One of the advantages of writing this blog contemporaneously is that I can either be immediately proved correct or a complete fool – and I achieved the latter today!

After a nauseous night of disturbed sleep, nibbling ginger nuts at the cricket seems to have mollified my insides which now seem to belong to me!

Another early start to catch up for the weekend’s rain and a slightly cooler day than yesterday beckons.

England start needing 210 runs, NZ 9 wickets. The English bats soon oblige with Robinson lasting a very short time, Duckett didn’t seem settled and Pope dancing down the pitch to every ball which seemed odd and did little to persuade the faithful that he was not ill at ease and playing/missing more than he should.

Brook – the current chosen one to be the next ‘everything’ – came and went without facing a ball as fellow Yorkie Root ran him out calling for a swift single but you do need to run your bat in! Haven’t looked at his current Test average but it’s probably slightly less than stratospheric! NZ found a way to get him out cheaply!

All this means England are 80/5 in no time but by lunch recover to 168/5 with Root dominating the scoring; Stokes’ knee clearly hindering him in mind and body. With the Ashes looming Stokes’ knee should become the next national obsessive news story requiring daily medical bulletins! But I suspect not!

Finding a spot at this ground which is not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, not too steep and not disturbed by wandering walkers would give Goldilocks a challenge; it must be here somewhere but after four days and a session I can’t find it! But people-watching the wandering walkers makes me feel thin!

At lunch, it looks as if NZ’s fate is sealed – less than 100 needed, one quick retired injured, one all heart but little else and a spinner who would struggle in county cricket – I suspect a tea time finish.

How wrong can I be?

The injured quick was back after lunch, the spinner…well ‘nuf said and the whole hearted bowler – Wagner – came good and how! Last week he couldn’t buy a wicket and now he’s the bees knees!

From 168/5 England collapse to 201/8 – Stokes’ knee obviously causing issues, Root needed one poor shot, and then Broad just tried to be clever and looked stupid. Foakes and Leech managed to get the total to within single figures before Foakes also played a false shot and it was left to Anderson to see England over the line! But NO!

NZ had other ideas! Accurate fast bowling by all three – Southee, Wagner and Henry – pinned England back and Anderson was last out with two runs needed! An NZ win by one run!

Now…that’s the cold hard facts but words cannot describe the tension, atmosphere and sheer squeaky time everyone endured for the last hour! The closest test match I’ve ever seen. As exciting for me as Botham’s 5/28 against Australia in 1981 – and I’ve met enough people who says they were there to fill the ground twice over! I expect the same for ‘Wellington 2023’

An amazing match with mistakes on both sides but clawed back and hard fought. I doubt if I shall ever see another test as good!

One thing it did prove was that Bazzball seems to be all about hooking and when it works, it’s great but when it doesn’t it’s awful – and a number of English bats were at fault.

But let’s not detract from a fantastic game. Hopefully my nerves will recover! It’s worth noting that when the sun shines, the light for photos here is especially ‘clear’ But to give you a flavour of the day, here are a few snaps…

Tomorrow, dear reader, it’s back to tourism with a fly-drive on the South Island and I’m not even half way through my travels yet! Australia – and a Sheffield Shield game – beckons!

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Another early start to catch up on the overs but the pace at which this game is progressing it’s probably not a worry. The day dawns misty and cool with occasional sunny spells. The overnight rain has passed and whilst the grassy banks are ‘moist’ we start on time.

Today’s first period is spent at the top of a bank beside the sightscreen. A great view but into a strong and cold breeze so every layer needed and an excursion for my alpaca headwear.

Strong legs are required to keep your balance as the slope is so steep and after an hour or so, one can take no more. The locals come prepared with blankets, deck chairs and all kinds of impedimenta for the day.

The early action sees a couple of sharp catches not quite carrying – Crawley and Stokes. But the bowling of Leach and to a degree Broad makes life free and easy for Southee and Blundell. The former powering to 73 (apparently he’s NZs top run scorer without a century). Robinson looks the real deal. He, for me, was the pick of the bowlers but unlucky – he will bowl worse but have better figures!

NZ add 62 in very quick time but succumb in sight of the follow on requirement for 209 – 226 short in total! This is a lot better than the early stages foretold; so batting for two days and two and a half sessions or setting England a total that they can’t chase down are the options. And we’ve seen what England can chase in recent times. Nothing is beyond the collective belief in this team; weather is an ally for NZ but the entrails don’t look good!

Lunch arrives at 40/0 but not without its alarums and excursions – Leach in particular causing the odd headache.

What’s become clear is that we’re only seeing half of Anna Doorsbred

(see message from Anna Gram below) at a time – Robinson being preferred with the new ball, and half of Anna is first change. Seems to work.

Tea sees NZ sailing into safer waters at 128/0 – 88 in the session; Latham 72 and Conway 53. True grit and grind of test cricket. Having said that, the wind and today’s sun have/are drying out this pitch so it’s easier for batting and a different colour from what greeted us on Friday.

Both openers fall with 40 minutes of tea (to spin) so a bit of rebuilding is needed. But plenty of time to go! But by the end…202/3. Tomorrow should be interesting!

A day when pictures speak louder than words!

Message from Anna Gram – I’ll leave it to you to work out who Anna Doorsbred are

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It’s always good to experience all areas of a cricket ground and whilst most England followers tend to do as they are told, I find it fascinating to go wandering.

And so it was today. The NZ grounds have their walkways close to the boundary edge so, unless you strategically position yourself, your view is constantly interrupted by spectators wandering around. But you are among ‘locals’!

The other need is to find somewhere warm especially at this ground. I’ve been frozen at cricket grounds many a time but probably not quite like this. Shirt, pullover, hoodie and jacket with hood are just about able to keep me warm. What’s incongruous is that a few feet away sunblock is being offered and applied as clearly those spectators know something I don’t!

But to the cricket itself…

An early start to catch up on the overs lost sees England lose four wickets quickly – Brook trying to rush things, Foakes just falling down for a duck, Stokes not playing for his average, and an exhibition from Broad in time wasting. I don’t pay good money to watch him stand around changing his mind every two minutes!

There’s a bit of spice in this pitch early on and it certainly livens things up.

The topography of the ground is interesting- plenty of gaps for keen breezes, slopes and mounds to help catch the sun and warm things up. A nice gap and an off drive facing from the Vance end and that’s the last you see of the ball as it lands in a truck, city-bound!

And in keeping with the best grounds around, it has a interesting slope from the RA Vance End towards fine leg!

How you can have ends in a roundabout is another of life’s mysteries to solve!

435/8 declared as soon as Root reaches 153no. Tricky 30 minutes before lunch for NZ but let’s see. Sun keeps breaking through and with keen ‘breeze’ any early moisture should go but we can’t judge the quality of a pitch until both sides have batted.

And so it proved – 12/2 at lunch with Williamson and Conway back already. Pope took Conway’s wicket although the scorecard shows c Foakes b Anderson. Pope was only one to appeal fielding at short point; Stokes needed a lot of persuasion to review but he did and was rewarded. At the moment he can do no wrong but as sure as night follows day, one day…

The weather is strange to say the least – am being offered sun screen which those in front are taking whilst I sit three rows back, shirt, pullover and jacket warding off the stuff ‘breeze’ 🤔

Lunch is punctuated by a rap artist performance – about as far as you can get from the marching bands at Lord’s! And then followed by a fancy dress competition between several characters including nuns, traffic cones and chickens. Absolutely bonkers!

The afternoon goes from bad to worse for NZ with a steady procession of wickets and no real batting to speak of; at 96/6 with only Nichols and Latham reaching 30. Wickets shared between Anderson and Leach but Robinson has kept things very quiet 6-0 off eight overs.

There’s only one way this match is going and it’s only a matter of time – and how much spare we shall all have!

The shortened session after tea progressed as well as the previous – NZ ended on 138/7 as rain stopped play with over 90 minutes play remaining (I say minutes because overs are irrelevant when it comes to over rates – the day was on course for 10 overs to be lost!).

Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer and drier; another cold Wellington day is not something to look forward to!

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Today is the first day of the second test of this short series and the first time at the Basin Reserve in Wellington for some time. The ground forms the centre of a roundabout and is, apparently, an extinct volcano.

So, while some will go round and round in circles, others will bring bangs and explosions over the next five days.

Talking of going round and round, several tour groups have congregated in the hotel. The melee at breakfast shows what life could be like in a compos mentis care home – no one under 50, a number still high on Sanatogen and rudeness in abundance! The joys to look forward to!

NZ started with a bang taking three for 21 in no time – Crawley (why?), Pope and Duckett back in the Chatfield Pavilion – looks like two shipping containers on top of each other; but you need to remember, everything here is built to withstand earthquakes!

101/3 at lunch (lot better than 21/3); why persevere with Crawley? Out of touch; Brook 51 no and Root 23no steady the ship after early inroads on a very green top! Root seems to be enjoying this ‘standard’ approach to the day, whilst Brook is carrying on regardless! Probably a good combination!

237/3 tea Brook 136 Root 72; Wagner 0/81 off 12 – surely the end is nigh for Neil? A fine combination this afternoon – Root batting as he used to (as I said earlier, he’s internally conflicted by bazball) and Brook building on his fine career start (average is close to Bradmanesque) but hasn’t had the chance yet to face all attacks of all qualities! Time will tell.

And so they press on! Records falling – highest 4th wicket partnership by England v NZ (or in NZ) but also Root and Wagner both went to their hundreds off the same ball – not something you see every day and not one Wagner will relish! Immediate break for rain – short showers expected – at 315/3; and that’s it for the day.

Brook reaches his highest test score with the power to add against, what must be said, a pretty bland attack on a pitch that looks like getting flatter and flatter.

These green edged photos were taken through the hole at the top of a recycling bin – had to stop walking at the bowlers end, and this was the only view of the batter I could get!

One thing Brook doesn’t do is flatter – he’s the real deal!

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Today is another ‘tourist’ day to explore the delights of Rotorua.

Renowned for its geo-thermal activity – geysers, mud pools, soft smell of sulphur etc – I had managed to see those on my last visit and had a little bit of fun on the (year round) luge.

This time, the opposite – two visits to the luge last night and today and a total of 10 ‘rides’ down the side of a mountain which has developed into a kind of private race/challenge with our TM, just to add a bit of spice – and then the geo-thermal stuff and how it worked (and works) for developing the Māori way of life and culture.

Time prevented a full geo-thermal experience but the lady in the car park showed a trail abutting the hotel and overlooking a steaming smelly pool of bubbling water.

Given that this has been here for thousands of years, producing heat and steam non-stop makes you think of the massive powers under our feet; and tragically all too evident in many places across the globe.

The ‘fun’ stuff here is really fun – and yes children I will act my age. The luge is just one option – swings (not the typical garden type but industrial sizes where you can terrify yourself to death and even youngish children allowed but I reckon could be traumatised for life 😜), zip wires, walkways etc.

I recommend searching the web for videos of the Rotorua luge and you’ll gain an impression of the fun you can have! 🤣

There’s so much other stuff offering you the chance to scare yourself and others witless! And that’s the polite word!

Not quite as mad as Queenstown but close (and yes, dear reader, I should be there next week!). So if the geo-thermal stuff doesn’t get you, the fun stuff will.

The good news is that this NZ organisation is building luges in Sheffield and Swansea ready to open next year!

Definitely worth another visit and since there’s so much fun today…very few photos!

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Tourist stuff today and an attempt to climb Mt Manganui for the second time (first successful attempt made in 2019).

The route has been changed significantly so unless you have mountain goat-like qualities, the ascent is extremely strenuous! The past choice of ‘easy’ and ‘steep’ routes have been replaced with two ‘steep’ routes and two ‘steep and challenging’ routes; so in the heat of the day, took the option to walk round the Mount and take a few photos…just spectacular!

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