NFT Map: 76
Main switchboard: 020 7616 8500
Ticket Office: 020 7432 1000
Lord’s website: www.lords.org or @HomeOfCricket
England Cricket Board: www.ecb.co.uk or @ECB_cricket
Middlesex County Cricket Club: www.middlesexccc.com or @Middlesex_CCC
Location: St John’s Wood, London NW8 8QN.
Even if you know nothing about cricket, don’t be put off coming to Lord’s. Yes, some games last for five days, and yes, it can still be a draw at the end of it. But as much as anything else Lord’s is a fabulous place to come and have a drink. On a hot day the ground is paradise. The sunburnt crowd get slowly boozed up and by the time the players break for tea—yes, tea—few people are concerned at what’s going on in the middle. With the polite hum of chatter building up to full-blown drunken singing, it’s worth going to Lord’s for the atmosphere alone. But when the rabble have calmed down, Lord’s is a very genteel place. It’s widely seen as the Home of Cricket, and used to house the international governing body. It hosts a heap of England games every year and it’s the home ground of county side Middlesex. There’s also a year-round gym—you don’t even have to be posh to use it—and an indoor training centre. There’s even a museum to amuse you when rain stops play. And, rest assured, at some point rain WILL stop play. At the moment, Lord’s holds two Test matches (the marathon international five-dayers) and occasional England one-day games. These are the ground’s showpiece events, where the crowd are at their most boisterous. Middlesex games rarely attract many spectators, and unless you’re an old man or a dog you may be in a minority.
By Car: There’s little parking around Lord’s so, as you’ll be parked up all day, public transport will always be cheaper. If you must drive, the ground is off the A4, which turns into the M4.
By Public Transport: The nearest station is St John’s Wood (Jubilee Line). Marylebone (Bakerloo) and Baker Street (Bakerloo, Jubilee, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan and Circle) are both nearby. Marylebone mainline station serves the north and west of the country. London Paddington is a short bus ride away. Dozens of buses run to Baker Street, and many of which stop right outside the ground.
Getting your hands on England tickets can be tricky. The first few days of a Test match tend to sell out months in advance, though tickets for the last day never go on pre-sale (as the game could be over by then). Similarly, One Day Internationals are normally sell-outs, so it does take a little planning to get in. Check the website over the preceding winter and you might get lucky. If there are less than ten overs in a day due to rain, or if the game’s already over, you can claim the full ticket price back. If the weather limits play to between 10.1–24.5 overs (in English, that’s up to 149 balls played) you get a 50 per cent refund. Any more than that and you’re deemed to have got your money’s worth. Middlesex games rarely sell out, however, so you can just rock up on the day, beers in hand, and enjoy the Lord’s village.