By Charles Randall
16 June 2013
Geoff Boycott and Jonathan Agnew, two kingpins of Test Match Special, are appearing on stage during the Ashes series, starting at the Lyric Theatre in London on 1 July, and the organisers are offering discounts and special incentives for cricket club members.
The show, called An Evening With Boycott and Aggers, features chat and repartie from Boycott and 'Aggers', plus undisclosed video material, celebrity guests and surprises for cricket lovers in town, coinciding with the Test at Lord's. The evening should be worth a trip to Shaftesbury Avenue, perhaps after a visit to the ICC's free photography exhibition at the Getty Images Gallery in Eastcastle Street.
The Lyric box office is giving a £5 discount on all ticket prices -- promotion code "club" -- and the show producers are offering a chance to meet Boycott and Agnew back stage at each venue, including a photograph to mark the occasion, perhaps for a pavilion bar wall somewhere. This incentive applies to cricket clubs booking 11 or more tickets at each show, with all names entered into a draw and the winner chosen on the night.
After the Lyric evening the TMS pair are scheduled to appear at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the City Hall in Newcastle. All venues are offering discounts for cricket club members, as listed below.
In these four shows Boycott talks frankly with Agnew about his career in the middle and his time at the centre of controversy. They debate hot topics from the Ashes series, Boycott's views on modern cricketers and about cricket in general. As an important part of this tried and trusted format, there will be an opportunity for the audience to put their own questions.
The events are being run in association with the Professional Cricketers’ Association, and there will be a £1 donation to the PCA benevolent fund from each ticket sold.
Club cricket discounts available
Lyric, London (7.30pm, 1 July)
Deal: £5 off all ticket prices, plus backstage prize for draw winner.
Tel: 0844 412 4661
www.nimaxtheatres.com/lyric-heatre/an_evening_with_boycott_and_aggers
Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham (7.30pm, 4 July)
Deal: Buy 10 get one free, buy 15 get two free, plus backstage prize for draw winner.
Tel: 0115 989 5555
Send your club name to elizabeth.charlesworth@nottinghamcity.gov.uk after booking at the box office.
Bridgewater Hall, Manchester (7.30pm, 30 July)
Deal: Buy 10 get one free, buy 15 get two free, plus backstage prize for draw winner.
Tel: 0844 907 9000
City Hall, Newcastle (7.30pm, 7 August)
Deal: 10 per cent off for 10 booking or more and 15 per cent off for 20 bookings or more, plus backstage prize for draw winner.
Tel: 0191 2778030
The ICC have put on a free photography exhibition in conjunction with Getty Images for visitors to London, running until 29 June.
Getty Images Gallery is hosting the exhibition at 46 Eastcastle Street, not far from Oxford Circus tube station. This high-quality collection showcases 50 iconic photographic images, featuring a number of unusual, behind the scenes photographs of cricketers during ICC events dating back to 1975. Subjects include eminent players such as Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards and Sir Ian Botham, as well as modern day great players such as Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne.
The ICC said: "Many of the images highlight the evolution of cricket photography from flash-gun-and-dark-room to digital transmission from the boundary edge, but the images all portray the same variety of euphoria, excitement, pride, despair and cricketing agility."