WANDSWORTH COMMON

THE MUSICAL

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Cricket, Lovely Cricket - The Heathfield Calypso

(After Lord Beginner and Lord Kitchener, "Victory Calypso)

Nick Pruce

Nick: Victory Calypso was sung spontaneously by Lord Beginner and Lord Kitchener after the West Indies beat England at Lord's in 1950. It's on Youtube. It's worth listening to before you read the song. The calypso rhythm is very flexible and a good performer could make it work (or it could be modified). All the ideas (and some of the words) come from the Dan Leno stuff that you put on the website.

YouTube: Listen here.

Cricket, lovely cricket - The Heathfield Calypso

Cricket, lovely cricket

At Heathfield where I saw it

Cricket, lovely cricket

Bolingbroke made a profit

Dan Leno's team did its best

Heathfield won the test

They gave the crowd plenty fun

Cricket match and the hospital won.



Dan Leno led out his side

But they were so disguised

It was all that we could do

To distinguish who was who

One was attired as an Indian chief

One was an Admiral of the Fleet

There were ladies of uncertain age

And a Wandle pirate took the stage.



Little Dando, three feet in height

And sixteen stone Mutt, what a sight

He gave the ball such a thumping

He was disqualified for humping

Little Dando would not yield

Not out - so they hauled him off the field

One was out "head before the wicket"

And someone shouted "It isn't cricket!"



Miss Katie Seymour the actress was there

And Lawrence Athol the dancing bear

When he shouted "Miss Seymour's out"

She gave him such a resounding clout

First he turned three somersaults

Then hysterically called for smelling salts

She gave the next ball such a hoof

They fielded it on the pavilion roof.



A clown on a bicycle rode around

The band paraded on the ground

The Heathfields thumped the drum beats

The sailors played the trumpets

The cyclist blew on a bassoon

Each man played a different tune

What a sound! What harmony!

Dan Leno and his company.