Memories of Stuart Broad co-owned burnt Tap & Run pub

Fire engulfs the pub on June 11. Pic/Harry Gurney Instagram

Memories came flooding back seeing the devastating images of Tap & Run, an award-winning UK pub jointly-owned by English pacer Stuart Broad, his Nottinghamshire teammate Harry Gurney and hotelier Dan Cramp, being gutted in fire earlier this week. While there was no loss of lives, the blaze has left the place in shambles and unrecognisable.

This correspondent had visited the quaint countryside pub during the 2019 World Cup held in England. A day before India were to take on New Zealand in their World Cup league game at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, mid-day visited the pub located at the picturesque Melton Mowbray village, which is a 30-minute drive from the ground.

The Tap & Run pub when mid-day visited it during the 2019 ICC World Cup in England. Pic/Harit N Joshi

The "accidental" fire took place in the early hours of June 11, which was Day Two of the second Test between England and New Zealand at Trent Bridge where Broad was in action.

The England pacer was woken up early on that day by a WhatsApp message from Gurney only to see that the raging fire had reduced their beautiful pub to ashes. The ground plus-one structure was completely destroyed in the dark smoke.

Broad expectedly expressed sadness over the incident via a tweet and Gurney provided an update on the ground situation with pictures and videos.

"This was the state of Tap & Run after the fire. With every day that goes by, we are a step closer to reopening. @cbiservices have today cleared the debris from outside and erected heras fencing to add some security. The next step is an initial clear out, starting with stock and furniture and then all the debris," Gurney, a former Kolkata Knight Riders player, said in an Instagram post on Friday.

The frequent visitors of the pub have volunteered to help rebuild it and provided overwhelming support to the two cricketers.

The innovative name of the pub was suggested to Broad and Gurney by the head scorer of Nottinghamshire county team.

Although Tap & Run is a cricketing analogy, the decor of the pub was very subtle as far as the sport is concerned.

"We didn't want to make it look like a sports bar where we have memorabilia of Stuart and Harry or t-shirts signed by their teammates, etc. We didn't prefer cricket to be in the face as we also wanted to appeal to people who don't follow the sport. There are many who come here and don't even know who Stuart Broad is," Gred McLeod, the operations manager of the pub, had told mid-day during our visit.

The subtle cricketing touch to the decor could be observed when you have a close look.

One of the wallpapers in a section of the pub was about cricketing activities like bowling, batting, fielding and wicketkeeping.

As you enter the pub, the lights hung to wooden sticks resembling stumps. The table where we sat, had a stump fixed on a side wall.

For cricket-enthusiastic guests, they had a treasure hunt to locate 18 bails across the pub. "There are 18 counties and that is why 18 bails," McLeod had explained. The winner would get a free drink, while a kid would receive a "cricket-related gift".

During mid-day's visit to the pub, it encountered Kiwi cricketers Ross Taylor, Ish Sodhi and Lockie Ferguson being treated to some great hospitality by Gurney.

As much as the locals, the cricketers too would be looking forward to visit the pub again when it is up and ready for the second innings.