DM agencies show they can master spin

In the words of Marxist intellectual and president of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe “Cricket civilises people and creates good gentlemen”. Or, to quote Tory peer Baron Mancroft: “Cricket – a game the English, not being a spiritual people, have invented to give themselves some conception of eternity.”

These majestic words, spoken by greater men than you or the Diary, conjure up images of green lawns, bordered by ladies sipping tea as their men battle for dominance using nothing but a few sticks, a couple of planks and a piece of cork wrapped in leather – aah, creamy old England. However, the Diary can’t help feeling that such genteel images were far from the minds of the players in the third annual clash between the cricket teams of WWAV and Proximity London.

About 80 supporters gathered to watch the clash of the direct marketing titans upon the field of battle, or of Barnes Cricket Club if you prefer. At the end of a day of mighty struggle, Proximity won by 58 runs – oh well, maybe next year WWAV. In the true spirit of sportsmanship, everyone enjoyed a good drink afterwards in the bar (the dirty stop-outs). As they say: “It’s always good to end on a quote”, so here’s one attributed to the late, great English theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple: “Personally, I have always looked on cricket as organised loafing.”