Cricket lords over country

The MCC players prepare to get the season under way

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The sun is shining, the red and yellow flags are fluttering in the breeze and Old Father Time is looking down from his perch above the clock, which ticks round to 10.55am.

The pavilion bell rings and there is a polite smattering of applause as two men in white coats walk down the steps, followed by 13 further men in white.

The English domestic cricket season is under way.

There is no large fanfare, but one suspects the few hundred spectators who filed down steadily from St John's Wood tube station in the morning have had this date pencilled in their diaries for some time.

The hardy souls who brave the climate this early in the campaign are your true fans, for whom the new season could not have come quickly enough after the end of the last one in September.

With bags packed with everything you need for a day at the cricket in early April - warm clothing, umbrella, Thermos flask, sandwiches, binoculars and a copy of the new Wisden, published today to coincide with the cricketing summer - the crowd have come prepared.

The Lord's museum even has a special exhibition this year to commemorate what spectators have contributed to the cricket experience.

MCC's Graham Onions bowls the first ball of the 2008 county season to Sussex opener Carl Hopkinson

The grass looks immaculate, with the Lord's groundstaff having done wonders to get it ready after the snow which was falling here just three days ago.

The chessboard effect into which it has been cut, along with the thick vertical stripes covering the numerous pitches, could be an early contender for the Turner Prize, such is its majesty.

It almost seems a shame to play cricket on it. Almost, but not quite.

A slow and steady start to the Sussex innings mirrors the general feel at Lord's on this opening day, with those in the confines of the ground reverently giving themselves up to the game whilst the outside world goes about its daily business.

The next five and a half months will mean everything to these people, most of whom will be wondering if Sussex can achieve a treble of titles and be back at Lord's this time next year.

The clouds start looming, yet nothing can dampen the spirits of anyone at Lord's on this, the most important Thursday afternoon of the year so far.

The season opener between MCC and Sussex draws a healthy crowd to Lord's on day one

Sussex's imperious captain Chris Adams is at the crease after the lunch interval, dreaming of leading his team to further glory and a place in the sport's history books.

A rash shot, a top edge and a steepling catch to opposite number Ed Joyce proves his downfall for 22. But there are plenty more innings ahead.

There is a nip in the air, both for the wrapped-up crowd and for the seam bowlers, of whom Gloucestershire's Steve Kirby is the pick, taking four of the wickets to fall.

But by 3pm the sun is shining again as Sussex build on their day's work, with some streaky edges to the boundary helping their cause.

However, the totals of 171 and an Owais Shah-inspired 130 for four do not even look particularly impressive on the brand new scoreboard at the pavilion end of the ground, which is informative, legible, and correct - an improvement on recent years.

But much can change in the next three days, as seasoned cricket watchers will know.

The weather has held up, the action has been of the purist variety and most of the crowd have stayed until the close of play.

It all bodes well for the next 170 days.