encounter with Daggers in the nets should we believe?

Along the way, a surprisingly personal conversation about knowing when to walk away — and finding another way to keep playing the game you love.

If you have a law that you used in your games in the playground or back yard - please drop it into the comments and it may well make it's way into the BGCC rule book.
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What happens when one of England's most elegant batsmen returns to the rather less elegant cricket of his childhood?

Sir David Gower joins Voice of Siri - Jon Briggs and Radio Legend Whispering Bob Harris for a wonderfully entertaining journey from makeshift wickets to the Ashes, with a few unexpected detours along the way. There are old friendships, strong opinions, glorious memories and the occasional confession. And, naturally, another attempt to establish the laws of cricket that the MCC somehow forgot.

If you have a law that you used in your games in the playground or back yard - please drop it into the comments and it may well make it's way into the BGCC rule book.
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What do a farmer's handkerchief, a petrol lawnmower, a thrupenny bit and Test Match Special have in common?

The answer is Jonathan Agnew.

Aggers joins broadcasters Bob Harris and Jon Briggs to trace the journey from childhood games in a Lincolnshire garden to Lord's, Leicestershire, England and the commentary box. Along the way we'll talk about Peter Lever, Brian Johnston, Geoffrey Boycott, Ben Stokes, broadcasting, bowling, battered Slazenger bats and the glorious madness of back garden cricket.

Because every Test career starts somewhere... and it's usually just in front of the watering can.

Don't forget - we're compiling the as yet unwritten laws of Back Garden Cricket - please let us know yours in the comments section.
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More than 40 years ago, Broadcasters Whispering Bob Harris (Radio 1, 2 and The Old Grey Whistle Test) and Jon Briggs (Radio 2, 5, The Weakest Link and the Original Voice of Siri) played cricket in Bob’s back garden.

There were homemade rules, magnificent teas, balls regularly dispatched into next door’s garden... and for reasons nobody can entirely explain Bob kept the scorebooks.

He still has them.

In this first episode we discover where it all began. What happens when you reopen the records of a cricket career you’d completely forgotten you had? And were the peculiar rules of Bob’s garden unique, or did every garden in Britain have its own?

That’s what The Back Garden Cricket Club intends to discover, as we begin compiling the definitive Laws of Back Garden Cricket: the ones the MCC somehow failed to include.

Welcome to the club. You probably joined years ago.
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