In fact, it's hard to find one who reckons he can remember a colder start to a cricket season.

But spare a thought for the umpires. Players only had to spend half the game out in the field (apart from batting), the old umpires were stuck out there for the entire duration - and five hours and more can't have been a deal of fun.

One umpire tells me he realised it would be an ordeal and so kitted himself up in... long johns under his trousers, two pairs of socks including thick walking socks; t-shirt, shirt, short-sleeved cricket sweater, thick long-sleeved cricket sweater, umpires coat, woolly hat and gloves.

He says he loved it when the bowler at his end took off his sweater and handed it to him: "I draped it on my back, tying the arms round the front of my neck and, oh, how it helped - it was lovely," he said.

Come the tea interval and the other umpire was complaining about the cold. He cheered up when Mr Well-wrapped-up said he'd got a spare hat and gloves in the car.

There was the famous occasion when a cricket match in June was affected by snow.

It was June 2, 1975 when the second day's play between Derbyshire and Lancashire was called off because the ground up at Buxton was covered by an inch of snow!

I recall a Friday night international athletics meeting in June just a few years ago at Don Valley Stadium which, admittedly, is just about the coldest stadium on earth.

I was wearing the same clothing I would wear at a football match in winter. This was June. And despite sitting on the back row, I had rain gusting into my face at times.

Incidentally, no prizes for guessing who was one of the umpires up at snowy Buxton back in 1975. Yes, you've guessed . . . Dickie Bird.

Foxes need it more than Owls!

THIS next statement may have a few people suggesting I get carted off to the funny farm.

But I reckon Leicester City can afford a defeat tomorrow LESS so than Sheffield Wednesday in their big relegation battle.

As Wednesday start a point behind, you might think that - of the two - Wednesday are the ones that can't afford a defeat. But I base it on this.

If Leicester lose, they will trail Wednesday by a point. Leicester's last match is at Stoke, who may need to win to go up to the Premiership. Would you back Leicester?

No, they'll be putting all their eggs in tomorrow's basket.

Of course, defeat for Wednesday puts them on the brink but they could still do it by beating Norwich and Southampton getting no more than two points from West Brom, away, and then at home to the Blades who will surely be busting a gut for their old pals from across the city. Won't they?

My pig of a howler

ON THAT theme, it seems I innocently caused a stir amongst Wednesdayites with the introduction to a piece I wrote the other day.
I speculated, with reference to that last game at Southampton, that United could save Wednesday's bacon...

E-mails have followed and I gather there's been a few references on message boards. But it was all innocent. Honest.

A neutral in all this, I never associate either club with the animal that provides the above meat.

Had it entered my head, I would definitely not have written it and used another phrase.

OK, you might say it should have crossed my mind. It didn't and that's why it appeared.

Anyway, apologies and I'm now off for some breakfast. But I'm not saying what I'm having!

What do you think? Post your comments below.

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