Ride a White Horse to Banbury Cross! By Alfred N.Muggins Part 3

Part 3

    However someone up there must be winking at them, because about half way back to Daventry outside a pub, in the gathering darkness of a pub car park there was a pub showing the match on a reasonable sized TV screen under a good sized awning. Alfred pulled into the car park, and decisive Mrs Muggins went to ask, and as it was in the outdoors, and there were sufficient places on the benches to sit, untouched by the occasional rain which was sometimes coming down now, they were allowed to join the watchers under the awning There was no room indoors, which appeared quite full of people, and like the other places in Banbury, subject to restriction, but the generous people of Midland England parted to welcome them to the table and give them space, comrades in our national competition! And so their prayers were answered, and even inconsolable Mrs Muggins’ son was happy now! They would see the rest of the match, the second half, without doubt now. They were served drinks at the table, and settled down to watch and take in the passionate reactions of some of the male adults, in particular, around them, as darkness descended and the weather got wetter, and the evening cooler.

    After a match, including extra time, in which the Italians were blamed for playing quite dirty, the two national teams had merely drawn, so it came down to a penalty shoot out! Alfred can’t now remember the final score, except that England lost on penalties, (for which he will doubtless be castigated by the entire male population of England, even now not far off two years later, but don’t forget he is very good at remembering historical dates, many of which are hardly trivial matters, given their historical significance, so do make allowances for him!)  The match was also memorable because the England players who missed their shots were subjected to a very unfair amount of unpleasant and racist abuse for their failure, which apparently proved, sadly, that fair England was still a racist and unfair place to live in! However it did not seem that at this moment to the Mugginses, who felt they had been welcomed mercifully into the arms of the Midlands by its generous inhabitants. England still had plenty to celebrate, Alfred was sure!