Sheldon Marlborough Cricket Club, Birmingham

I last tried to visit this club on a weekend some time during the Covid period. The club was open and there was at least one customer, but those were strange times and the barman wasn't about to let any strangers in, perhaps for fear that we would infect him?! Undeterred, I re-visited on a cold autumnal Friday evening in time for the (very poorly published) 7pm weekday opening time. We had arrived to find the door padlocked with not a lot of sign of life. About to give up at 7:15, I spotted an additional light on and caught a glimpse of somebody inside. Presumably this person resides at the club, as nobody arrived during our time waiting at the car park. Indeed, when we entered, I'm fairly sure that this guy was the same one who we had met a couple of years back. Locals seemed to know that the Club doesn't open on time, as they started pouring in shortly after our arrival. Indeed, it appeared that we had taken their favoured table for playing crib. After evicting us in a humorous manner, they turned out to be a fairly elderly and friendly bunch. Clearly regulars, they were interested to speak to a family of strangers to learn about our exploits. Silhill Blonde Star was the real ale. The barman poured enough through to ensure that it was a good quality beer. The Club overlooks the cricket pitch, which probably makes it a lively place to be when a match is on during the summer. I'm glad I persevered and finally got to visit.