Faustroll and the Umpire Agree to Differ
The Professor often appears to be a paragon of equanimity. However, there are incidents from his past which, to this day, trouble him greatly. In particular, the difficult episode concerning Faustroll and the umpire comes to mind. During a match at Gussage St Andrew, Faustroll instigated a heated discussion with the umpire on the interpretation of the LBW rule which then escalated into a disagreement on the way apples should be added to an apple cake. Play was suspended and fears were expressed that the entire season might be disrupted. The Professor intervened and began to deliver a long lecture on Marcel Proust's cycling tour of Norfolk during which the celebrated author learnt the secret of bowling a particularly devious googly. Proust is said to have subsequently employed this version of the wrong'un to great effect against a visiting Norwegian eleven in a match at Balbec. So tedious did this lecture prove to be that Faustroll and the umpire agreed to differ before the P...