Last Sunday I had the pleasure of participating in a cricket match against Sir John Major’s England Women’s XI for the Lords & Commons XI. In the beautiful setting of Wormsley Park in Buckinghamshire, we Parliamentarians battled unsuccessfully and lost by quite a few runs! The event was held in aid of three military charities including ‘Help the Heroes’.

Congratulations must go to the Bangladeshi Cricket team on their unexpected win against India yesterday. In honour of their success, I went out for a curry at the nearest Tandoori restaurant to the Conference centre in Nottingham. By chance, the Bangladeshi owners not only had a picture of the winning team on the wall from a previous visit, they also enthusiastically declared their lifelong support for the Conservative Party and, in particular, for Kenneth Clarke MP.

In fact, it is the widely respected Old Grumblers’ XI. I happen to be one of its proudest members.