[basil ransome-davies]

The middle lines are terrific, John – cadences, repetitions & euphonics that even in this light piece have a hypnotic, Wallace Stevens-like quality (I'm probably thinking of 'The Idea of Order at Key West', to my mind about as good as verse gets), giving the reader a sense of enjoyment from objective correlatives & vibes rather than overt celebration. So for me – even setting aside my personal view that cricket, as Joe Smith the old Bolton player & Blackpool manager put it, is 'like watching celery grow' – the final ones are comparatively dilute & pedestrian.

I wonder how many eratonauts will recognise Billy Cotton's old heads-up call.