29/08/26 - Exeter To London + Local Travel & Cricket
DIG 0914 (OT) > EXD 0926 (OT) : 2T11 EXM > PGN : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
EXD 0946 (OT) > PAD 1209 (1214) : 1A77 PGN > PAD : 1 x 800/3 (9 Cars)
TfL Underground Paddington > Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo Line)
TfL Underground Warwick Avenue > Paddington (Bakerloo Line)
PAD 1824 (OT) > WEA 1836 (OT) : 9H66 ABW > HAF : 1 x 345 (9 Cars)
Tickets (All With Senior Railcard, 1 Pax, Price Per Person):
DIG > PAD Super Off-Peak Return £76.65
TfL Underground Single £1.95 x 2
TfL Elizabeth Line Single £2.15

I had originally booked to travel on 2T07 + 1A73 (DIG 0714 > PAD 1008) but the overnight/morning rain was obviously going to prevent any play at Lord’s until the early afternoon so I delayed my journey by a couple of hours.
2T11 was initially lightly loaded but a large number of pax boarded at POL. Ticket, but not Railcard, checked.
1A77 was also not very busy to start with but plenty of pax joined at both TAU & CLC. Service slightly delayed at CLC and then more significantly between Lavington & Woodborough due to residual heat related track issues (one particularly noticeable track dip) and arrived PAD 5 late.
Ticket, but not railcard, checked.
Static Standard Class trolley service, between coaches D&G, for only a short time. The customer host(s) was/were serving 1st Class most of the time.

On arrival in London the rain had essentially stopped so I did my usual one stop trip to Warwick Avenue and walked to Lord’s from there. The Bakerloo Line ride quality was awful!
After a rain shower interrupted afternoon of cricket play was suspended at around 1730 and finally abandoned about an hour later.
I made my way to the West Ealing Holiday Inn Express which had been significantly improved since my last stay there.

30/08/26 - Local Travel & Cricket + London To Exeter
WEA 0924 (0936) > PAD 0937 (0947) : 9W40 HAF > SNF : 1 x 345 (9 Cars)
TfL Underground Paddington > Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo Line)
TfL Underground Warwick Avenue > Paddington (Bakerloo Line)
PAD 1903 (1916) > EXD 2110 (2126) : 1C94 : 2 x 802/0 (10 cars)
EXD 2153 (OT) > DIG 2205 (OT) : 2F28 PGN > EXM : 1 x 166/2 (3 Cars)
TfL Elizabeth Line Single £2.15
TfL Underground Single £1.95 x 2
DIG > PAD Super Off-Peak Return (See Above)

Lots of late running & cancellations in & out of PAD in the morning. I don’t think you have to be a genius to figure out the primary cause was probably staff absences due to it being the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival.
9W40 was absolutely rammed and some pax were unable to board at WEA.
After the match ended (England victory) there were no issues on the Bakerloo Line but spectators leaving Lord’s were advised to avoid the Jubilee Line.
On arrival at PAD I noticed that 1C94 was already showing a departure delay of 7 minutes. That was somewhat optimistic because the incoming train, 1A26 from BRI, was already 20+ minutes late.
In the meantime our booked platform, 4,  was occupied for about 15 minutes by an Elizabeth Line 345 unit. Very odd.
1C94 eventually left PAD 13 minutes down and this level of delay hardly changed on the run to EXD.
Of note was the chap sat diagonally opposite me was found by the TM, who did a full ticket & railcard check - wonders will never cease!, to be travelling to Taunton on a railcard discounted Advance but didn’t actually possess a railcard of any kind. The passenger told the TM somebody else had booked the ticket for him. TM warned him about doing that in future and charged him £71.95 for a brand new ticket (your task, should you decide to accept it, is to figure out where the TM got that price from, I was unable to solve the riddle!).
And finally in an unexpected outbreak of common sense on our railway 1C94 was routed into P5 at EXD so intending passengers could do a cross-platform change to P6 where 2K15 the last OKE service of the day, which had been held for 8 minutes, was waiting. Well done them!