Anyone who has played cricket (well, perhaps going back a few years) will recognise this line-marking machine used before boundary ropes became affordable and widespread. Users inevitably ended up with as much whitewash on their feet and legs as on the grass

The Smokers and Non Smokers in a group shot ahead of their end-of-season first-class match at Lord's, September 14th 1884. The three-day game was done and dusted before tea on the second day. More than 11,000 paid to watch raising a significant amount for the Cricketers' Fund

A picture which will resonate with every fast bowler at any level ... Bob Willis rests his weary feet up after a long day in the field in the County Championship in July 1978

Douglas Jardine chats to his players after the fall of a wicket, Australia v England, 1st Test, SCG, December 1932. England won the game with Harold Larwood taking 10 for 124 in the match. It was described as a "dour affair" with "the Australians unable to withstand an attack on leg stump"

The pavilion at Lord's not long after it opened in May 1890. It cost £20,000 and was completed in less than eight months. The earth removed to build it was moved to the southern corner of the ground where it became the base of the Mound Stand

An aerial picture of Lord's taken during the 1921 Ashes. By the time the Australians returned in 1926 the Grandstand and all the seating at the Nursery End had been replaced

I have to repeat what I said at this time last year ... Now that the season is done a thank you to all the BBC local radio commentators who have provided a quality backdrop to my summer and also to the increasingly professional county video streams which keep us in touch and entertained

This Ken Kelly picture of Bishan Bedi bowling in the nets before the 1st Test at Edgbaston in July 1979 is one of my favoutites - and was also one of Kelly's - and captures the elegance and poise as he prepares to bowl

An emotional Dickie Bird wipes away a tear after being given a guard of honour by England and India at the start of his 66th and last Test, Lord's, June 20th 1996. He retired from all cricket at the end of the following summer

The old pavilion at The Oval pictured in 1891. Built in 1858, it was demolished at the end of the summer of 1897. Originally a one-story building, it was extended over the years but the construction of the new Lord's pavilion in 1890 shamed Surrey into a major redevelopment

Jack Russell's beautiful painting of the old Tavern at Lord's hangs in the ground's pavilion, sadly hidden away on the first floor partly obscured by stored TV camera equipment when I last looked. An incredible artist, and this work deserves far more prominence. It is one of my favourites.

A stunning picture of cricket on Hambledon's Broadhalfpenny Down, the cradle of cricket, during the 2022 heatwave (Marc Aspland)

Not the easiest of jobs ... a BBC cameraman soldiers on surrounded by exuberant West Indies fans, World Cup final, Lord's, June 21st 1975

Harold Larwood bowls to Ted A'Beckett, 3rd Ashes Test, MCG, December 31st 1928. Don Bradman, the non striker, had been recalled for this match after being dropped for the only time in his career in the previous Test. He scored 79 in this innings and 112 in the second

Huge crowds outside The Oval ahead of the first day of the 5th and deciding Ashes Test, August 16th 1930. Large numbers of tickets were sold on a first-come first-served basis meaning queues started forming on the evening before

Colin Cowdrey looks out from the England balcony, England v West Indies, 2nd Test, Lord's, June 25th 1963. His arm just above the wrist had been broken by Wes Hall straight after lunch. More drama came in the final over when Cowdrey came out ninth wicket down to help save the match

Jeff Thomson and an unimpressed Lord's cat in the nets on the Nursery Ground on the eve of the 2nd Ashes Test, July 30th 1975

A publicity shot of members of the Women's Royal Naval Service playing cricket at Crystal Palace in the final months of World War One (IWM)

One of the wonders of this time of year is when the sun shines as the leaves slowly start to change colour. The early morning sun sweeps across Chagford CC in Devon ...

WG Grace, Fred Grace, and James Southerton pictured in October 1873 shortly before they left for Australia to tour with WG Grace's XI

India and Pakistan together … Hanif Mohammed and the Nawab of Pataudi together at Lord’s for a Rest of the World match, September 14th 1965

The Oval, 5th Ashes Test, August 18th 1934. As had been the case in 1926 and 1930, as the series was still up for grabs this was a timeless Test, but by the close of day one Australia had put themselves in an almost impregnable position on 475 for 2.

Punter Humphreys on his way to a half century for The Rest v England in the Test Trial, The Oval, May 7th 1912. Test Trials, generally disliked by players who regarded them as meaningless, were an on-off feature of the summer until 1976.

A packed house at Sheffield's Bramall Lane as first-class cricket returned after the war, England v Australian Services, June 23rd 1945. This was the second of that summer's five Victory Tests. The roof of the main stand had been removed by German bombing

My old friend Steven Lynch has pointed out Latvia has a new cricket ground, the Infinity Oval at Olaine, which staged its first matches last month (Latvia Cricket)

Another of my favourite photos, Ken Kelly's autumnal shot of Mike Brearley in his last match before retiring walking off after leading Middlesex to a ten-wicket win and with it the County Championship at Worcester, September 11th 1982

A rare clip of WG Grace and Ranji in the nets, and also Ranji heading out to field with Lord Hawke coming out to bat. All this dates from 1899 (Pathe News)

A wonderful shot of the ebullient Harry Baldwin who took 580 wickets for Hampshire with his offspin at 24.79. He made his first-class county debut aged 17 but had to wait 18 years before his next first-class game for them. Few pictures highlight more the changing athleticism in the game

A picture I took from the back of the Free Seats (now the Compton Stand) at Lord's in September 1985 showing the letterbox view. The set-up also meant even on a hot day that area could be chilly, and the walkway behind was narrow and noisy. All round, not a great spot to be

A short clip showing the great Victor Trumper being run out for 27, Australian v SA, 1st Test, SCG, December 9th 1910. It was the first wicket to fall in the five-Test series, with Warren Bardsley the striker. Trumper went on to have an superb series, scoring 661 runs at 94.42

Douglas Jardine was a hate figure in Australia in 1932-33 mainly because of Bodyline but also because of the Harlequin cap he often wore rather than the England one. This is the cap. Jardine developed an intense dislike of Australians on the 1928-29 Ashes tour

A clip which was sent to me that I had not seen before ... Geoff Boycott overtaking Garry Sobers' record of 8032 runs to become the highest aggregate run scorer in Test cricket, India v England, 3rd Test, Delhi, December 23rd 1981.

A picture I took of John Arlott addressing the crowd from the Lord's pavilion balcony at the end of the Centenary Test, the day of his final broadcast for TMS, September 2nd 1980. The photographer looking out towards the spectators is a young Patrick Eagar

Fascinating clip of Larwood v Bradman from the Bodyline series. With Larwood's accuracy and speed - plus almost no protection for the batsman - you can see how hard this was to play and why Bradman swayed inside the line as much as he could (NFSA Australia)

A reflective Viv Richards in his final season of first-class cricket at Glamorgan. Aged 41, he bowed out on top with 1235 runs at 47.50. His last first-class innings typified his career as he thumped 83 in 61 minutes v Kent at Canterbury

A clip I had not seen until last week ... the final ball of the Bodyline series, Wally Hammond hitting Phil Lee for six over long off to win the 5th Test at the SCG, February 28th 1933 (NFSA Australia)

Len Hutton relaxing on the six-week boat trip to Australia ahead of the 1950-51 Ashes. He injured the index finger of his right hand in a one-day match in Sri Lanka on the way and it was feared he might have to have an operation on arrival in Australia but fortunately it wasn't as serious as feared

England captain WG Grace leaves the field at the end of the first day of the 1st Ashes Test, Trent Bridge, June 1st 1899. Almost 51 and nearly 18 stone, he had been barracked by the crowd. Although his batting was still worth a place, he had become a liability in the field

Another picture I took on this day in 1981 after my all-night queue ... Alan Knott, in his 95th and final Test, pulling through midwicket on his way to 36, 6th Ashes Test, The Oval, August 29th 1981

On this day in 1981 I queued outside The Oval from 2am to get into the Saturday of the 6th and final Test of a remarkable summer. I was so tired I dozed through the afternoon session! In between snoozes I took a few pictures, including this one of Bob Willis

Incredible that it is 20 years ago today that 8.4 million people in the UK were glued to their TVs for the final drama of the 4th Ashes Test at Trent Bridge. Set 129 to win, England were 116 for 7 before Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard dragged them home (Patrick Eagar)

Certainly a more unusual photo ... the beautifully designed and constructed toilets at the Nursery End at Lord's were built in the late 1890s and demolished to make way for the new Edrich Stand in 2019. They were considered to be classic examples of Victorian enamelware

One of cricket's great pictures ... Derek Underwood traps opener John Inverarity lbw to secure England's dramatic last-gasp win at The Oval, 5th Ashes Test, August 27th 1968 (Central Press)

Play was halted on the first day of Surrey's match v the Australians, May 24th 1930 when oversized stumps were found to have been put out. The stump size had been increased as an experiment to redress the balance between bat and ball in 1929 but this did not apply in all matches

At 2.45pm on Saturday, August 25th 1973 play in the 3rd Lord's Test between England and West Indies was suspended by a bomb scare; at the time the IRA had detonated several bombs in London. The stands were evacuated and after a short time the players left the middle (Patrick Eagar)

An undignified end to the 5th Test at The Oval, August 24th 1938 as Bill Edrich, Chuck Fleetwood-Smith and Len Hutton scramble for souvenir stumps. Fleetwood-Smith came away with two but Edrich gave his to Hutton who had earlier scored his world record 364

Close of play, August 22nd 1939. This is in my top five favourite cricket photos. Manny Martindale and Derek Sealy walk off at the end of the drawn Oval Test. There is something poignant in the lengthening shadows as this was to be the last Test for more than six years

A relatively trim Warwick Armstrong pictured by George Beldam at Lord's in 1905 on the second of his four tours of England. He enjoyed a successful summer, Wisden noting "In form nearly all through the tour, he struck the happy medium, being brilliant without recklessness."

The cover of the Radio Times ahead of the 1972 Ashes series with Alan Knott the featured player in the days of the BBC coverage many of us grew up with. In the five Test series - which was drawn 2-2 - Knott scored 229 runs at 28.92 and held 17 catches

Situated at the southern end of Ullswater, the hills of the Lake District provide a stunning backdrop for Patterdale CC which was formed in 1923 (Patterdale CC)