Sir - Jane Hodgson (Letters, June 13) takes umbrage at what she thinks were mixed messages in my review of the play The English Game.

On re-reading what I wrote, I really don't think there were. 'A very well-intentioned and efficiently run three' is actually a pretty good score in a game of cricket. I said it was 'all great fun' and highlighted two 'very fine' performances.

The 'hardworking cast' did indeed put in a 'clever effort' (school-report style it may be, but there are only so many words in the lexicon).

I also praised the humorous touches of the playwright, Richard Bean. I did indeed enjoy the play; I merely thought that some of the characters were stereotypical and, however well-acted, any message they were meant to convey didn't quite work for me. Surely that's not bias? Oh, and it wasn't I who wrote the review of, and therefore 'did a disservice to', The Doll's House. But thanks for writing, Jane: it happily broke with the usual subjects in the correspondence columns.

Nick Utechin, Headington