The Paddock and The Pavilion - The Horse Racing and Cricket Podcast

In this episode, Chris Pitt, author and horse racing historian, takes us back to The Frying Pan, better known as Ally Pally racecourse, or by its proper name, Alexandra Park.

Chris explores the history of the north London course, which closed in September 1970, including the famous horses who raced there, the course specialists who mastered the track and what made Alexandra Park such a unique racecourse.

We also hear from three former jockeys, legendary Australian Ron Hutchinson , Ray Still and South African John Gorton  who share

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In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis is joined once again by bestselling author Felix Francis, the master of suspense and intrigue.

Felix talks about his latest racing thriller, The Chase, which mixes the world of art with horse racing. The question on the cover asks:

“Is racing an art worth killing for?”

Felix gives us a brief outline of the book, featuring his main character, art dealer Fabian Tulley, and discusses the research that went into his 20th horse racing thriller.

Felix also recommends a previous Dick Francis novel by his late father to read.

Interview date: 10 September 2026.

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Leena Moin Aziz, Asia’s first female cricket commentator, joins me for the third and final part of Inside Pakistan Cricket.

We pick up the story after Day 1 of the second Test at Lord’s, where Pakistan

Leena offers her forthright opinions on the playing side and the decision-making of the Pakistan Cricket Board. She also discusses what needs to be done to revive Pakistan cricket.

There were some positives for Pakistan. These included the batting of Saud Shakeel, the bowling of Muhammad Abbas and the emergence of young sensation Razaullah, who produced remarkable exploits on Day 3 of the final Test.

Leena remains hopeful that, with the right decision-making, Pakistan can return to former glories.

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The Hundred 2026 – A Reset Year.

Rosa Simkin, MCC’s Young Female Broadcaster of the Year, joins the podcast for an in-depth review of the tournament.

Rosa selects her team of the tournament and describes each franchise’s performance in one word.

We also hear short clips from Notts CCC Director of Cricket Mick Newell on this year’s Hundred.

As always, it’s another insightful look at women’s cricket from one of the sport’s rising stars.

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In the latest episode of our What Was It Like To… series, David Alterton from March, Cambridgeshire takes us back 60 years to the 1966 World Cup and his experience of being there when England became world champions.

A friend of Stephen Wallis, David was on a cricket tour with March Town Cricket Club when the tournament began, missing England’s opening two matches. He went on to watch England’s remaining games, including the final on 30 July 1966.

David tells the story of how he got his World Cup tickets, the part his late brother Norman played and what it was like to be there as England beat West Germany 4–2 to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy.

It’s a first hand account of the most famous day in British sporting history.

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Guy Lavender joins The Paddock and The Pavilion to discuss his career at two of Britain’s most famous sporting institutions. Guy has been CEO of Cheltenham Racecourse since early 2025, having previously been Chief Executive and Secretary of MCC from 2017.

Guy compares his roles at Lord’s and Cheltenham, reflects on some of the highlights from his seven years at MCC, including England’s 2019 World Cup triumph at Lord’s, and discusses the changes he has introduced at Cheltenham to improve the Festival experience.

He also looks ahead to the new National Hunt season and the 2027 Cheltenham Festival in March.

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Mick Newell, Director of Cricket at Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, joins The Paddock and The Pavilion to look back at a successful Hundred for Trent Rockets, who reached both finals and lifted the women’s trophy. He talks about some of the Rockets’ successes in the pre season auction and the importance of double headers in The Hundred.

Mick discusses the latest cricketing matters at Trent Bridge, including progress on the new pavilion, looks ahead to the 2027 Ashes fixtures for both England men and women at Trent Bridge, and assesses the chances of Nottinghamshire and The Blaze adding more silverware before the end of the season. He also gives his view on the appointment of new England Test match coach Stephen Fleming, who he knows from Fleming’s time as a player at Nottinghamshire.

Interview date 26 August 2026

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In Part 2 of Inside Pakistan Cricket, Stephen Wallis is joined again by Pakistan cricket expert Leena Moin Aziz to look back at the opening day of the second Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s.

They review Pakistan’s much improved performance with the ball, which saw England finish Day 1 on 248 for 9 after bad light brought an early end to play.

Leena looks back at Pakistan’s heavy defeat at Headingley in the first Test before looking ahead to the rest of the Lord’s Test.

It’s a three Test series, with the final match at Edgbaston. Pakistan are 1-0 down. Can they fight back at Lord’s, where they won against England in 2016 and 2018?

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In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis finds out more about The Outswingers, the six piece jazz band who started playing at Lord’s in 1990.

Rico, Richard and Simon, three regular members of the band, talk about their experiences of playing near the Pavilion for spectators before the start of play and during the lunch interval.

Rico talks about the history of The Outswingers, while Stephen asks his guests when they made their own Test debuts playing for the band. They also reveal their love of cricket and share some of their memories of playing at Lord’s.

Forty minutes with three jazz playing cricket lovers.

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In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Australian trainer Henry Dwyer returns to the podcast as his star mare Asfoora prepares for the final race of her career, the Nunthorpe Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting.

Asfoora will be bidding to win the Group 1 five furlong sprint for the second year in a row and claim the fourth Group 1 victory of her career. Henry looks back at her recent run in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood and looks ahead to her final challenge at York.

The Nunthorpe promises to be a truly international contest, with Bacio, a winner at this year’s Royal Ascot, among the leading contenders from the USA. There are further fancied runners from France and Ireland, alongside the leading British challengers.

Can Asfoora sign off her racing career with another Group 1 victory?

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