We are very fortunate in where live, if you live in Worcestershire that is, in that we have many what I still call market towns in our area.

To the delight of Mrs B and myself we very often have a morning or afternoon wandering round such towns, and this week we visited Tewkesbury.

One of the main reasons for going there was the plethora of charity shops in the town, and my good lady wife has rarely been known to walk past one.

I know some folks are not fans of such shops, but to be honest they do brighten up some of our local town centre, in premises that would otherwise probably be left empty.

Ledbury, Evesham, Ross, Abergavenny, Leominster and the like all fall into the market town category, although sadly the markets have long gone.

I do recall when the old cattle market was in Worcester and the pubs had extended licensing hours, was it the Ewe and Lamb used to be next to the market? As young whippersnappers who fancied themselves as drinkers it was known for us to spend some time in those sorts of hostelries on market day.

There was often a story of a cow or bull or sheep escaping from the market and causing mayhem, and I seem to recall a cow being rescued after falling in the river one day.

Not sure there are any markets in the middle of towns anywhere in the country these days.

It seems the cricket season has started with pre-season practice games arranged, and then being called off due to it being the middle of March. Local cricket never started until after the Cup Final, the second Saturday in May. I am due to cover a game in Durham in April, might be a bit chilly. Although my north-east co-commentator Martin often tells me how warm it can be up there, I’ll stick be packing the thermals thanks.

Just a thought if you are near Tewkesbury, excellent lunch at The Village Inn in Twynning.