[David Anthony]

Jayne, I think that's lovely. It's serious, which perhaps will prevent it winning the prize. It's a fine poem.
Martin, when you mentioned the most famous cricketing poem I immediately thought of this:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/vita-lampada/

[Martin Elster]

I like your mangle poem, Jayne.

[John Whitworth]

Lovely mangle, Jayne. Cricket poems. Here's my favourite.

I wish you'd speak to Mary, Nurse,
She's really getting worse and worse.
Just now, when Tommy gave her out
She cried, and then began to pout.
And then she tried to take the ball
Although she cannot bowl at all.
And now she's standing on the pitch,
The miserable little bitch.

Hilaire Belloc

[Jayne Osborn]

Thank you David, Martin and John.

(David, I've always loved that Newbolt poem. Thanks for reminding me of it.)

My 'mangle' poem, if it fails to win a Speccie place, will at least be one that I can pull out for readings, so it's a useful addition to my repertoire. I reckon that 99% of the people I read to will have used a mangle, or will know what it was!

[Adrian Fry]

Jayne, I too love your mangle poem - my now elderly mother is always talking about the 'joys' of bygone washday. And I have just read, in a book by Dr Michael O'Donnell - about a company that commercially produces evocative nostalgic aromas which apparently help stimulate the memories of dementia patients. The washday smell is their top seller.

[David Anthony]

Interesting--as an aside--how changing technology changes the language. When I was young there was a saying, "I haven't laughed so much since Mother caught her titties in the mangle", but you never hear it nowadays.

[Brian Allgar]

Nowadays, you'd have to say "I haven't laughed so much since Mother put her dachshund in the washing machine."