Governing bodies could take a lead from Cricket Australia

Former Great Britain rugby league international Leon Pryce once infamously remarked that he'd rather be on Blackpool Beach than Bondi Beach before a Test match in Sydney - much to the incredulity of many an Australian.

I'm sorry to have to tell you this, Leon, but I've been to both and you're probably in a minority of one there.

Beaches and rugby league are just two of a few things that Australia does better and a fair deal for cricket spectators is near the top of that list.

The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is one of the great sporting occasions of the year, not just for Australians but for cricket fans all over the world. There can be more than 100,000 in attendance on the first day at 'The G' - many baying for the blood of an English fast bowler but all immersing themselves in the experience in a stadium that has more than a hint of Rome's Colosseum about it.

It was during the winter of 2019 that I was lucky enough to travel down under and was in Melbourne during that year's Boxing Day contest between the Aussies and New Zealand - two of the best sides in the world.

A day at the Test on these shores can start anywhere from around the low £30-mark in the north to a £50 seat with a restricted view at Lord's. And at HQ prices rise rapidly to a ceiling of £180 for a day's play, although you can save yourself £15 if you don't mind foregoing an uninterrupted view of the play.

It was during those few days in Melbourne that I got talking to a couple who had been to the cricket and who said their dream was to watch Australia at Lord's in an Ashes Test - that was until we got on to the price of admission.

For all that they rightly baulked at the prospect of forking out nearly 100 Aussie dollars to sit in front of a concrete post at the home of cricket, I was similarly surprised to find out that tickets for all internationals down under start at just A$30 - a shade over £16 in current exchange rates - and have done for the last five years.

Prices at the MCG topped out at A$160 (£88) for one of the best seats in the house during last year's series against India. As in England, the ceiling price is lower at other grounds but still cheaper than you would find on these shores.

Spending a day at a Test match will be the definition of a day wasted for some but for others, myself included, it is an event that is totally unique. The hum of expectation between each delivery, the serenity a batsman at the top of his game exudes as all else may be crumbling around him, the micro-battles within the main contest.

So it's just a shame current pricing structures here mean that in some areas of the country only the wealthy can afford to take part in the experience.

For those who didn't already know, the pandemic has demonstrated that fans are the ultimate stakeholders in professional sport and the ECB and MCC in particular only need to look at the excellent work done by Cricket Australia to put the public at the heart of the game by allowing as many people as possible to enjoy it.

Parkrun return is eagerly awaited

It can feel like our lives are governed by dates at the moment.

Monday saw a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions as many hardy souls made light of unseasonably wintery conditions to sup a pint in a beer garden, others tamed their lengthening locks and gyms opened their doors again.

May 17 is the next stop on the government's road map out of lockdown but Saturday, June 5, will also be a date on a few calendars up and down the country as that is the day when adult Parkrun is scheduled to return. The weekly 5k runs are free to enter and have been sorely missed by many.

Having participated in a few running and cycling events, it's practically impossible to find an event where it doesn't matter one jot whether you are the next incarnation of Mo Farah or just fancy a run, jog or walk around a local park with some like-minded people. And that's what makes Parkrun so special, whatever your ability or your motivation for lining up on the start line at 9am on a Saturday morning, you are celebrated exactly the same.

That sense of community is undeniably the reason why, having started out in Bushy Park in 2004, it has now spread to almost 800 more sites across the United Kingdom and to 21 other countries.

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