Bridlington...

Visited two of East Yorkshire’s stately homes - Burton Agnes Hall and Sledmere Hall - and took plenty of pix. Then I parked up in a lay-by, edited pix and listened to the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup, England v South Africa.

It shouldn’t have been such an exciting game. South Africa only scored 218, and the commentators seemed to think it would be a cakewalk for England. But wickets kept falling, and the last five overs were excrutiating to listen to. One of the pundits left the commentary box, because she “felt sick”; another was dancing a jig on the balcony to calm her nerves. And the two who described those last five overs were so overcome with emotion that they could barely talk. It was getting to me as well. But not to Anya Schrubsole, coming in at number 10, who, needing two runs off three balls, wacked her first ball to the bounday.

India play Australia on Thursday, and the winner of that match will play England in the final on Sunday. Lords, I hear, is a sell-out… which suggests that women’s cricket has succeeded in capturing an audience. C’mon England!

The harbour, Bridlington. The sculpture, the Gansey Girl, by Steve Carvill, is a recent addition to the quayside. It depicts a young woman knitting a gansey, the traditional jumper worn by fishermen...