Another sad end-of-Summer moment. The last cricket match of the season at Marsh Baldon in beautiful Oxfordshire. It has not been a vintage season - played 9, won 4, lost 4, drawn 1. Honours go to Paul Denning (438 runs from 7 innings including a 173 not out and an average of 87.6); James Cookson (69 overs, 13 wickets average 15.46); Geoff Penington (our youngest player who took 7 wickets at 6.43); and our oldest newcomer Tim Coates (5 wickets from 11 overs at 9.4). And the greatest honour and thanks to the team's only full professor and almost full-time organiser Robert Denning. We won this last game resoundingly - always important to end on a high.

A busy week ahead. A speech at National Acquisitions Group Annual Conference in Reading; participating in a panel on the development of the Asian market at the grandly titled Global Information Industry Summit in Amsterdam; a meeting of the British Library Strategy Advisory Committee; and of course the usual round of Macmillan businesses including the launch of the 2oth edition of Barry Turner's Writer's Handbook.