[John Whitworth]

Competition No 108

A poem called 'The Last of England' using the following words as rhymes in this order: fair, light, stand, bay, air, spray, land, roar, fling, strand, begin, bring, in. Closing date 13th feb. email comps@theoldie.co.uk

My own effort may be disqualified. Is Eng-land actually land? I realise it may be incomprehensible to most of you. K.P. and Monty are English cricketers. Lord's is a cricket ground, THE cricket ground.

I see Chris O'Carroll is in the money again in Speccie land.

Competition No. 108: The Last of England

Nobody’s leaving Lord’s tonight:
Eight wickets down, the glass set fair,
And three to win in fading light.
The boozers in the Compton Stand
Cease singing and begin to bay.
Their raucous chorus splits the air,
Stomping and chanting as they spray
Stale beer about, ‘Eng-land! Eng-land!’
KP must do it now. A roar,
‘He’ out! He’s OUT!' Wild Aussies fling
Hats to the wide as every strand
Of English hair stands up. Begin
Again, ‘Eng-land! Eng-land!’ and bring
Our last hope out. For Monty’s in.

[FOsen]

Bravo, John - but continue. The next line should be:

Slog sweeps long ago . . . .

Frank

[Janet Kenny]

BRAVO John indeed!!
The cricket aficionado in my house wants me to tell you that he thinks you deserve to win. He thinks it's terrific. There's all sorts of insider stuff like who Monty is and why that's a great last line. It's natural--the rhymes used effortlessly, and it's observant and funny. You won in our house anyway.
Janet
PS: Good old Chris O'Carroll. A funny poet.

[E. Shaun Russell]

The Last Of England: A Living Elegy For Queen Elizabeth II

That things will end with her does not seem fair
To us, we common motes amidst her light:
She sat where most nobility would stand,
And through her reign kept war and strife at bay.
It's true she had an oft-dismissive air
(As tabloids noted with vehement spray),
But through its guise she ruled our regal land--
A lion ever mindful of its roar.
And she was ours. She had no lusty fling
To mar her rule; she never walked the Strand
For idle pleasure. No. Do you begin
To see her greatness? Only death could bring
The end to this dominion -- we are in
The last of England. We shall have no King.

[Holly Martins]

For readers who do not follow cricket to fully appreciate John's excellent poem you have to understand that Monty is in the team for his bowling ability and is a complete duffer with the bat.