So a good start for England in the 3rd Test in Australia. It begins to look as though the home side is in disarray and needs a whole new approach. Captain Ponting has failed again and his job, and even his place in the team, must now be at risk.
If England fully exploit their first day advantage and bat well into day 3, Australia will be demoralized and broken, and defeat will beckon. The Ashes will remain with England, while the Australian selectors will have to come to terms with the fact that they will have to start building a new team.
Alternatively, England may collapse tomorrow morning and Australia may go on to win the game, opening up every other possibility. Are Australia really as poor as they've seemed so far ? Are England really as good as the reports suggest ?
Ifs and buts :-)
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Sunday, 12 December 2010
SNOOKER IS THE GREATEST
Many years ago, I used to watch 'Pot Black' on television and followed on by becoming quite addicted to the game in the early 1980s. Ted Lowes' immortal "for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green" is one of the most memorable quotes in sporting history which is a testament to the game's popularity.
I tried to play the game myself but simply couldn't see the angles well enough - on odd occasions, I'd play shots that anyone would have been proud of but I never could play with any consistency. What ultimately depresses me and, at the same time exhilarates me, is the utter genius that is displayed by our top snooker players.
This is not a game in which small errors can be forgotten, in fact, every tiniest error may well be punished unmercifully. Players that I have seen, from the days of Ray Reardon and John Spencer, through Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Steven Hendry to today's greats of Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, have demonstrated extraordinary skill and nerve in the most tense situations.
Tonights almost unbelievable match between John Higgins and Mark Williams has shown all of the greatest elements of a great game. The skill, tension and drama was more than is ever seen in most sports; the competitors are there on their own with no one else to help them. The grit and determination of John Higgins was astonishing; the way in which Mark Williams could still raise a joke and a smile after losing a 9-5 winning lead was a demonstration of true sportmanship.
What a great sport and what a great match.
I tried to play the game myself but simply couldn't see the angles well enough - on odd occasions, I'd play shots that anyone would have been proud of but I never could play with any consistency. What ultimately depresses me and, at the same time exhilarates me, is the utter genius that is displayed by our top snooker players.
This is not a game in which small errors can be forgotten, in fact, every tiniest error may well be punished unmercifully. Players that I have seen, from the days of Ray Reardon and John Spencer, through Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and Steven Hendry to today's greats of Ronnie O'Sullivan and John Higgins, have demonstrated extraordinary skill and nerve in the most tense situations.
Tonights almost unbelievable match between John Higgins and Mark Williams has shown all of the greatest elements of a great game. The skill, tension and drama was more than is ever seen in most sports; the competitors are there on their own with no one else to help them. The grit and determination of John Higgins was astonishing; the way in which Mark Williams could still raise a joke and a smile after losing a 9-5 winning lead was a demonstration of true sportmanship.
What a great sport and what a great match.
GET RID OF THE MUSIC
A few years ago, boxers and snooker players entered their respective arenas to be announced by the referee. Now, they enter to a cacophony and have to be announced in ludicrously grandiose terms, with nicknames and whatever. Cricket, rugby and football have been subjected to similar exaggeration.
Why ?
What supporters want is to see their 'heroes' performing; the extraneous music and over-emphasised announcements are a pain. Worse still, they are an actual 'turn-off' to any serious fans. Get rid of all of it.
Friday, 10 December 2010
BEWARE AUSSIE PANIC
So our Ashes rivals have gone into panic mode and chosen to make wholesale changes for the 3rd Test. This would usually be a good sign as the Australians don't normally go in for this type of action, but we must beware. It wouldn't be the first time that a previously unknown bowler has been introduced and proved a winner, and we all know that Australians are a tough old bunch. The newcomers to the team will have a lot to gain by performing well and, honestly, the team can't play as poorly as in the last Test.
England is on top but don't let's write off the Aussies just yet.
Friday, 3 December 2010
WORLD CUP JOY
WHOOPEE !
Despite the combined efforts of 'Call me Dave', 'King to be' Wills, and the sainted Becks, we failed to win the right to stage the Football World Cup in 2018. Not only did we fail to win, we actually came last in the voting.
Dave says this was a 'desperate' disappointment. To him, perhaps, but not to me. Why on earth would we have wanted to stage this event, backed as it is by the utterly corrupt FIFA ? The obsequious crawling by our senior representatives has done nothing to enhance their reputations, either.
Our press, as usual, over-egged the pudding and raised expectations. Now, they bleat and whine, and express their outrage at what was, obviously, an unfair process. What a laugh, and what a relief that we'll be spared any chance of having this event for at least another 16 years.
Despite the combined efforts of 'Call me Dave', 'King to be' Wills, and the sainted Becks, we failed to win the right to stage the Football World Cup in 2018. Not only did we fail to win, we actually came last in the voting.
Dave says this was a 'desperate' disappointment. To him, perhaps, but not to me. Why on earth would we have wanted to stage this event, backed as it is by the utterly corrupt FIFA ? The obsequious crawling by our senior representatives has done nothing to enhance their reputations, either.
Our press, as usual, over-egged the pudding and raised expectations. Now, they bleat and whine, and express their outrage at what was, obviously, an unfair process. What a laugh, and what a relief that we'll be spared any chance of having this event for at least another 16 years.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
ASHES TO ASHES
It occurs to me to wonder at the really astonishing happenings in the first Ashes test match. After day 1, England were in trouble; by halfway through day 2, they were getting back on level terms, but by the end of day 3, they were in the proverbial sticky-stuff.
What then happened looks almost impossible. 517-1 is a scoreline seen very rarely and for it to have been achieved on a pitch that had seen only 2 truly decent scores in the the first 3 days of the match makes it all the more remarkable.
Does this game give any pointers for the rest of the series ? Probably not, but it will certainly go down in the annals of Ashes history as one of the strangest matches played between the 2 old enemies.
DENIS LAW HAS IT RIGHT !
It's apparently been reported that the truly great former footballer, Denis Law, has said that his holidays for 2018 have been booked and he is not interested in whether England get the World Cup. If this is true, he has my vote.
The effort that is now expended on trying to win host status for sporting contests has become farcical. Prime Ministers, Princes, and celebrities of all sorts appear to spend ridiculous amounts of time on such ventures. The grotesque nonsense and publicity that has surrounded the current World Cup bid says it all and the money that's been wasted is criminal.
FIFA has been, and apparently remains, an organisation riddled with corruption, and yet senior figures offer it their support while crawling on bended knee in an attempt to gain favour. The likes of Prince William and David Cameron simply demean themselves by being part of the charade, which they are for blatantly political reasons.
We neither want nor need the World Cup in England; global media will ensure that wherever it is held, anyone who wants to watch will be able to. Actually having the event here will mean that thousands of maniacal football fans will skip work and pay money they can't afford to watch teams they've never heard of. The only winners will be the officials of FIFA and other footballing organisations, politicians and assorted dignitaries and 'celebrities' who will all find themselves granted special status, free tickets and so on. The rest of us will, at best, find the television devoted to 24 hour football chat.
I remember 1966 and I watched many of the games that year, on television. I was 13 years old; now I have grown up and come to realise that football is simply a kids game. It is not something to 'die in a ditch' over. Why anyone wants to watch weeks of men kicking lumps out of each other, spitting and snarling at referees and generally behaving disgustingly is beyond me.
Denis, I'm with you. Where have you booked your 2018 holiday ? I may well be there too.
The effort that is now expended on trying to win host status for sporting contests has become farcical. Prime Ministers, Princes, and celebrities of all sorts appear to spend ridiculous amounts of time on such ventures. The grotesque nonsense and publicity that has surrounded the current World Cup bid says it all and the money that's been wasted is criminal.
FIFA has been, and apparently remains, an organisation riddled with corruption, and yet senior figures offer it their support while crawling on bended knee in an attempt to gain favour. The likes of Prince William and David Cameron simply demean themselves by being part of the charade, which they are for blatantly political reasons.
We neither want nor need the World Cup in England; global media will ensure that wherever it is held, anyone who wants to watch will be able to. Actually having the event here will mean that thousands of maniacal football fans will skip work and pay money they can't afford to watch teams they've never heard of. The only winners will be the officials of FIFA and other footballing organisations, politicians and assorted dignitaries and 'celebrities' who will all find themselves granted special status, free tickets and so on. The rest of us will, at best, find the television devoted to 24 hour football chat.
I remember 1966 and I watched many of the games that year, on television. I was 13 years old; now I have grown up and come to realise that football is simply a kids game. It is not something to 'die in a ditch' over. Why anyone wants to watch weeks of men kicking lumps out of each other, spitting and snarling at referees and generally behaving disgustingly is beyond me.
Denis, I'm with you. Where have you booked your 2018 holiday ? I may well be there too.
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