A passion for cricket

In Entertainment today, we listen to extracts from an interview with JohnMajor, who was the British Prime Minister before Tony Blair. He's written athbook about the history of cricket from the 18  century to the First World War –it's called More Than a Game – the Story of Cricket's Early Years, and, aswe'll hear, there's plenty to say about the ways politics and cricket meet.
　　First, here's John Major talking about how cricket used to be very 'class-ridden'. In other words, it followed the class divisions of society. He agreesthat cricket was very bound-up with class, but that was becoming less true, itwas 'beginning fade', when he fell in love with the game, as a boy growing upin a working class family. He says there were meaningless, or 'absurd',practices, such as men of different status having to enter the pitch throughdifferent gates and use different dressing rooms!
　　As you listen, try to catch the expression John Major uses to describe howcricket was very slow to accept or 'to come to terms with', the fact that societywas changing, it was becoming less divided by class.
　　 John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19  century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
　　 Amber:  Did you catch it? John Major says cricket was 'very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.' 'The real world' – the set of situations mosthumans have to deal with in their lives, rather than what happens in stories,films, and so on.
　　John Major'Yes, it was, I mean, it was beginning to fade then, but only just beginning. And of course forth thmost of the 19  century and before, it was a very class-ridden game. Until well into the 20century, you found professionals and amateurs entering the pitch from different gates - it wasan absurdity - and not sharing the same dressing room. It was very slow in many ways tocome to terms with the real world.'
　　Amber:  In his book, John Major admits to feeling very sorry that, when he was PrimeMinister, many playing fields, especially school playing fields, were sold. Thisprevented many people from playing cricket in a land where the modernversion of the game was born!
　　He says 'in retrospect' – when he thinks about the past in the light of theknowledge he has now – he thinks he should have made it harder for playingfields to be sold. He should have put in place a 'blanket-ban'. A blanket-ban isan unlimited ban, affecting all cases. So, does he feel guilty?
　　 John Major'I do. I mean, I did stop some of them and I did make it harder for them to be sold. I think inretrospect it would have been better to have had a blanket-ban on the sales.'
　　Amber:  And will John Major be publishing other books? And why does he write?
　　 Listen.
　　John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'
　　Amber:  Well, we don't know if he'll be publishing other books but he has written'drafts of bits of several novels' – a draft is a first or rough version - and hewrites a lot of poetry, but this is private.
　　And he writes because he finds it 'cathartic', calming and purifying, especially'at moments of stress', or difficulty.
　　John Major'I've always enjoyed writing. I still have drafts of bits of several novels, but I wrote all thetime. I write a lot of poetry, not for publication, but privately. I find it very cathartic to pickup a pen and to write – it's particularly cathartic at moments of stress.'