Noise

The test match crowd I guess is split 2:1 between supporters of England and India, and the atmosphere is almost totally respectful and calm. However, each side has its noisy faction. These Indians drummers were very loud, and when the game was playing, they appeared to be going round the ground (just behind the stands) creating atmosphere as they went. In the "party stand", English culture was on display, as increasingly drunken men sought to build the longest possible "beer snake" from empty cardboard pint cups. This was accompanied by the chant of "Feed the snake... feed the snake". It's funny when you first see it, but soon gets old... And every day...

Today everything was better. Thanks to the groceries I bought last night, I had breakfast in my room, and caught the same train to Manchester as yesterday. There I knew which tram to take, and there was no repetition of yesterday's long queue to get into the ground. Indeed, I was in my seat well within two hours of leaving my accommodation in Macclesfield.

Weather-wise, it began dull, which helped England finish the Indian first innings relatively cheaply, despite the heroics of their player who batted today with a broken toe. He was clearly in a lot of discomfort, and his footwork was restricted, but he scored a few valuable runs for India. When his innings ended he left to a standing ovation from all at the ground. As the sun came out, England took a dominant hold on the game. The day's only disappoint was that neither of England's openers scored hundreds, but tomorrow should be good to watch.