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

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...

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup coming to England in June and July 2026, this episode looks ahead to the shape of the tournament. Host Stephen Wallis is joined by Rosa Simkin of Rosa Talks Ball to discuss the competition format, the teams involved, and England’s prospects on home soil ahead of a major summer of women’s cricket. Please subscribe to us on Apple podcasts, Amazon music, Spotify or...

Esha Oza, captain and leading batter of the UAE women’s cricket team, joins The Paddock and the Pavilion to reflect on a busy 2025 that saw the UAE compete in World Cup qualifiers, the Gulf Cup, and the inaugural Emerging Nations tournament. The all-time leading run-scorer in T20 cricket by an associate nation batter also discusses the team’s plans for 2026, shares her thoughts on the 2026 Women’s...

Sam Martin joins The Paddock and The Pavilion as the opening guest of 2026. A rising young racing journalist and a regular on the show, Sam shares her insightful opinions on the current major topics in horse racing, both on and off the course. The episode also looks back at her exciting racing year of 2025, including her work at the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree, as well as...

Across the episode, I revisit some of my favourite conversations from 2025, featuring voices from horse racing, cricket and beyond. Highlights include chats with legendary trainer Aidan O’Brien, former leading National Hunt jockey Tom Scudamore, cricket analyst and former England international Roland Butcher, snooker commentator Neal Foulds, Australian trainer Henry Dwyer reflecting on Asfoora’s G...

Tracey Harding, CEO of Discover Newmarket, returns to the podcast to reflect on a landmark 10th anniversary year and share an exciting look ahead to what’s coming in 2026. In this episode, Tracey teases a brand-new tour launching in 2026, reveals the racecourse she visited for the first time this year, and talks about Newmarket’s striking art trail inspired by chess pieces, which can be explored a...

In this special episode, recorded live at North Runcton Cricket Club on 22 October, host Stephen Wallis is joined by a true trailblazer of the game former England international Roland Butcher, the first Black cricketer ever to represent England. Stephen delves into Roland’s remarkable new autobiography Breaking Barriers: Barbados to England …and Back, exploring his early life in Barbados, his move...

In this final episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion’s special series Who Will Win the Men’s Ashes, host Stephen Wallis brings together a diverse and insightful panel. Joining Stephen are Archie Bailey, young fast bowler with Durham CCC; The Master Eli, Zimbabwean cricket commentator; Jane Powell, current Yorkshire CCC President and former England captain and coach; and Richard Whitehead, author...

In the fourth episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion's Special Series Who Will Win the Men’s Ashes host Stephen Wallis talks to Nottinghamshire’s Director of Cricket and former England selector Mick Newell, Peter Moore Head of Sport at Radio Woking, Rosa Simkin of Rosa Talks Ball, the former England over 60s captain Richard Merriman and Denis Musali, the Hon Secretary of the Uganda Cricket Associ...

With the first Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth beginning on 21 November, The Paddock and The Pavilion turns its attention to the fans who bring colour, energy and song to every Ashes series — the Barmy Army. Host Stephen Wallis is joined by Paul Burnham, founder and chairman of the Barmy Army, to look back at how it all began in the mid-1990s, the origins of their name, and how the group has be...

In the third episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion's Special Series Who Will Win the Men’s Ashes host Stephen Wallis talks to Dennis Amiss, the former England opening batter, Leena Moin Aziz, Asia's first female cricket commentator, Andy Brown official painter at the 2025 Indian Premier League, Nick Andrews the England over 70s all rounder along with story tellers Jenni Douglass, the author of T...

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis continues the build-up to the Men’s Ashes with Mark Campbell popular radio host, sportscaster, and Station Manager at 89 7FM Perth, WA. Mark, the brother of former Australian wicketkeeper and current Durham CCC Head Coach Ryan Campbell, shares some great stories about their childhood and Ryan’s journey from Perth to international cric...

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Former England Test cricketer Roland Butcher joins Stephen Wallis on The Paddock and The Pavilion to preview The Ashes. Roland assesses England’s squad, their build-up to the series, and compares the strengths of both teams before offering his prediction for the iconic England versus Australia showdown beginning on 21 November. Throughout the show, he also answers listeners’ questions, sharing his...

In this next episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion's Special Series Who Will Win the Men’s Ashes host Stephen Wallis talks to Tina Gough, the German International all rounder, Australian over 70s batter Murray Harrison , the Barmy Army trumpeter Simon Finch, leading National Hunt trainer Kim Bailey and David Tossell author of Blood on the Tracks, the story of England's 1974/75 tour of Australia....

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Stephen Wallis takes a short break from the Ashes countdown to welcome back Kobus Olivier, CEO of the Ukraine Cricket Federation.  Kobus has arrived at Rugby School with fellow coach Olena Kravchenko and seven young Ukrainian cricketers for a week-long tour of England. Olena shares her remarkable story from her early days as a dancer to becoming a c...

In this Ashes build-up edition of The Paddock and The Pavilion, we welcome back former Australian opening batter Rick McCosker, a key figure in Australian cricket during the 1970s and early 1980s. Fifty years on from his first visit to England, Rick looks back fondly on the summer of 1975, remembering not just the Ashes Tests but the whole tour from matches against the county sides to spending his...

In this episode of The Paddock and the Pavilion, host Stephen Wallis begins his Ashes Special Series Who Will Win the Men’s Ashes? He speaks to Rick McCosker, the former Australian opening batter; Chloe Hill, the Northamptonshire wicketkeeper-batter; Lee Smith, Head Coach of Cambridgeshire Women; Tim Wigmore, sports journalist at The Telegraph; and Kobus Olivier, the inspiring CEO of the Ukrainian...

As excitement builds for the opening Ashes Test on 21 November in Perth, The Paddock and The Pavilion heads to the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. Returning guest Jenni Douglass joins Stephen Wallis to talk about her latest children’s book, Tess and Sabotage at the SCG, featuring her cricket-loving detectives Tess Walker and Eddie Armstrong. Jenni discusses the inspiration behind this second adventu...

Crime writer and horse racing fan Ross Greenwood joins Stephen Wallis to discuss his latest novel, Death at Fakenham Races. Set against the backdrop of the horse racing world, this gripping thriller asks the question, “When everyone is lying, how do you catch a killer?” Ross talks about his background and the research that brought authenticity to the story. Plus, Stephen chats with David Hunter, t...

In this special episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, host Stephen Wallis speaks with Kobus Olivier, a South African cricket coach who has spent the past six years introducing cricket to children in Ukraine. Recorded in a Kyiv coffee shop on September 25, via zoom, Kobus shares his inspiring story of using cricket to support young people living through the trauma of war. He also looks ahead to...

In this episode of The Paddock and The Pavilion, Australian trainer Henry Dwyer returns for the fifth time this season ahead of his mare Asfoora’s run in the prestigious Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye at Longchamp on Sunday. Asfoora is already a Group 1 winner in 2025, having taken the Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August, and now she has the chance to make history by becoming the first Australian horse t...

In part two of Longchamp Legends on The Paddock and the Pavilion, host Stephen Wallis is once again joined by author and former diplomat Oli Hein. This episode focuses on the great French winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, many of whom feature in Oli’s book Punch a Hole in the Wind. Oli also reveals who he considers to be the greatest of them all. Please subscribe to us on Apple podcasts, A...