Sticky Wicket?

Just returned home having spent an evening with Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew, not just me of course, there were another couple of hundred at the theatre as well witnessing the last of their current tour. It was a very good turn out, more than I had expected considering how tight finances are and it being a late January Saturday night, so you might think that Our national summer sport is in rude health despite the recent debacle down under. We could think that, but, I fear we would be wrong and here's why. Yes it was a very good turn out, there was a good mixture of men and women but the average age of the audience was, I guess, around the late 50s. I spotted only 2 children in the audience and both those observations concerned me. Let's take the age concern first. It was obvious that Sir Geoff is a cricketing hero to many and to have the opportunity to see him and listen first hand to his forthright opinions was too good to turn down, likewise with Jonathan who has a huge social media following and is highly respected main man on the immensely popular Test Match Special. Immensely popular,it seems to a certain age bracket, which brings me to the lack of youth sharing our evening. If,as parents, you have a hero or a passion, you usually try to share it with your offspring. Now, they may not like it, they may not understand it, but, they may.That is my point. What an opportunity it would have been for a cricket loving parent if they could afford it,to say to little Johnny or Jenny I am going to take you to a theatre tonight and you are going to see one of the best cricketers that has ever lived. A little bit of inspiration can go a long way, a very long way. It's not often these days that children can relate in person to icons past or present as everything is so detached and done through various kinds of media, which is why I feel tonight and maybe other nights of their tour have been a missed opportunity, and Cricket, with its place in people's priorities sadly quite low, cannot afford to miss such chances.