The controversy over the leasehold value of disused railway tunnels does not appear to be material for an amusing story. Nor do many of the protagonists in this story make for particularly sympathetic characters. In fact, if you want a gist of the saga, imagine a fracas in St. John's Wood High Street that includes lots of sly, shiny old men with cries of "He doesn't deserve it, Tarkin".
But Charles Sell's book is so well researched, his wide range of interviews and his access to source material so remarkable that it is, against all odds, a compelling read.
It won't be for everyone, but it's really a must read if you want a deeper understanding of MCC and Lords. This is Dallas or Dynasty without the shoulder pads and glamour.
Our soap opera begins in November 1999. Railtrack, which controlled the UK's railway infrastructure at the time, was looking to sell the property, and offered the MCC the opportunity to purchase the tunnels running under the Nursery Grounds. Those tunnels include 179 meters along Wellington Road at Lord's (where the Nursery Pavilion is currently located) and about 38 meters into the ground. The MCC, through lease, controls only the top 18 inches of that land. Railtrack wanted £1.75m for this.
But MCC recently overspent on the media center (a building that is admired far more by those who don't have to work in it), had an overdraft of nearly £15 million and was uncomfortable borrowing further. As a result, they went astray.
Railtrack took the land up for auction, where MCC turned down a bid of £2.35 million, and barrister-turned-property developer Charles Rifkind placed a bid of £2.35 million. It was probably the costliest mistake in club history.
Riffkind's dream was to work with MCC to develop a "Vision for the Lords". This included a residential development on a strip of land along Wellington Road (and at the opposite end of the grounds, behind the pavilion), which would realize around £400m to enable the MCC to update its facilities. At times there were plans to use the tunnels as an underground trap area, as well as to provide more space to the neighboring Wellington Hospital. Importantly, proposals are allowed to maintain the nursery ground as a decent sized space for fixtures below the first class level.
But some people in the MCC did not agree with this. Maybe they didn't like the plans; Maybe they didn't like Riffkind. But after 20 years, the "approach" remains unfinished and the relationship between the protagonists is increasingly dissolved. It is unclear how or when the MCC is going to fund the next phase of redevelopment of a ground whose reputation sometimes outweighs its reality.
The Civil War in The Covers Are Off - Lords tells this story. Cell, a former sports writer for the Daily Mail, has been given access to a remarkable amount of evidence, including plans, emails, letters and minutes of meetings – combined with his diligent efforts to get the protagonists talking (to more than 60 interviewees). Thanks are given) in acknowledgment) presents an almost exciting level of detail. It may sound monotonous, but Sales does such a great job of presenting it that the end result is a real page-turner.
Is this a proper account? Former MCC president Oliver Stocken is pictured in such a dim light that you can almost imagine him wearing a cape and ending every sentence with a roar of "mahwaha". In contrast, the Riffkind is generally seen as a person whose affable determination is unshakable despite the mistakes made on him. You suspect that such characterization does not allow for shades of grey.
As a window into the committee rooms at Lord's, the book is devastating. While MCC executives – especially CEOs – are portrayed as hardworking, honest and well-meaning, from the book it seems as though they are bound by a committee system that, at its best, is cumbersome and hard-working. Refuels poorly. From prejudices and self-importance. Some of them mentioned sound downright awful, and some are a lot less catchy than that. The voice of reason - the likes of former Prime Minister John Major - has been effectively silenced.
And that leads us to the two most serious claims made by sales. The first is that some of Rifkind's resistance, which is Jewish, was inspired by anti-Semitism, and second that the recent redesign of Compton and Edric Stand was inspired "despite", as Rifkind puts it.
That first claim is strong. But when Lord Grabiner (who is quoted as calling Stocken a "f****** c***" in a meeting), says, "I am sure the MCC will defend and make its original bad decision." were very determined to be sure that the Jews would not make any money from it", and Sir Simon Robertson (former president of Rolls-Royce) says, "...was a jolt of anti-Semitic sentiment; no question", it was the attack. There isn't a line that feels completely convincing.
But the other? Well, the footprint of the new stands are such that they heavily encroach upon the area previously occupied by the nursery ground. As a result, if the club has any intention of keeping that area as a cricket ground - and it insists - there is no room for construction on land owned by Rifkind.
Stocken himself is quoted as admitting it was a tactical move by the club. The words are even more clear from the estates' former chairman and longtime MCC committee member Blake Gorst, who says there is no denying that the additional width of the new Compton and Edric Stand was a blocking tactic against Riffkind. "This means that in order to have the nursery end as a cricket pitch, we would have to border the edge of the leasehold land. This would eliminate any development at that end of the ground."
And that, perhaps, is the paramount message of this book. While Lord's is a wonderful ground in many ways, there is more than just a touch of arrogance about the oft-made claim that it is, unsurprisingly, "the best ground in the world". No one making this claim has probably been to Adelaide or Sydney recently. Whisper it quietly, Lord's may not be the best ground in London.
Equally, to the self-satisfaction of everyone on innumerable committees, they have taken some wretched decisions over the years. Look at the land-bound homes that were sold for £50,000, later bought back for £8.5m, and are currently worth £4m. Look at the recent £25m redevelopment of the Warner Stand, which still resulted in dozens of seats with restricted visibility. Look, above all, in the case of D'Olivera. In fact, it makes you wonder why they are so pleased with themselves.
The last word goes to a little-known member of the committee, who says long ago that his colleagues would have done well to get attention. "The committee should focus on what the club wants to achieve, rather than block RLP [Refkind's company]," Jonathan Willeman is quoted as saying.