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

Jordan Thompson has spent his entire cricket career at Yorkshire CCC before making the big move south to Warwickshire CCC. In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion, he talks about leaving his home county, the reasons behind the move, and his plans for the 2026 season. Now Edgbaston bound, the 29-year-old all-rounder will play his home games there for Warwickshire and in The Hundred after be...

On Wednesday 11 March, cricket in this country entered a new era with its first player auction. In Cricket’s Bargain Hunt, Rosa Simki of Rosa Talks Ball joins the podcast to discuss how the eight Hundred teams went in search of new players for the 2026 season. A transformational moment for the women’s game, Rosa explains the bidding process, highlights the best value picks, and looks at why teams...

In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion, Roland Butcher returns to offer his thoughts on the recent Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The former England international discusses whether India are becoming invincible in the T20 format and reflects on England’s run to the semi-finals, including what that campaign means for Brendon McCullum’s future. He also shares his views on the p...

In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion, Stephen Wallis brings you a featured excerpt from episode 405, focusing on the club game in Cambridgeshire. Stephen is joined by James Williams, Head Coach of the Cambridgeshire men’s team and Head of the Cambridgeshire performance pathway, who offers a candid assessment of the current state of club cricket in the county.  This segment also focuses...

In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion, Stephen Wallis turns the spotlight on Cambridgeshire cricket with guest James Williams. A former Cambridgeshire captain and current men’s head coach, James also leads the county’s Male Performance Pathway while continuing to play for Wisbech Cricket Club in the Cambs and Hunts Premier Division. He reflects on his playing career, his role in developi...

An extraordinary cricketing adventure. At just 18, Tommy Lamb set off from Manchester with one goal: to reach Australia for an Ashes Test without getting on a plane. His journey began with the ferry to Holland and took him across Europe, through Iran, Pakistan, and China, and on into the Far East, facing challenges, risks, and unforgettable moments along the way before finally arriving in Australi...

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup coming to England and Wales this summer, Stephen Wallis looks ahead to one of the biggest events in the global women’s game in this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion. Joining him is tournament director Beth Barrett-Wild, who is counting down the days until the opening match. With fewer than 100 days to go, Beth discusses the preparations taking place behind...

In our third and final Cheltenham Festival episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, the guest is Richard Pitman. Born in Cheltenham, Richard rode major winners at the Festival before going on to spend 37 years working for the BBC as a TV horse racing presenter. In this conversation, Richard looks back on his time working for the legendary Fred Winter, champion jockey turned champion trainer and ex...

In this Cheltenham Festival special, Painting the Festival, Stephen Wallis is joined by Emily Johnson, the resident artist at Cheltenham Racecourse. Emily is currently creating a community celebration in art project featuring Rachael Blackmore riding the two-time Champion Hurdle winning mare Honeysuckle. The striking piece, measuring six feet by four feet, is being painted live at the racecourse t...

First Festival Runner is the 400th episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion with Stephen Wallis. Trainer Nick Scholfield, the former Cheltenham Festival winning jockey, joins the podcast to discuss his move into training and the excitement of preparing his first runner at the Festival. His six year old mare St Irene runs in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on Thursday 12 March and Nick reflects o...

In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion Stephen Wallis speaks to 20 year old Aamilah Aswat who made history on 2 February by becoming the first Black female jump jockey to ride a winner in the UK. Riding Guchen to victory at Kempton Park racecourse for trainers Kim Bailey and Matt Nicholls the landmark success carried added significance as the horse was owned by friends of the Ebony Horse...

In Part Two of our conversation, former 1960s and 70s National Hunt jockey Ian Watkinson reflects on his return to Newmarket and his successful spell riding for Tom Jones, as well as one of the standout moments of his career, victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup in 1976. Ian speaks candidly about the fall in March 1979 that brought his time in the saddle to an abrupt end, and how he approached the nex...

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis looks back at National Hunt racing of yesteryear, the 1960s and 70s, and shares some wonderful racing memories with former jump jockey Ian Watkinson. During a 14 year career in the saddle, Ian rode some of the true legends of the sport, the brilliant Flyingbolt, the mighty Night Nurse, the dual purpose superstar Sea Pigeon, and the ex...

During my time down under, I met two England supporters who were living the dream watching every single Test of an Ashes series in Australia. In this episode, It Was Worth Every Minute, Ian Jones from Chester and Graham Pickering from York reflect on their unforgettable 50-day plus journey following the Ashes across Australia. We talk about the cricket, the different grounds and cities, the hospit...

After just eleven days of cricket, Australia retained the Ashes, sealing a 4–1 series victory. In The Ashes: The Final Say, Stephen Wallis is joined by a range of guests former Test cricketers, current internationals, journalists, authors, and a radio presenter across five episodes to look back at the action and give their reaction to how the series unfolded. In this episode, Stephen Wallis is joi...

Stephen Wallis turns his attention to the second Men’s Over 70s World Cup, taking place in Christchurch, New Zealand between 18 February and 5 March. He is joined by Lance Ryan, Chairman of the World Cup Organising Committee, to discuss the planning behind the tournament, while England captain John Evans, Australian all-rounder Murray Harrison and New Zealand’s Jeremy Wilson look ahead to the glob...

After just eleven days of cricket, Australia retained the Ashes, sealing a 4–1 series victory. In The Ashes: The Final Say, Stephen Wallis is joined by a range of guests former Test cricketers, current internationals, journalists, authors, and a radio presenter across five episodes to look back at the action and give their reaction to how the series unfolded. In this episode, Stephen Wallis is joi...

After just eleven days of cricket, Australia retained the Ashes, sealing a 4–1 series victory. In The Ashes: The Final Say, Stephen Wallis is joined by a range of guests former Test cricketers, current internationals, journalists, authors, and a radio presenter across five episodes to look back at the action and give their reaction to how the series unfolded. In this episode, Dennis Amiss, the for...

After just eleven days of cricket, Australia retained the Ashes, sealing a 4–1 series victory. In The Ashes: The Final Say, Stephen Wallis is joined by a range of guests former Test cricketers, current internationals, journalists, authors, and a radio presenter across five episodes to look back at the action and give their reaction to how the series unfolded. In this episode, Stephen Wallis is joi...

After just eleven days of cricket, Australia retained the Ashes, sealing a 4–1 series victory. In The Ashes: The Final Say, Stephen Wallis is joined by a range of guests former Test cricketers, current internationals, journalists, authors, and a radio presenter across five episodes to look back at the action and give their reaction to how the series unfolded. In this episode, Stephen Wallis is joi...

In part two of the Ashes round up, Roland Butcher takes more listener questions about the action on the field and discusses the future of England head coach Brendon McCullum. In between Ashes chat, Roland gives his views on the upcoming T20 World Cup which begins on the 7th of February before ending with a look into his crystal ball and his thoughts on the next Ashes series in 2027.   Please subsc...

In part one of this two-part Ashes round up, former England Test player Roland Butcher joins The Paddock and The Pavilion to assess what went wrong for England down under and what Australia got right. Roland also highlights positives for England, including his personal insight into rising talent Jacob Bethell, who was brought up in Barbados. Part two is coming soon, featuring more listener questio...

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis is joined by Ukrainian cricket coach Olena Kravchenko and South African-born coach Kobus Olivier, speaking from Kyiv. You may remember Olena and Kobus from their achievement last October, when they brought a group of Ukrainian children to the UK for a cricket tour based at Rugby School. That tour proved a success, and they are now pla...

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis is joined by Racing Post bloodstock journalist Kitty Trice for a Breeze through the 2025 flat racing year. Kitty reviews the bloodstock season, the leading sires, and the horses that dominated the headlines, with stops at the sport’s biggest global races  from the Saudi Cup to the Japan Cup. To round things off, Kitty also reveals her...

As we build up to the Men’s T20 World Cup starting on the 7th of February in India and Sri Lanka, Stuart Law joins The Paddock and the Pavilion. The former Australian international and current coach of Nepal discusses the state of cricket in Nepal, a busy and successful 2025 for the national side, and their desire to cause an upset at this year’s T20 World Cup. Please subscribe to us on Apple podc...