It’s been a quite couple of weeks in the Life After Football blogging world as work has cranked up getting in the way of all those fun things like visiting pubs.
Unlike those men of leisure Taylor, Mackay, Mudgie and Southworth x2, the rest of us have to shoe horn in pubs around pesky work commitments.
Although I have to say, leisurely afternoons in old school boozers at this precise moment in time are exactly what the doctor ordered.
That Mark Shirley’s got the right idea as he is the king of pubs with skittle alleys, bar billiards and Aunt Sally (it’s a proper pub game, honest guv) which means he specialises in pubs with a bit of history.
528 – Cricketers Rest NG16 2NP is one of those gems and covered with plenty of panache by Mark here.
It can be found in the old mining village of Kimberley, which was famous for Hardy & Hanson’s Brewery and Kimberley Brewery before that nasty mob at Greene King came and bought them out and closed them down.
I can’t say I’m much of an expert on Nottingham but the more time I spend in the suburbs and nearby towns then the more I realise why the late great Alan Winfield loved a drink in a ‘proper pub.’
Nottingham towns/villages and suburbs are full of great pubs tucked away and Kimberley is no exception. It’s not far from the IKEA golden mile in Giltbrook and Eastwood and at half one on a Thursday afternoon, The Cricketers Rest was buzzing.
“Notorious” by Duran Duran was on in the background and there was a party of about 20 in the corner whilst plenty of other blokes dotted around and the common denominator was they were all friendly.
Either a nod of the head, a quick pub chat or directions for the loo, it was a welcoming place with loads of cricket memorabilia on the walls although I’ve yet to work out the link with the greatest summer game.
Sky Sports means you could have watched England’s recent win over South Africa in here and bench seating, beermats, beams as well as eighties tunes gave it a real throwback feel.
It’s a Castle Rock pub and they do a great job of restoring pubs – think Nottingham’s version of Black Country Ales – and also do a decent drop of ale.
(proper pub = proper beermats)
Half a pint of Elsie Mo (Castle Rock) was top notch and all of a sudden the large party departed and the barflies remained and the atmosphere quietened but was still a welcoming proper pub that, to all intents and purposes, hadn’t changed for years.
It is the sort of place I could imagine Messrs Taylor, Mackay, Mudgie and other assorted retired miscreants spending an afternoon and chewing the fat over some good quality ale with the cricket on in the background.
No wonder Alan loved Nottingham so much. Roll on retirement and whilst I’m waiting, I’ll raise a glass to the ultimate pubman!
Visiting pubs IS work!
Lovely piece on a top pub town. Anywhere you can here “Notorious” in 2020 is worth the trip. Wonder what they were playing in 1986.
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Ha! I reckon bits and pieces by the Dave Clark 5!
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“Visiting pubs IS work!” Unfortunately the pay scale is rather low.
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😄 yes but I’m happy to take it on in a volunteer role!
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I already spend too much time in the pub, retirement could tip me over the edge into proper pub blogging 😱
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Blogging takes up more time than pubbing, Mark 😉
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Good point well made 😉👍
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Resist! Resist!
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It was the nasty directors of Hardys & Hansons who willingly sold up to Greene King not long after saying they saw a bright future as an independent company.
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Indeed, though GK are regarded as the villains mainly due to the almost immediate closure of the brewery, truly awful replica and replacement beers, and of course the ongoing closure of some locally valued pubs in the area.
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Yes, but if you sell your child to the wolf, you have a pretty good idea of what’s like to happen 🐺
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Yes….money appears to trump everything else.., arguably both as guilty
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Most current tenants don’t speak highly of Greene King as pub managers and that speaks volumes
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Money talks, though, and no doubt GK made them an offer they couldn’t refuse.
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Twas ever thus and unfortunately always will be
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Good knowledge Mudge….once the filthy lucre gets involved then anything goes!
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I’m also still a wage slave, as I can’t afford to retire. There are no “golden handshakes” in the private sector, and if there are, I certainly haven’t seen them.
My pub time too is strictly limited; but that’s probably not too bad a thing!
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Ha! Join the club Paul as I appear to be missing golden handshakes as well! Yes that’s a good point as retirement could be the road to ruin!!
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