It was dark. Whilst we could see a distant glimmer of a pub upon a village green, finding the road by which to reach it was a little more challenging. Once parked outside, I was pleasantly surprised by the bustle of people inside. As much as I love the Beer in the Evening website, the last Sunday night pub it led us to managed to be simultaneously hostile and empty. The Cricketers looked pretty from the outset (I imagined even more lovely in the summer when the green wasn't just a dark expanse), and once inside we were met with one of the friendliest and most chatty landlords experienced in a while, (how many times have you been entertained by an Alexander the Meerkat impression, by the person serving your drinks? And introduced to the selection of meerkat memorabilia behind the bar).
There was much in the way of Badger ales and slight touches of quirkiness in the knick-knacks dotted around the pub. Deep in conversation I didn't realise for a while that the crowd had disappated by about 9.30pm, and we were the only ones left (well, us and a couple of chubby birds...I'm sure they had lovely personalities):
I am quite a fan of slightly weird pubs (the appearance of the tiniest dogs in the world firmly put this pub in that category), particularly when they are friendly, old-fashioned and cosy as The Cricketers is. The toilets did let the side down somewhat- the Ladies are in definite need of a refurb, and I have it on good authority that there is a very unconventional colour scheme going on in the Gents. But hey, all good conversation topics! Didn't sample any food, but I hope to visit again and can highly recommend a visit.
