Warney's big toe

Arundel: Sussex v Hants.

'Cricket is better than sex', I tell people when they wonder why you play. Watching cricket is no substitute but at least it's a great day out in the country, when you go to Arundel, anyway.

Final chance perhaps to see one of the world's greatest sportsmen. A zillion Test wickets and a million front and back pages. One of the best players ever. Shane Warne spent much of the day on the field, as Hampshire skipper, slowing down play in a bid to induce a declaration from Sussex who set a target of 500. His histrionics - pretty mild really - irritated the crowd but what else could do? Good to see he still cares passionately about his cricket enough to be an awkward opponent - and that he's not treating Hampshire as a post-Test career sinecure. Sussex looked well on the way to setting a fourth-innings target of 800.

He didn't bowl well - arrived to watch him being twatted to all corners. Replacement Shaun Udal immediately soon claimed Goodwin on 99 and the Pakistani bowler Rana then slogged an interesting 20 or so before Adams hit 103 and declared.

But Warney still holds the attention, even when off the pitch. As Hampshire started their reply he sauntered barefoot outside the pavilion, entering the picket-fenced players' pen underneath a huge tree. An idyllic scene, we could have been in the 1930s. The alpha male at all times.

Sat next to, I think, Mascarenhas. All the other players on his right but all seemed to cock half an ear in his direction as he and Mascarenhas spoke for maybe 10 minutes, Warney put a silverback gorilla-like paw round Mascarenhas and even apparently stroking the back of his head at one point (I was only five yards away).

What struck me was the size of his feet. Warney has huge toes and his big toe is even bigger than my thumb, which is a bit of a tiddler cos I've got very small hands.

Once again though - struck by how nearly everyone seems to be over 40. Same feeling as when you play local league stuff - not many guys under 35, though this just may be a reflection on the standard our team plays at. Cricket - an analogue sport in a digital age. Once Warney retires, where will the next star come from?