I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. It's about football,
rather than cricket, but several well-known cricketers, inc Lyttelton
and Hornby, put in an appearance. It's no doubt too PC and Scottish to
suit some of the regular contributors here, and Julian Fellowes, writer
and creator, takes a number of liberties with the history, but it's
nevertheless an interesting story of the early years of professional
football. Recommended, at least for those of not too critical a
disposition.

--
Andy Walker, Nottingham.
Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

On Fri, 29 Jul 2022 22:16:34 +0100, Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk>
wrote:

>I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. It's about football,
>rather than cricket, but several well-known cricketers, inc Lyttelton
>and Hornby, put in an appearance. It's no doubt too PC and Scottish to
>suit some of the regular contributors here, and Julian Fellowes, writer
>and creator, takes a number of liberties with the history, but it's
>nevertheless an interesting story of the early years of professional
>football. Recommended, at least for those of not too critical a
>disposition.

Blimey: "PC" and "Julian Fellowes" linked in the same sentence. I
wouldn't have thought that possible from such a ghastly snob.

Cheers,

Mike

On 29/07/2022 23:36, Mike Holmans wrote:
[I wrote:]
>> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. [...]
> Blimey: "PC" and "Julian Fellowes" linked in the same sentence. I
> wouldn't have thought that possible from such a ghastly snob.

On the possibly-rash assumption that the "ghastly snob" you
refer to is JF rather than yours truly, I think you would perhaps be
surprised. The series is implausibly sympathetic to strikers [mill
workers rather than footballers!], "fallen women" and northerners.
Despite that, it's still worth a look. The actual football, eg with
the Old Etonians forming a "scrum" round the ball, is allegedly
quite authentic, more so AFAIK than most if not all portrayals of
early cricket.

--
Andy Walker, Nottingham.
Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

On Sat, 30 Jul 2022 00:15:30 +0100, Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk>
wrote:

>On 29/07/2022 23:36, Mike Holmans wrote:
>[I wrote:]
>>> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. [...]
>> Blimey: "PC" and "Julian Fellowes" linked in the same sentence. I
>> wouldn't have thought that possible from such a ghastly snob.
>
> On the possibly-rash assumption that the "ghastly snob" you
>refer to is JF rather than yours truly, I think you would perhaps be
>surprised.

I might well be. It would be the first of Fellowes's efforts which I
hadn't found unbearably patronising, though.

Cheers,

Mike

On Friday, July 29, 2022 at 10:16:39 PM UTC+1, Andy Walker wrote:
> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. It's about football,
> rather than cricket, but several well-known cricketers, inc Lyttelton
> and Hornby, put in an appearance. It's no doubt too PC and Scottish to
> suit some of the regular contributors here, and Julian Fellowes, writer
> and creator, takes a number of liberties with the history, but it's
> nevertheless an interesting story of the early years of professional
> football. Recommended, at least for those of not too critical a
> disposition.
>
> --
> Andy Walker, Nottingham.
> Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
> Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

The period before WW1 was the golden age of the dual England capped cricket and football double international , viz:

Alfred Lyttelton
Billy Gunn
Leslie Gay
CB Fry
R E "Tip) Foster
Jack Sharp

RH

On Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 12:15:35 AM UTC+1, Andy Walker wrote:
> On 29/07/2022 23:36, Mike Holmans wrote:
> [I wrote:]
> >> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. [...]
> > Blimey: "PC" and "Julian Fellowes" linked in the same sentence. I
> > wouldn't have thought that possible from such a ghastly snob.
> On the possibly-rash assumption that the "ghastly snob" you
> refer to is JF rather than yours truly, I think you would perhaps be
> surprised. The series is implausibly sympathetic to strikers [mill
> workers rather than footballers!], "fallen women" and northerners.
> Despite that, it's still worth a look. The actual football, eg with
> the Old Etonians forming a "scrum" round the ball, is allegedly
> quite authentic, more so AFAIK than most if not all portrayals of
> early cricket.
> --
> Andy Walker, Nottingham.
> Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
> Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

Football (after the formation of the FA circa 1863) was promoted by the public schools and youth clubs the latter included the working class. The growth of football as a professional game was very rapid especially after the formation of the Football League. Before the league was formed , apart from FA Cup matches , fixtures were rather chaotic. RH

On Friday, July 29, 2022 at 10:16:39 PM UTC+1, Andy Walker wrote:
> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. It's about football,
> rather than cricket, but several well-known cricketers, inc Lyttelton
> and Hornby, put in an appearance. It's no doubt too PC and Scottish to
> suit some of the regular contributors here, and Julian Fellowes, writer
> and creator, takes a number of liberties with the history, but it's
> nevertheless an interesting story of the early years of professional
> football. Recommended, at least for those of not too critical a
> disposition.
>
> --
> Andy Walker, Nottingham.
> Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
> Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

If you have a copy of Tom Brown's Schooldays read the chapters soon after Tom arrives at Rugby and there is a good description what counted as football before the FA was formed. The teams involve dozens of schoolboys aside. is a pretty violent game allowing the kicking of shins.,
The author Thomas Hughes was a pupil at Rugby in the 1830s

Tom Brown's schooldays also contains a good description of the MCC playing a game of cricket against the School which gives the reader a fair idea of what playing cricket at the time was like.

RH

On Sat, 30 Jul 2022 00:32:45 +0100, Mike Holmans <spam@jackalope.uk>
wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Jul 2022 00:15:30 +0100, Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk>
>wrote:
>
>>On 29/07/2022 23:36, Mike Holmans wrote:
>>[I wrote:]
>>>> I've been watching "The English Game" on Netflix. [...]
>>> Blimey: "PC" and "Julian Fellowes" linked in the same sentence. I
>>> wouldn't have thought that possible from such a ghastly snob.
>>
>> On the possibly-rash assumption that the "ghastly snob" you
>>refer to is JF rather than yours truly, I think you would perhaps be
>>surprised.
>
>I might well be. It would be the first of Fellowes's efforts which I
>hadn't found unbearably patronising, though.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Mike

I happened to mention in company that I couldn't decide which
performance was best between the performances of the Vienna
philharmonic new years eve concert, under the baton of Franz Wessler
Most or Gustavo Dudamel. My Wife called me a snob and my Dughter
called me an oddball. I'd agree with my Daughter.

max.it

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On 30/07/2022 18:07, max.it wrote:
> I happened to mention in company that I couldn't decide which
> performance was best between the performances of the Vienna
> philharmonic new years eve concert, under the baton of Franz Wessler
> Most or Gustavo Dudamel. My Wife called me a snob and my Dughter
> called me an oddball. I'd agree with my Daughter.

Is that different from the New Year's [Day] concert, or is it just
that Ireland is a day behind? Dudamel, anyway. Or Boskovsky if you're of
sufficient age. I don't suppose the VP will ever invite André Rieu?

--
Andy Walker, Nottingham.
Andy's music pages: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music
Composer of the day: www.cuboid.me.uk/andy/Music/Composers/MacCunn

On Sat, 30 Jul 2022 23:15:13 +0100, Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk>
wrote:

>On 30/07/2022 18:07, max.it wrote:
>> I happened to mention in company that I couldn't decide which
>> performance was best between the performances of the Vienna
>> philharmonic new years eve concert, under the baton of Franz Wessler
>> Most or Gustavo Dudamel. My Wife called me a snob and my Dughter
>> called me an oddball. I'd agree with my Daughter.
>
> Is that different from the New Year's [Day] concert, or is it just
>that Ireland is a day behind? Dudamel, anyway. Or Boskovsky if you're of
>sufficient age. I don't suppose the VP will ever invite André Rieu?

Yes, it's just me that's behind.
I was referring to the way they managed the audience. Couple of
thousand stuffed shirts who probably haven't even broke a smile for
years, all clapping like seals.
I'd go for Dudamel. He could be Irish - Gustav O'Dudamel.

max.it

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