Bettys loaf cake, beer snakes and polite applause are the perfect antidote to football's tribal toxicity: OLIVER HOLT spends a day basking in the cricket at Headingley
Summer started on a heavy, hot day in Leeds on Friday. It started with the morning sun glinting off the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and cricket supporters striding happily along the towpath through its Victoriana, past Granary Wharf and Monk Bridge Viaduct, towards the cathedral of Headingley, on the hill.
It started with a bacon and sausage butty from Ugly Mugs Cafe on St Michael's Lane, opposite the ground, already busy more than two hours before the first ball of this Test summer was bowled, the summer that is a prelude to an Ashes winter in Australia, the summer when Bazball is being told to grow up or go home.
Ugly Mugs is David Lloyd's pre-match eatery of choice and there is an item called Rob Burrow's Number 7 on the menu, in honour of one of Leeds' favourite sons. It is a place to watch the cricket walk by.
'You just missed Harry Brook,' one of the customers said to no one in particular, as he peered over the mountain of his full English from one of the outside tables. Queues had already started to form outside the gates.
Signs pointed us to summer, too. They pointed to familiar, comforting names such as the Kirkstall Lane End. Inside, the great expanse of the Western Terrace lay empty and expectant and daunting, ready for its bacchanal.
The nets were up on the outfield and there was the smack of ball on bat, and the buzz of broadcasters doing pieces to camera. Ben Stokes was on the front cover of the programme, with his collar turned up, and on the desks in the press room there were pieces of loaf cake from Bettys in Harrogate that had been 'steeped' in Yorkshire Tea.
And Bumble was here now and Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, broadcasters who have done so much to illustrate their game with colour and life and beauty and complexity. On the field, Stokes won the toss and said, 'We'll have a bowl', and the hum grew a little louder.
Some looked up at the sky and saw it was blue and wondered at the wisdom of the decision.
Others pointed out that the previous six Tests on this ground had all been won by the team bowling first.
Music from a DJ booth called Punjabi Roots drifted over the ground. Yashasvi Jaiswal pushed the first ball of the day from Chris Woakes judiciously away, left the next four and then guided the final delivery through gully to the third man boundary for four.
It was the start of a day of elegance and admiration. Jaiswal was a joy to watch. He gave a first hint of what was to come with a sumptuous drive through mid-off from the penultimate ball of Woakes's second over.
Soon after, he carved Brydon Carse like a dish fit for the gods, viciously through point to the boundary. Soon, it started to feel as if maybe India were not going to miss Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma quite as much as everyone had thought.
Jaiswal and KL Rahul drove and cut with majesty. Stokes offered some resistance, as Stokes always does. England's captain is never less than a force of nature and he removed India's debutant, Sai Sudharsan, for a duck with the last ball before lunch.
It was only a brief reprieve. By mid-afternoon, as India began to accelerate away from their hosts, Stokes's decision to put them in started to excite comparisons with Hussain's decision to bowl against Australia at the Gabba in 2002. That didn't end well. On the evidence of the first day, at least, neither will this.
But this is only the opening skirmish. Just the first day of summer. England were strong favourites to win this series before the start, so this was just the start this five-Test challenge needed. The first signs are that it will be a battle royal.
The crowd seemed to recognise that, too. When Jaiswal was finally dismissed for 101, clean bowled by Stokes, after tea, the crowd crammed on to the Western Terrace — even those involved in the patient building of a gargantuan beer snake — stood to applaud him as he headed back towards the pavilion.
That kind of generosity is not uncommon in cricket but after another season of football's endless toxicity and relentless tribalism, it still felt like a cool breeze in the stifling heat of the afternoon. It was not England's day but it was impossible not to appreciate the feast India were serving up.
Nor did they relent. Shubman Gill, who some had expected to wilt under the pressure of being the new India captain, ended the day unbeaten on 127. He brought up his century with a stunning cover drive off the bowling of Josh Tongue.
It was a sobering day for England's bowlers. Their attack looked light and ineffectual. Maybe Jofra Archer will be back for the second Test at Edgbaston. England need him. Mark Wood is sorely missed, too. His return will take longer.
There was no flurry of wickets before stumps. Rishabh Pant took his turn to cut loose. He clubbed his second ball of the day back over Stokes's head for four. Stokes grinned broadly. Game recognised game.
In the final overs, Pant hoiked a six high over the midwicket boundary off the bowling of Woakes, as India raced towards 359 for three at the close.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Love Island ‘bully' row as Toni and Shakira turn on Emily in massive argument
LOVE Island fans have accused some of the stars of bullying after an explosive row in the Casa Amor villa. American Islander Toni and Emily clashed in fiery scenes with the former accusing her costar of being nosey on the ITV reality dating series. 4 4 Toni - who arrived as the first bombshell of the series - gets annoyed after hearing a conversation between Emily and Conor. The row then started after Emily accused Toni of talking behind her back and was warned by Meg that Toni had said she was being "nosey" and described her as "Little Miss Sunshine." Toni was also seen talking about Emily to Shakira, who agreed with Toni's views. Following their row, an exasperated Emily said she thought Toni was "just trying to cause a problem," and "she's f****g nuts." But viewers watching at home accused the Islanders of bullying due to the many instances of gossiping about Emily without her knowledge. "Toni wanted to be the IT girl so bad and is now just trying anything to stay relevant causing problems when Emily hasn't done anything wrong, when actually she just looks like a bully," wrote one Love Island fan on X, formerly Twitter. Another added: "You all love Toni but last year you all hated Jess saying she was a bully?!?!?!" A third wrote: "Toni is like a school ground bully, poor Emily her and Shakira are 2 b*****s." And a fourth posted: "How can you call Toni a bully for that when Emily happily begs it w the bully trio." Toni hasn't had the easiest ride in the villa, and on Wednesday night she was almost dumped from the villa. New islander Harrison was faced with choosing between Toni and Malisha, after they both found themselves single in the latest recoupling. They both then went on a date with Harrison, before he chose Toni, meaning Malisha went home. It was a shaky night all round for Shakira on Friday's episode as she chatted to Harry who admitted being unsure about his relationship with Helena. Love Island 2025 full lineup Harry Cooksley: A 30-year-old footballer with charm to spare. Shakira Khan: A 22-year-old Manchester-based model, ready to turn heads. Megan Moore: A payroll specialist from Southampton, looking for someone tall and stylish. Alima Gagigo: International business graduate with brains and ambition. Tommy Bradley: A gym enthusiast with a big heart. Helena Ford: A Londoner with celebrity connections, aiming to find someone funny or Northern. Ben Holbrough: A model ready to make waves. Megan Clarke: An Irish actress already drawing comparisons to Maura Higgins. Dejon Noel-Williams: A personal trainer and semi-pro footballer, following in his footballer father's footsteps. Aaron Buckett: A towering 6'5' personal trainer. Conor Phillips: A 25-year-old Irish rugby pro. Antonia Laites: Love Island's first bombshell revealed as sexy Las Vegas pool party waitress. Yasmin Pettet: The 24-year-old bombshell hails from London and works as a commercial banking executive. Malisha Jordan: A teaching assistant from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, who entered Love Island 2025 as a bombshell. Emily Moran: Bombshell Welsh brunette from the same town as Love Island 2024 alumni Nicole Samuel. Shea Mannings: Works as a scaffolder day-to-day and plays semi-pro football on the side. Remell Mullins: Boasts over 18million likes and 500k followers on TikTok thanks to his sizzling body transformation videos. Harrison Solomon: Pro footballer and model entering Love Island 2025 as a bombshell. Departures: Kyle Ashman: Axed after an arrest over a machete attack emerged. He was released with no further action taken and denies any wrongdoing. Sophie Lee: A model and motivational speaker who has overcome adversity after suffering life-changing burns in an accident. Blu Chegini: A boxer with striking model looks, seeking love in the villa. Their chat might lead to a rekindling of their relationship with a preview of Sunday's episode showing the pair snogging enthusiastically. Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX. 4
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Nuno Espirito Santo signs new contract but Nottingham Forest appear to make gaffe in statement announcing it
NOTTINGHAM FOREST appeared to make a major gaffe in their announcing of Nuno Espirito Santo's new contract. Forest, surprisingly, announced a new deal for their Portuguese gaffer early on Saturday morning. 3 3 3 The former Porto and Spurs boss has inked a new three-year deal at the City Ground, although you wouldn't have known it if you looked at the Midlands club's website. Eagle-eyed fans spotted that Forest had mistakenly stated that Nuno inked an "x-year deal" in their statement announcing the new contract. A snippet of the club's official statement read: " Nottingham Forest is delighted to announce that Nuno Espírito Santo has signed a new contract with the Club. "The Forest Head Coach has been handed a new x-year deal by owner Evangelos Marinakis ahead of the 2025/26 campaign." Nuno, 51, is over the moon to have extended his stay at the City Ground, which is set to host UEFA Conference League football this coming season. He said: "I am delighted to be able to continue our journey at this fantastic football Club. 'Since we arrived at Forest, we have worked extremely hard to create a special bond between the players, the fans and everyone at the Club, which helped us achieve great things last season. "I would like to thank our owner, Mr. Marinakis, for his constant support and backing. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "It is important to me to share a strong relationship with our ownership and we have thoroughly enjoyed working together ever since I arrived at Forest. 'Now is the time to work harder than ever as we strive for more special memories together.' Marinakis said of the new deal: "Nuno has made a great impact and performed very well during his time with us so far. 'He has demonstrated that he maximises player performance and is an expert at developing players, whilst also embedding our young talent into the first team set-up. 'We enjoy a strong and solid relationship together and, above all, we share the same dream and ambition of writing a new history for Nottingham Forest, competing in the Premier League and in Europe and winning trophies for our great club!' Forest will kick off their Premier League season on Saturday, August 17, away to Brighton. The Tricky Trees will play the first leg of their Conference League play-off on August 21.
Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Prince of Wales plays with new puppies in birthday picture
Kensington Palace has released a picture of the Prince of Wales playing with his new puppies to mark his 43rd birthday. The photograph, taken in Windsor by the Princess of Wales earlier this month, will no doubt be appreciated by all animal lovers who have lost their own pets. The Prince and Princess of Wales were left deeply upset when their beloved cocker spaniel Lupo died unexpectedly in 2020. So there was reason to rejoice after the couple announced that Lupo's replacement, Orla, has now given birth to puppies. The Waleses have now posted a photograph of Orla and her tiny brood. The Prince and Princess of Wales were given Lupo as a wedding present by the Princess's brother, James Middleton.
