Surrey v Somerset

Our summer departmental social event has turned into going to a twenty-twenty cricket match at the Oval. This is a surprisingly social occasion. Sitting at match might not seem the easiest event at which to socialise but we got a block of tickets across three rows, and with a bit of alcohol, and moving around, actually it is a very pleasant occasion.

The cricket itself didn't perhaps feature on most people's conscience, but I and a few others found it an entertaining additional diversion. This game swung between the teams quite engagingly, with home side Surrey setting a modest total, Somerset starting their second innings like a train but then losing too many wickets and in the end just couldn't score fast enough.

Downside? Well big crowd meant it was easy to lose members of our party (which we did frequently) and whatever blandishments are offered about the quality of food and drink they are a rip-off in practice with long queues (although not as long as for the Gents), paying £10 for a bap and some chips and incredibly poorly poured pints at great expense, added to by making you pay a £1 deposit on the plastic glasses ostensibly as an eco measure but one suspects in part content in the knowledge that it is such hard work to get the deposit back through the crowds at the end its just extra profit. Watching pints of Carlsberg being poured like pints of shaving foam was amusing unless you were actually seeking to acquire one.

Half-time