The braying jeers of “We’ve had more Prime Ministers than you!” will be able to ring around the stands at Lord’s for at least another five years after the Eton v Harrow fixture was given a reprieve by the MCC.
The news that this match, played at Lord’s since 1805, and the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity match, played since 1851, were to be axed from the ground this year caused an acrimonious split in the club with a specialist historic fixtures group formed to organise a vote against the move.
That was avoided when the MCC Committee performed a U-turn in September, and the whole issue has been kicked down the road to be revisited again in 2027.
