It's Story Time, our weekly walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, how did Learie Constantine become lord of his domain? Also, the remarkable tale of a pioneering New Zealander, an Adelaide mystery, a triumph that didn’t feel like one, and Geoff’s favourite of all time.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
1.97 - Tom Stewart
4.00 - Alex Brown
5.69 - Matt May
2.81 - Alex Crampton
3.07 - Andrew Beech

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Title track by Urthboy
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Story Time 176 – The first plane to land in Fiji

Cricket for everyone – your friendly guide to the world's strangest sport. Geoff Lemon and Adam Collins combine match analysis with irreverence, politics, interviews and history as they follow the game they love around the world. You can support the show at patreon.com/thefinalword.

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Season 16, Episode 12: Our 1000th episode! A serious number. From the 2015 Ashes to now so much has changed, but we’ve kept hitting record and talking to each other – in a week where Geoff has moved to Portugal and Adam has seen Peggy start to walk. Into the show itself, English cricket mourns the loss of young player Josh Baker. Australia’s decision-makers have explained their JFM T20 omission as Jake Fraser-McGurk continues to light up the IPL. Will Pucovsi tentatively has a state contract for 2024-25 but his future is less certain than ever. A massive win for Scotland’s women to qualify for the T20 World Cup, and we wrap county cricket and the IPL.

Your Nerd Pledge number for this week:
6.00 - Osman Bahemia

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword
Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City! More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london
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Use FINALWORD24 at checkout --> seriouscricket.co.uk
Get that sweet Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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This is The Final Word - ONE THOUSAND

Season 1, Ep 3: Reloading lost episodes from the early Final Word. This was the show's first engagement with women's cricket, and you can hear how much we've learned since.
Down in Canterbury, amid a men's Test series of batting collapses, the only women's Test of their 2015 Ashes series ended similarly. It wasn't one-sided earlier though, with Australia staging a major fightback via Jess Jonassen before England gave up trying to win. Izzy Westbury and Anna Lanning join the show as current domestic players in England and Australia respectively, while Adam swoons over swing bowling and Geoff tries not to rap.
This season was originally recorded for the ABC - this is the extended edition, restoring omitted material.

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Archive ep: Canterbury tales, the Women's Ashes Test of 2015

It's Story Time, our walk through cricket history via your listener quiz challenges. This week, Bharat Sundaresan joins the show for what is coincidentally a great week to be an expert on West Indies teams meeting India. Famous uncles, less famous young nephews, and one of the most underrated batting greats of all. Join the dots on Story Time.

Your Nerd Pledge numbers this week:
5.60 - Bala Sivaramanan
16.24 - Dom Griffiths
4.73 - Chris Dobbins
1.17 - Ash Jayaraman
2.71 - Eric Parnis
2.00 - Toby Guyatt
Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City! More extra, less ordinary.
westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

Get 10% off kit from Serious Cricket with FINALWORD24 at checkout:
seriouscricket.co.uk
And get that sweet Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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Story Time 181 – Threads of the Caribbean tapestry

Season 16, Episode 11: On this episode, as promised, we shift focus to Vanuatu. Specifically, to their extraordinary women’s team, currently in action at the T20 World Cup qualifier in Abu Dhabi. To be one step away from the World Cup with a side that barely existed until a decade ago is a story that, in a way, speaks for itself. 
Their rise was confirmed when knocking off regional giant PNG to win a spot at a tournament that includes three full member nations. Then last week, they thrashed Zimbabwe to begin this most important competition they’ve ever participated in – a scarcely believable result. Joining us to help tell this great modern tale, Selina Solman, the captain of the team, and Tim Cuttler, an Australian who has been chief executive of Cricket Vanuatu over the last few years, and also happens to be a spinner in their men’s team.

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City! More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

Get your 10% discount on top-notch kit from Serious Cricket.
Use FINALWORD24 at checkout --> seriouscricket.co.uk
Get that sweet Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
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Vanuatu’s Women, an extraordinary tale

Season 16, Episode 10: Just what is The 100 worth? It's a question that has vexed English cricket, on various levels, since it was first dreamed up some six years ago. Now, we are up to the inevitable moment for the controversial competition as it is prepared for a day at the market. Will Macpherson, from the Telegraph, joins as this week's co-host to go into depth about a story he's been covering as closely as anyone. It leads our busy agenda, which also includes the announcement of T20 squads on the men's side and upsets at the qualification tournament for the women. Later, it's domestic cricket aplenty and Cricket Australia's new blueprint for the women's game.

Support the show with a Nerd Pledge at patreon.com/thefinalword

Get down to Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City! More extra, less ordinary. westfield.com/united-kingdom/london

Get your 10% discount on top-notch kit from Serious Cricket.
Use FINALWORD24 at checkout --> seriouscricket.co.uk
Get that sweet Nord VPN discount - nordvpn.com/tfw

Donate to support our Edinburgh Marathon runners for the Lord's Taverners
All links at linktr.ee/thefinalword

Find previous episodes at finalwordcricket.com
Title track by Urthboy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Story Time 176 – The first plane to land in Fiji

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