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The setting is appropriate: EC1 probably has the highest density of architects in the known world. Idly, I wonder just how much of the world鈥檚 land mass has been masterplanned within this postal district.

Unlike the rest of the cricket-following public, we are not talking about whether England gained the Ashes by hard work or theft. No, we are talking about something far more important: the results of the London Architects Softball League, which is held in Regent鈥檚 Park each summer.

This is not, alas, a happy subject. Metropolitan Workshop are still bruised from their encounter with Kohn Pedersen Fox. 鈥淭hey annihilated us,鈥� sighs Johnny. 鈥淭hey took it really seriously. They had matching caps and everything.鈥�

Next week, the team is facing the might of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Does the American pedigree make a difference? 鈥淭hey say they鈥檙e better at baseball than softball,鈥� says Nick. 鈥淪eems pretty similar to me.鈥�

Some architects even bring in ringers, says Neil. 鈥淚 remember playing BDP when they were working on NikeTown. They had a suspiciously large number of Americans on the team, and some of them even had softball shoes. We beat them in a best of five, but they wanted to play on.鈥� Until when? 鈥淯ntil they won, basically.鈥�

Despite England鈥檚 success in the Ashes, the gentleman鈥檚 game does not hold much attraction for most of those around of the table. 鈥淪omeone once told me,鈥� muses Neil, 鈥渢hat the architecture at Lord鈥檚 had to be interesting to give people something to look at during Test matches.鈥�

Warming to the theme, Johnny 鈥� an Irishman and, one could assume, unschooled in the finer points of cricket 鈥� continues: 鈥淪omeone once gave me the rules. It was a whole paragraph of words I didn鈥檛 understand. It sounded like something out of Harry Potter.鈥�

Nick doesn鈥檛 have much confidence that the Ashes win will herald a golden age of English sporting success. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just not in the English psyche. We鈥檙e good at inventing games, but not so good at playing them. What we need to do is invent a new game that we can be the best in the world at.鈥�

Although nobody claims to be a fan of football, there is speculation that Australia will shortly become world-beaters at the game. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e just so damn dogged; it鈥檚 only a matter of time,鈥� complains Rupert.

The origins of Australia鈥檚 rise to footballing greatness go back to Terry Venables鈥� appointment as team coach in 1996, says Duncan. He is convinced that El Tel鈥檚 job was part of an FA sabotage plot that backfired. 鈥淚 can imagine them saying: 鈥榁enables鈥檒l ruin them,鈥欌�� he says. 鈥淐ouldn鈥檛 even get that right, could he?鈥�