Original subtitles

this is BBC 1 and now our Wednesday

matne with Hugh Burton and John Moffett

in ag McDonald's account of the cricket

match no one need be afraid that this is

going to be another War film after this

first sequence there will be no

terrifying descriptions of the effect of

a chlorine gas cloud on a path with n in

a bombarded manner no long subjective

accounts of the visions of a man during

the last few split seconds of his life

no profound modalizing and the inability

of a Divine omnipotence which creates

the rose and the be in a word after this

there will be to borrow the name of an

Ardent Society of leftwing pacifists in

the 30s no more

war nevertheless the events which follow

had the real in a conversation which

took place between two artillery men on

the Western Front in the beginning of

October 1917 I don't know we and the

English suppon once in our battle used

to run out and extinguish fires and

ammunition dumps what put out fires in

Shell dumps whatever for well they said

the shells cost5 each and it was

everyone's duty to save government money

and where is he bu the little cemet is

the back of blam I know

it why do the English always laugh when

abine is mentioned heav knows why do

they have a wel Prim Minister and a and

and a scotch Comm Scot Scot Scottish oh

sorry a Scottish Commander in Chief and

a Scottish firsty lord of the Admiral

and think it's funny why did he Engish

always pretend

oh man here have a Dr of scotch I beg

you pardon Dr Scot or Scottish I'm I'm a

publisher by profession the more I see

of the Englishman as a businessman or a

literary man the more bewildered I

become I think they're rather

fascinating oh than all right I don't

understand them hell now we're off the

wir are down one of you have to run for

it right it

C all right you

call

hell I'd like to write a book about them

someday it's a book with Once writing

you look me up when this bloody wall

over and we'll discuss it

[Music]

some years later having finally

recovered from shell shop I came to

London believing that only there could I

seriously begin my career as a writer

and despite the passage of time my

companion From The Trenches was as good

as his r a letter of intru to Mr H and

I'm sure he look after you work very

good my boy I wish you the very best M

thank you very much goodby than goodbye

goodbye the letter of introduction he

gave me took me to the editor of a small

but very influential literally weekly he

was considered one of the first poets in

the land the center of what was

doubtless a brilliant group of poets and

Asus and I felt sure an embodiment of

intelligence and perception of intuition

and

cious oh go right in I think Mr hod is

engaged shouldn't be

surprised go right in

well the real I had prepared myself for

questions about Shakespeare or Worse

Milton but what the great man actually

asked was where do you play cricket

cricket a game play this di shut

up do you play Crick I used to play

years ago splendid J I'm looking for I'm

raising a side to pay Village in Su

Saturday week but I haven't played for

ages oh that doesn't matter too strong a

bus will be at the c garden underground

station at

10:15 do you bet or both not really

either

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Splendid I was surprised to find myself

the following Saturday morning arriving

at the rendevu carrying a small attachi

case with clothes suitable for outdoor

sports and T

night I was glad I had arrived too early

for it would have been a Dreadful thing

for a stranger and a foreigner at that

to have kept such a distinguished man

and his presumably distinguished

colleagues even for an instant from what

was after all a national

game you play Keep and that will you

like a good fellow I'm going to get a

shade an hour later there was quite a

respectable

must until the arrival of rert

har gentlemen I've been doing some

research apparently in the neighborhood

of cof the HBS open at 11:

a.m. so the situation apart from the

equipment was exactly as it had been an

hour and a half before when the great

man arrived well what are they actually

no sense of time the match starts at

11:30 and it's 50 miles from here Mr har

said something about the pubs around

here opening at 11: oh God I should have

been here myself two hours ago but had

this article to

do bring the bagage

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made has

what this for

a thank you

my good man I just this that it was the

match that began at

little what in the name of hly

what let's

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go you ready Mr H there are two Miss

what are you going to do with an hour

now we'll sort it out when we get there

you go Mr H and so 10 minutes after the

match was due to start on the ground 50

m away our Sherine finally rolled away

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[Laughter]

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ER mamore or paer sorry I was asking to

which branch of Cl C would belong uh I

don't know poor Highlander that doesn't

know no Chie we have no Chie he our Chie

all right all right Mr

C I'm not the G to know to ask questions

that need be

answered you do know what g

means where did you say you from Mr

Cameron

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he

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transar girl I wanted to be off so proud

of her beautiful voice that she went

into Mass late in order that the

congregation might no an interest in the

singing before her arrival and after

interesting reading

Professor it's a PhD thesis by one of my

students the ballistic implication of

the new diameter cricket ball as

recommended by the

MCC I thought this might be a useful

occasion for me to verify his

conclusions Mr H there another half hour

from here to the angel Mr H what you

expect me to do about that I didn't draw

up the Ordinance survey Maps my good

fellow and it's another half hour from

there to

for what are you asking me Mr B shall I

get another round Mr Good Man

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ni

I was enchanted by my first sight of

rural England and rural England is the

real England unported by factories and

financiers tourists and hustle the

entire scene was perfect to The Last

Detail as I stepped from the bus I

remember thinking how familiar the

setting

scene until I realized that the men

standing outside the barley Mall were my

companions from the bus already samping

the local

brew Mr Huds oh hello Vicor how are you

a bit late I'm afraid that's the problem

with professional men always you it's

very nice to see you again I want you to

point out this year Captain tricky

problem oh dear what's that we've only

got nine men no no no look look look

we fed 11 men on each side only what is

it if you L us two men we can fi 11 did

you make it fair only n only nine men

bat on each side well that's fair is it

so we Fu for both sides and we bat for

nether and he calls that fair would it

ridiculous well there won't be no game

if we don't will there well it won't be

no game for us if we do will there come

on let's go home

you w voted in for this sort of Captain

in Sam

snow Donald go and ask the driver if

you'd like to

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play Let's have another

great I don't know why I'm to right

man thank God I'm up to 11 now and this

terribly Sor I am late bille 12

Mr H I'll play you want me to but I'm

not very good

30 the taxi driver says since it's such

a nice day and it'll take him a couple

of hours to get back if you're short of

a 12 man he wouldn't mind a game and n d

a nine men not mention a whole hate of

Trav at next place committee May then

negotiations were reopened the pair of

local Achilles were recall the numbers

being settled on a 12 side basis and Mr

Hodge and the village Captain walked out

to inspect the wicket and toss

up that summer the great poet was using

a system of his own based on wind forces

the differential calculus and the

copernican theory and so at 10 to 3 he

was able to send in his opening fa heads

on boom we're batting

H we show them what we're made AR

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off

you're b a bit

tell

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have a good go get up Livingston

baby of our opening pair one was a huge

all inspiring Colossus of a man weighing

at least 18 and a half Stone and wearing

all the Majestic trappings of a

Cambridge

blo the other was a very Sound Club

cricketer I felt it was hardly fair to

loose such cracks upon a humble Village

side until I remembered that I of all

people a foreigner admitted by courtesy

to the national game ought not to set

myself up to be a judge of what was and

what was not

cricked that

middle

play it so happened that at the end at

which the blacksmith was to

the ground behind the Wicket was level

for a few yards and then sloped away

rather

abruptly do they have a

Bowa so that it was only during the last

three or four galvanic yards of his run

that the blacksmith who took a long run

was visible to the batsman or indeed to

anyone in the field of

play look out

the kinetic energy of a cannonball

traveling at that velocity would wipe

out an entire cricket

team round a bit

Jo no back a bit back

yeah that's it that's

it

there my God he's

aide here we

are six

the match had begun in

Earnest sorry

Bill what's it like fast

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hasn't got his eye in yet

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he's got his ey in all right now Ruben

you're in oh

Splendid don't go say your ear

now put your faith in me

Bill your ball I

think for

I thought you was the blue yes he slept

Cambridge just after the

war four runs for three wickets and one

man HT

the next player presented a singular

appearance there was a retiring modesty

about him that made him conspicuous in

that Cricket 11 and there was a

gentleness an almost finicky gentleness

about his movements which hardly seemed

verile and

athletic where is he that's Bobby sfus

wonderful to meet someone who's never

heard of Bob his house she's an O not so

much distinguished W it

take care Bobby keep her up runs don't

matter very well

bill I was interested by this little

exchange it was the team spirit at work

the captain instructing his men to play

a type of game that was demanded by the

state of the team's fortunes and the

individual loyally suppressing his

instincts to play a different type of G

oh

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where to go Bobby

up

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over Rob Bobby

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really play Bobby

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yes

you things were going much better for us

the 50 was up the blacksmith was

pounding away and Mr ssot continued to

treat with apologetic contempt those of

his deliveries that came Within Reach

until an unfortunate accident occurred

I'm also sorry Rupert could you take

over uniring for a while there's no one

else now Mr harot sober had a very

pleasant sense of humor but Mr har drunk

was a perfect demon of impishness sober

he occasionally resisted a temptation to

try to beish rather drunk

never

play no

ball Mr harut did not think the world

had ever been or could ever be again

quite such a c thing

you didn't even play safe anymore Bob

play your own game thank you

Bill

[Music]

help the score at this point was 62 for6

last man 50 go B the only other incident

of the innings was provided by an

American journalist an intensely active

alert on the spot young man he had been

roped in at the last moment to make a

Mr and Mr spent quite a lot of time on

the way trying to teach the fundamental

principles of the game let's get the big

for right through the

middle don't you want a guard

guard uh no sir you see I wouldn't know

what to do with him if I had him huh is

that

child okay let's go put them in there

[Music]

God

damn

arounded hot dog god

damn none of the remaining batsman had

did very much to the

total and indeed Mr Hodge himself failed

to

score I was not outnot and our Innings

closed opinions being sharply divided

upon the ground as to whether 69 was or

was not a winning

score so poets and Plowman writers and

rusters famous and humble we all sat

down to PE matter strateg I thought it

best to let them get in as soon as

possible I think we

have you're doing this

proud never mind

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dear God who are they it's the house

party from or

t do you know any of

you I think one of them is that young F

mess beautiful

rer you darling Rascal have we missed

this no

Peru for God sake See Me a G EX

than

[Music]

terribly unspoiled isn't

it rather boring really what a damn dull

party ah Esmeralda and how are the

lovers still going strong Grizzly well

if I'm Grizzly you're be and that makes

a fair shall be

done well what kind of a party is this

are we up to date models mixing gin and

beard and wallowing in t ellot or are we

simple Boys and Girls Together popping

in out of each other's bedrooms from

time to time we're only English weekend

partis Oh come come General we want none

of your barro licentiousness here what

the devil do you mean well I don't know

what kind of shivery they teach at Sam

CST or coille secondary school or W or

Bost but to a simple Giggles Wick and

the woman is sacred whatever for I can't

remember but they used to tell us

ah General I hear we're to move out of

India at last what nonsense oh no no no

no it's absolutely true although of

course it hasn't been officially

announced yet the Indian civil service

is to be abolished and no Englishman is

to hold higher rank in the Army and

color sergeant and the word Sab is to be

forbidden oh I agree I agree profoundly

the Liberals are

insane you be hard put to it to convince

me that their Tre as

well you know you really must be

unhinged imagine for one moment if we

would gain anything to getting cheap

weat from the

Russians you get an ideal

IA why the Le only it the trouble with

russer is there's no Cricket there well

of course the RO of the publisher does

get more and more difficult you're of

course one has to admit these days one

is slightly under the pmer

virgin we not mention James Jo then

let's not but don't you feel them about

you all the time an

aura no not really that is not unless

they've arrived since the last end he

was

pointful I can never see the point in

attacking the public school system oh it

has its drawbacks of course like

everything else but its advantages are

so over whing the people who attack it

are merely stamping themselves as

fools public school is the breeding

ground of Great Men not necessarily the

public school public school types damn

good show the public

school those privately educated OES are

a pretty Grizzly set of

OES grer sons and OES and whatnot my

father was a grer I'm not surprised to

hear it l you told me all your family

were so

only they's not clever enough to be

taken into the grocery

business well in America everyone's

clever enough to get in the grocery

buiness that's why you've got no Army I

take time I won the war so Mr Pollock

means the Civil War of

1861 United States Army is the best in

the world United States May is the best

world in California are the clest in the

world climate is the best in the world

and the public laborator are the biggest

in the world thanks

[Music]

you're wasting your bfy eyes on that one

my dear why spends most of his life in

Hollywood you mean some pictures

absolute Mogul I adore don't Magic

what an extraordinary game it is isn't

it

sorry G do you understand it no no I'm

afraid I don't but you're playing aren't

you yes yes I am I've never played

before I was asked you're wearing such

nice

clothes I borrowed them from a friend

really they suit you you look very nice

thank you

don't my dear don't want fall in love

with her I'm not going to fall in love

with

her why not she's I beautiful form

perfectly shape but I an ice cream

Sunday or Monday or Tuesday or any other

day of the week come to that I really

don't know what you

mean I really have no intention of

anything like that I mean I don't even

know

her yes but hope or hopelessness brings

eternally in human breath you have to

admit there ERS best spring more help

than most from out the breast that g the

rose shall I with SH in for the George

me they will turn your tears to ice my

dear or your eyes to

tears anyway it was now our turn to

field and Mr Hodge LED out his men

eight those that is that he could find

oh for God's sake who is it this time

ready when you are

gentlemen come on hurry up all we're

losing the light we're moving the fast

as we can there

strong arm Haw in theps Donald Professor

Livingston po

Moon Bobby would you move around a

bit that's

right more

more this

it

ret all right right good I think

so our bases are up

right fingers

extended

done the redoutable major Hawker our

fast Poler thrust out his chin and

prepared to bow

[Music]

out how

[Music]

out

out

out after quarter of an hour he had

terrified seven batsmen clean bowled six

and broken a stump 10 runs six wickets

last man

two but after the fall of the sixth

Wicket there was a slight delay

Heavens

where's where's

Hawker quick hurry Run for God sake the

P but they were too late the Gallant

major admitted by the proprietor through

the bank door had already lowed a quart

and a half of my M and bitter

the score mounted

[Music]

steadily disaster followed disaster

[Music]

there

[Music]

with only 15 runs needed things were

desperate I think I'll put the cell

on every time the team

Dro but they were wrong but a crucial

change in the match now occurred it

happened like this Mr hod was a poet and

therefore a theorist and an idealist he

preferred to win by brains and not by

muscles he had recently been introduced

to what is technically known as the

inswinger accordingly he placed all his

men on the leg side but thereupon he ran

into trouble for his first ball was a

slow long hop delivered some 2 or 3 fet

outside the Earth St

get come

on come on

[Music]

rert are you playing or ar you come back

on the

field 15 to win and four wickets to

fall I want everybody in the next

batsman was a school boy of about 16 an

ingenuous youth with Pink Cheeks and a

nervous smile who quickly fell victim to

Mr Hodge

right run m

m 15 to win and three wickets to p that

Lu

mine what do you mean out you're out but

he kicked it you're out I W come on

you're out you wait I see you at the

commit me on Wednesday Ambitions

poisoned your mind come on you're out

let's

go 15 runs to win and two wickets to

fall most unfortunate I was L

today I had plenty of time to use my

hands but I prefer to K it I was

impressed by the extraordinary sec

at 6:00 the crisis was now desperate the

score had mounted steadily until at last

the teams were level the front door of

the barley mole was now as wide open

officially as the back door had been all

afternoon Mr hge brought back Major

Hulker who by now had some what lived

down the quarter and a half

any two

more all right right come on come

on

fantastic the scores were level and

there was one Wicket

before well done marvelous C I didn't

want to catch the bloody thing but it

may save the oh blast the bloody side

deeper Bob it deeper follow further out

come on Joe come on

[Music]

you r n

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M

time after that there was nothing left

to do but for both teams to shake hands

both claiming that result is a smashing

victory for the respect of skills both

emphasizing the cleanliness and true

British sportsmanship of the contest and

for both teams to retire to The Barley

MO

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B

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the

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the Happ you

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are be

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and

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oh

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