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<meta http-equiv='X-UA-Compatible' content='IE=EmulateIE8' ><title>Mr Major’s Speech at the National Sporting Club Lunch - 8th July 2008</title>
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<p class="Wp-Body-P"><span class="Body-C"><a href="page18.html" style="text-decoration:underline;">1997 Onwards</a> -<wbr> Sir John Major’s Speech at the National Sporting Club Lunch</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Body-P"><span class="Body-C-C0">Below is the text of Sir John Major’s speech at the National Sporting Club Lunch,
    in honour of the South African touring team, held at the Royal Garden Hotel in London
    on Tuesday 8th July 2008.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Body-P"><span class="Body-C-C1">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Body-P"><span class="Body-C-C1">SIR JOHN MAJOR:</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Thank you, David, my book is available in all good book shops...</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Let me first welcome the South African team to England. We&#39;re absolutely delighted
    to see them here -<wbr> and looking forward to seeing them play on Thursday of this week.
    Huge excitement about this tour.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">From the few hours cricket our wretched weather has enabled them to have, it is regretfully
    evident their batsmen are in good form and I think everyone -<wbr> with the exception
    of the English batsmen -<wbr> are looking forward to seeing their new pace attack.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Over the years, we&#39;ve come to value games against South Africa and the forthcoming
    series, albeit only three instead of five that I would wish it to be, promises to
    be vintage. Let’s hope for good cricket (likely), good crowds (certain), good weather
    (hugely problematic) and a good outcome to the Series although that, of course, may
    not mean the same thing to the two Teams. In any event -<wbr> should be a spicy contest.
    I don’t think I’m the only person who can’t wait for Thursday...</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">By its very nature, cricket brings victory and defeat and delight and despair. Ironically,
    it was an Englishman with the unusual name -<wbr> not of Despair, but of a man called
    Anguish -<wbr> who, probably, first introduced cricket to South Africa. We can be grateful
    that he did because, since then, we have enjoyed watching a great stream of cricketers
    from Dudley Nourse to the present team.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">I look about this room and see my generation reasonably represented.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">One great regret for my generation is that -<wbr> when politics ruled South Africa out
    of Test cricket -<wbr> some truly great players like Barry Richards, Mike Proctor, Graeme
    Pollock and Eddie Barlow had their Test career ruined. As a result, cricket lost
    sight of what might have been one of the greatest of all Test sides in the long history
    of Test cricket. Thankfully -<wbr> for South Africa -<wbr> such days are long behind us.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">South Africa’s Captain, of course, for this Tour is Graham Smith, well-<wbr>known here
    and widely admired. When England first toured South Africa in 1889, the English Captain
    for the First Test was also called Smith -<wbr> C. A. Smith, but perhaps better known
    as C. Aubrey Smith, Hollywood actor, star of Rebecca and The Prisoner of Zenda.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Aubrey Smith played only one Test whereas Graham has not only played a great many
    -<wbr> with, hopefully, many to come -<wbr> but Graham is by far a greater cricketer than his
    earlier name-<wbr>sake. I am not sure, however, how good he may be as an actor!</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">A few years after that first Tour, a trend began that has not yet ended. Over recent
    decades, several very fine South African cricketers have played for England -<wbr> no
    doubt to immense South African frustration. This is not a new phenomenon. We are
    prepared to accept anyone.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">In the early 1889 Tour, an Englishman, R. M. Poore, once ADC to cricket’s Lord Harris
    in India -<wbr> turned out for South Africa against the English tourists. Lord Hawke,
    the English Captain, and Harris’ protegé was apoplectic -<wbr> and tried to poach him
    back to the England Team but lamentably failed to do so. I mention this only to discourage
    anyone from looking at the antecedents of any members of the current England team.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">One of the delights of cricket is that you don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it.
    I have always loved cricket but was only an average player. My failure to pick in-<wbr>swing,
    out-<wbr>swing, leg-<wbr>spin, off-<wbr>spin and length -<wbr> condemned me to a life of politics.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Once, I failed to pick the wrong people and questioned their parentage. With apologies,
    it was true. I was once forthright in private and off the record.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Nevertheless, cricket was always a solace, even in the most difficult days. I remember
    after having lost the 1997 Election rather comprehensively, I went to the West Indies
    to watch an England game and -<wbr> with that gift that served me so well in politics
    -<wbr> picked the only game in Test history that was abandoned because the pitch was unfit.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">Hopefully, the weather won’t call off any of the games during this Tour and I wish
    the South African team a good Tour, free of injury -<wbr> and (of course, within the limits
    of my English prejudice) every success both on and off the pitch.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">It is, Graham -<wbr> truly -<wbr> a delight to have you here.</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C-C0">[Indistinct, but anecdotes relating to cricket].</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Wp-Normal-P"><span class="Normal-C">I don’t expect any instances like that but I do expect some wonderful cricket and
    I think a very large part of that wonderful cricket will be played by the South African
    team.</span></p>
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