Students watch Eton v Harrow at Lord's 2022. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Davidson
It's like there are multiple incarnations of Mark Nicholas. A friend of Sir Mick Jagger, biographer of Shane Warne, Hampshire captain and for the last 25 years the smoothest man on television, he today takes on the new guise of president of Marylebone Cricket Club. In many ways, this is the privilege of a lifetime. The only two first-class matches he attended as a child were at Lord's, and the second in particular retains an enduring poignancy.
“I sat with my dad and watched Ted Dexter come back for Sussex in the 1968 Gillette Cup final,” he recalls. “I was beside myself with excitement. And then we went home and played in our little garden. I was Dexter, the father was Jon Snow, and the two of us beat Warwickshire for the second time that day. Dad died a week later, and I often felt that a cricket filled that hole, that this place was somehow imprinted on me through those two appearances here when I was a little boy.
Today, 55 years later, the cricket situation that Nicholas explores is much more complex. It has already been a busy year for the MCC, with the club gaining worldwide fame following the horrific Ashes scenes in July when three members approached the Australian players in the Long Room, accusing them of cheating. Add to this the bitter controversy over historic matches, with the future of the annual Eton v Harrow match a major bone of contention, and he has some fragile forces to balance during his 12-month presidency.
Nicholas is not an Eton vs. Harrow preacher. Despite his future at Lord's being guaranteed until 2027, as a sop to MCC traditionalists, he insists his time has passed. “Many of the club's founding fathers were Eton and Harrow boys and they just wanted a cricket ground to play their games on,” he explains. “Perfectly reasonable. But times are changing. And the world is so far from this world now.”
Many years ago: lunchtime parade and walk through Lord's Stadium the second day of the annual Eton v Harrow match in July 1935. Photo: Getty Images
There is, of course, an argument that no institution should be more scrupulous in following tradition than the MCC, since the Eton-Harrow match has been played at Lord's in one way or another since 1805. “I love tradition, but tradition is only as good as it is relevant,” says Nicholas. “And now there are at most a couple thousand children here. Most of them, frankly speaking, are on party lists. I wonder if the directors even want this game? Judging by the way things are going at Eton and Harrow, I have a suspicion not.
“The manager did not quite understand the essence of the attempt to cancel the match. But there will be natural osmosis. Within this compromise, common sense will prevail over the next four years. And the game will probably move to some other truly festive venue, such as Burton Court in Chelsea or the Sir Paul Getty Stadium. Or it could simply be alternating between Eton and Harrow. I see it happening very naturally. It is clear to me that Eton Harrow is not the place to be. I have three stepsons who went to Eton and they don't think for a minute that the game should be played at Lord's.»
It may seem surprising to hear such an opinion from someone who occupies such an important role in the establishment. But Nicholas's view echoes that of his predecessor Stephen Fry, who told The Telegraph last year that the MCC should oppose the right of schoolchildren coming to Lord's to chant: «We have more prime ministers than you.» Nicholas has been involved since 2005 with Chance to Shine, a charity aimed at getting more cricket coaches into public schools where fewer than one in 10 pupils play the game. It is not surprising that in his latest position he intends to follow the same passions.
«We haven't unearthed talent,» he says. “Our initial idea was that it wasn't about what kids can do for cricket, but what cricket can do for kids. It would be good to continue this now. And doing this through the MCC would be great. I have long felt that the Mission Control Center needs something to shout about from the rooftops.”
This need has never been more urgent than now. By Nicholas's own admission, the influence of the club, which was once cricket's governing body, «is low and under serious threat.» The ridiculous behavior of three players with eggs and bacon at Lord's Ashes Test, abusing their proximity to the players, insulting the Australians over Alex Carey's dismissal of Jonny Bairstow, briefly dragged the MCC's reputation into the quagmire. Nicholas is adamant: there can be no repetition.
“It was infuriating because it fueled the fire,” he says. «I'll bet my bottom dollar that these three guys will look back and think, 'How did I lose the plot so badly?' I think there will be another chance to maintain the position that we have, and it is unique. There is no other platform that allows players to pass through the main observation deck of the Members' Pavilion. One more incident like this is enough, and it will never happen again.”
Nicholas moves in circles, away from the more fossilized enclaves of cricket. He formed a deep friendship with Warne during his years as a hell of a hooligan in Hampshire and remains close to Jagger, a cricket fan known for tuning into matches even while touring with the Rolling Stones. “I dated Mick’s assistant in the nineties,” he says. “I met him for the first time at Getty Stadium in Wormsley. Then I realized that he knows a lot about cricket. But precisely because his stage persona is so “unusual”, it can be difficult to fit him into another part of the mosaic.” Mark Nicholas sits with Mick Jagger at the fifth Ashes Test in July. Photo: Shutterstock/Kieran McManus
It is against this backdrop that Nicholas is wary of making generalizations about MCC's eclectic 24,000-strong group, even as the place struggles with stubborn prejudice. “I said to someone the other day, ‘MCC’s mistake was they didn’t have a plain navy blue tie,’” he laughs. “These egg and bacon colors are the subject of attacks, parody and ridicule. But we have to be better than that. We have to tell people that we are going to introduce this platform to as many children as possible. We have to make sure we justify to people having two Test matches over the summer. We cannot dwell on Eton Harrow or members' bad behaviour. We must move on.»
He sighs deeply when I mention the Independent Equality Commission in the recent Cricket report with its damning portrayal of endemic classism, racism and sexism, indicating that he finds the portrayal harsh. . “I don’t really think there’s a deep-rooted problem,” he says. “There are areas that need to be focused on. But cricket is a much more inclusive game that is sometimes given credit for. In many ways it is a very good game.”
He understands Lord Botham's reasons for throwing the «nonsense» on the floor. “It would be unfair for Ian not to respond in this way. You have to remember that Ian hung out with Viv Richards and Joel Garner and they were his best friends. Ian didn't live in a game that directly had these problems. It was extremely popular among players all over the world. He played a very carefree version of the game and lived a very carefree life. None of this surprised me, and I can see why people agreed with him.”
Even so, Nicholas will have to navigate the cultural maelstrom at MCC much more deftly, especially in these polarized times. “It’s very difficult for a private membership club to turn a corner quickly,” he says. “I think the ICEC report was difficult, especially on MCC. It's easy to pick out historical lamps and egg and bacon ties and knock them out. But I think we are more than that. In fact, I think we are something more.”
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