That’s Third Man up there on the banner – the one with an old top-hat and a double teapot. The Squire don’t trust him no more. And he’s right to. He sees two balls now instead of one.
His last innings, like his first, was a golden duck. Between that first ball and the last he has become quite familiar with those two imposters, Triumph and Disaster.
Why Third Man? Because that’s where they put him now that they’ve run out of other places to hide him. Third Man comes to us all. But it’s a good place from which to contemplate the game.
In no other activity are utter humiliation and indescribable joy so close together.
If you know what Third Man is going on about, he hopes there’s some interest to be found here. And plenty of room for partnerships to build.
What’s all this stuff about time travel? Third Man was born some when in the second quarter of the C18th in the village of Whirld’s End, a short ride from the cradle of cricket, Hambledon.
Showing an early aptitude for that game, TM was taken into service by the Squire and fanatical sportsman, the 2nd Duke of ______ .
His Grace, as a man of science and member of the Royal Society, dedicates many hours in the village smithy to constructing machines that enable travel back through time. The present model undergoing development is the Type III.
One of Third Man’s many off-field duties is to act as test pilot.
Time travel, readers will be aware, delays the aging process and accounts for the longevity of both the Squire and Third Man.
Down At Third Man 
‘Shack’ will do for me thanks. First match I saw was in 1959 between Surrey and Hampshire (Portsmouth) – they’d finished first and second in the previous season. The first incident was ‘Shack’ trapping John Edrich for a ‘duck’ and for the next 10 years I saw him take many more wickets and bowl many maidens. Years later I got to know him a little and he was a lovely man and a great county cricketer.
Dave Allen (Hon Curator, Hampshire Cricket)
I recently came across your excellent blog and was hoping to promote it on my site. Do you have an email contact that I can send more information to?
Thanks
Ben
I would be delighted if TM would take part in the cricket blogger survey that I’m hosting. It won’t rid the game of Andy Flower, but may provide some short minutes of interest.Thanks Chris