EVERY once in a while, you stumble across a pub that is a real nugget. On even rarer occasions, you find a pub that not only do you know you will return to, but you can't wait for that next visit.

And The Crown is one such pub.

The list goes on as to why I found the trip such a pleasant experience, but the size of the place goes a long way to explaining it.

It is large enough to cater for several tastes, without yours being compromised.

For instance, I visited the pub on the Saturday when England's cricketers were slumping against Sri Lanka in the First Test, and, having masochistic tendencies, I was eager to watch them lose while enjoying a drink.

It can be quite difficult to get the cricket shown on TV in a pub, but the number of televisions meant I was in with a good chance. It also meant the couple enjoying a quiet drink in a far corner wouldn't be annoyed by my ranting at the loss of each wicket (and there were a fair few).

In fact, the pub has a pool table, dart board and loads of gaming machines, but anyone taking part in any of these activities can do so without disturbing anyone else.

It is also often the case when asking for cricket to be shown that the bar staff will look at you in a state of disbelief, shake their head while tutting and turn up the music channel a little bit louder in order to ignore your plea.

Not this time, though. The staff were friendly and extremely helpful and even when I caused confusion by telling them the cricket was on FilmFour, they eventually believed me and put it on (honestly, they do show cricket on FilmFour). A four pint pitcher of Foster's costs just over £8, and food is available at a reasonable price. You can get other drinks in pitchers too.

But the real jewel in The Crown (geddit?) is the atmosphere. The locals were as friendly as the bar staff, and the jukebox was played at just the right level.

I didn't need to raise my voice at all to be heard, but I could hear the music clearly enough. Again, I would put this down to the pub's size.

You can't ask for much more from a pub, and I probably wasted too much of my time in The Crown watching cricket and not exploring the rest of it.

But not to worry, I'll be going back there again soon to find out what else is on offer. And I can't wait.

HJ

July 18, 2002 16:00