Christmas catch ups, Tendulkar chaos and embracing The Hundred: Meet the fountain of knowledge at Lord's

From cricketing failures to working at the self-styled home of cricket for 35 years, steward and tour guide Bob Gunton has seen it all at the most famous venue in the world

The Cricketer | 20/12/2024 at 10:00

I was a useless cricketer but have always loved watching the game when I wasn't teaching. I first went to Lord's in May 1977 for a John Player League game, Middlesex v Warwickshire, and loved the duel between Wayne Daniel and Bob Willis, as did the 3,000 crowd.

Then in 1988, a steward suggested I work here. My first morning's training was in April 1989, four years after the Bradford City FC fire, so we focused on spectator safety. I worked at Lord's in the school holidays and at weekends, then, when I left teaching in 1999 as the paperwork got too much, head steward Jeff Cards gave me a full-time role. There are about 60–80 matchdays a year, including the National Village Cup, run by The Cricketer. Until six years ago I did supply teaching as well.

I get to Lord's at 6.30am by train from my home in Dartford. The only day I cannot do that is Sundays when my wife drives me to North Greenwich Tube. We all meet at the head stewards' office. This takes time on the first day of the season as we haven't seen each other since September, and find out what we all did at Christmas, and so on. Then we receive our folder of match information.

I'm a supervisor, and have led a fantastic team over the last few years – two Jennies, a John and a Dee! They are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and reliable. We have a briefing, breakfast, then guests start arriving. Lunch is at about 12.30m, then I welcome and help people who are using the Media Centre. The day goes in a flash.

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^{The Lord's stewards in action (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)}

To be a steward now you have an interview, a full day's training, and have the option to go on courses for first aid, helping people with disabilities, and ejecting rowdy spectators – luckily, I've never had to do that! Another tough thing we do is predict when play will start to spectators – you don't want to be too optimistic, or pessimistic. You must think on your feet, be patient, and have a sense of humour where appropriate.

My first day of Test cricket was when Australia were here in 1989. I was told I was working at the Grace Gate. Initially, I was disappointed that I wouldn't see any play, but it was fascinating. I welcomed in Sir Colin Cowdrey, Asif Iqbal and Roy Hattersley! I also sold scorecards for 40p. Demand at the close of play was massive. They still do them now, but they are free.

In 2002, Jeff asked me to lead a team at St John's Wood Tube to answer questions from spectators. "Where's the ground?" and "When does it start?" were common ones; but we also had "Where's Abbey Road Studios?", "What time do they feed the lions in London Zoo, we want to go there after the game?" and "I've broken my tooth, where's the nearest emergency dentists?" (Baker Street.)

Another chap said: "Where's the ground?" I asked if he had a ticket. He said he didn't need one, he walks around grounds where sports events are taking place… later on he was going to the FA Cup final. After a while the Tube staff got the hang of it and didn't need us.

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^{Sachin Tendulkar bid farewell to Lord's as an international cricketer in 2011 (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)}

Sachin Tendulkar's last Test at Lord's in 2011 was massive. The game was on a knife edge, we didn't sell tickets in advance, so 30,000-plus turned up to pay cash in hand. I tipped HSBC off that they would need to top up their cash machines. One fan told me that he'd driven from Blackpool overnight.

I've calculated that I have worked 225 days of Test cricket here. There have been many great moments. In 2009 a Battle of Britain Lancaster Bomber flew over the ODI with Australia. Play stopped and the whole ground cheered.

In 2014, Sir Alastair Cook was captain and things weren't going that well. We had to bring him through masses of India fans for the press conference. He wasn't sure what to expect. There was silence, then they all started clapping. He was visibly moved.

After the 2019 men's World Cup final we all met up in the nearby Ordnance Arms and agreed that we'd never see a game like that again. The atmosphere at last year's Ashes Test was the best that I can recall, though. I wasn't keen on The Hundred at first, but I must admit it has brought families in. I just hope that they return to watch Middlesex in April.

I started conducting tours 12 years ago. A guide sprained his ankle and I filled in. One visitor said, "This is so interesting, how long have you been doing it?" I said, "About 45 minutes!" I've had elderly Indian gents break down in tears, saying seeing HQ was their "life's ambition".

I'm also a scout for Halifax Town FC (Welling United and Port Vale before). I go to games at places like Sutton United and Aldershot. I spend a few hours on Monday emailing my observations off to the Halifax management. I do love my work.

This article first appeared in the January 2025 issue of The Cricketer magazine. Subscribe here

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