BS: Anyone for cricket?

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 04:23 AM

Spaw, if you ask really nicely, I'll explain the difference between bowling over the wicket and bowling around the wicket.

:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 08:23 AM

Spaw,

I'll take the first option, thanks ;)

Cricket is the epitome of civilisation, requiring as it does, guile, aggression, low cunning, subtlety and an abstract understanding of the nature of time.

Besides my recollection of the grass at Lords from but a week ago suggests that the process of its growing IS nothing short of miraculous, I've never seen intimidating grass before...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 08:47 AM

It's a real shame that we lost the one day to rain. England (notably Vaughn) batted well to avoid the follow on. The question now is what target to SA set England?

That's one for you spaw. SA are about 270+ runs ahead. There is less than one days play left. If SA want to win the game, they need to declare (i.e. stop batting and say they have made enough runs) but if they were to declare too early, England could go on and make enough runs to win the game. Would consider that the game is going for a draw and just use "batting practice", would you try to set a "sporting total" and risk loosing, would you make sure you are so safe that you can't loose but also know that the chances of bowling England out in the remaining time are about nil (it's unlikely even now)?

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 09:22 AM

Oh well, my question has been answered - they declared at 320 ahead. For the record, that is where I would have declared. Now we need to see if England rise to the challenge and the outside chance of making the runs.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Johnny The Bee
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 12:17 PM

Jon (et al),

Your question's a good one but, as I guess 'Spaw's a colonial type from across the ditch, it's absolutely wasted on him! His own contribution totally vindicated my original point - they don't have the necessary grey matter to even begin to understand a game so wonderfully subtle. I reckon that, as there are no prancing pubescent girls waving chaff around and flashing their arses, they can see no point to it!

We've got a Yank where I work who spends entire weekends and most of his holidays at Frisbee-throwing competitions. When my kids were five years old a Frisbee would ususlly entertain them for approximately five minutes, by which time they were bored witless and would start playing cricket or soccer instead. 'Nuff said?

Peace Brothers (oops, didn't mean to mention the 'P' word - they don't seem to understand that nowadays either).

Johnny

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Ed.
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 02:40 PM

So Nassar Hussain has resigned...

A big shock to me, but understandable in retrospect I suppose.

I feel very sorry for him, in terms of the pressure that he had to take during the World Cup/Zimbabwe debacle.

I have a huge respect for what he's done. All the best for the future, Nass.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 03:19 PM

I must admit that I'd sooner him have given up responsabilites as captian in the tests when he resigned from the one day matches.

That said, I do believe he gave his all to England as captain and realy did work hard to pull us forwards at a time we needed it.

As for the world cup, it was my belief that we shouldn't have played and I admire Flower and Olonga for the stance they took. That of course is political and Hussain never should have had to be in that position - politics and the safety of players should have been matters for those above.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Ed.
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 03:51 PM

It'll be really interesting to see what Vaughan does as a test captain.

I'll be hooked over the next few weeks, and will fully appreciate the "chess on grass"

I'll feel sorry for the "without qualification, the stupidest fucking game ever conceived and all of you who claim to enjoy it are actually clinically dead" people.

It's their loss.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Jul 03 - 04:12 PM

FWIW Ed, I think Vaughan will prove to be a very good test captain.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Johnny The Bee
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 07:07 AM

Ed,
I admire and agree with your philosophy regarding the philistines.
It most definitely is their loss!
Johnny

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Teribus
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 07:44 AM

A reference was made to the recent Cricket World Cup, in which the national sides of fourteen countries qualified, through group a series of matches, to play in the actual tournament.

Baseball has a World Series - how many teams from other countries took part? WORLD Series - Ha, bloody Ha!!

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 08:04 AM

I don't think Nasser has anything to be ashamed of. OK we were thrashed by Australia but isn't everybody. :( It seems to me that the test just finished was a validation of everything he'd done to make England a team to be reckoned with.

There was a glorious 15 minutes or so around teatime yesterday when the thought "320 maybe isn't enough" must have gone through Graham Smiths mind. If it hadn't been for the light it might have been a very interesting last hour.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Teribus
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 08:42 AM

The last one in Australia at the SCG wasn't too shoddy either. Most of the commentators and lots of spectators, Australians and English, reckoned it ranks as one of the best matches ever played.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Les from Hull
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 02:37 PM

Many people who were born and bred in cricketing countries do not understand the game, or wish to. And the game changes slightly each year (to accommodate TV audiences mainly).

But people from non-cricketing nations should realise that cricket has been developing for centuries. So the only way to understand and enjoy a game like cricket is to have centuries and centuries of civilisation. I suggest that younger countries make a start soon.

I'm sure that Michael Vaughan will be a fine captain. Yorkshire thought so much of him as a lad they changed the long-standing rule about who could play for Yorkshire (although from a 'Yorkshire family' he was actually born in (and I hope my fingers can actually be convinced to type this word - Lancashire). At one time heavily pregnant women were herded back over the Pennines just in case the offspring turned out male.

Howzat! Les

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 05:51 PM

I've always been surprised that the Canadians don't seem to play Cricket - after all, it'd surely be a way of teasing their neighbours. I'd have thought a version played on snow would have been a natural development. So far as I know the only place they play cricket on snow is in Switzerland on occasion, andnthen it's the English. Or ice might be better - could be exciting.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Cluin
Date: 29 Jul 03 - 07:57 PM

We have Lacrosse. Less rules. More violence.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 08:22 AM

Cricket????
Thats not Folk Music?
Is it??

Am I on the wrong web page again? The Womens Institute still dont forgive me! But it was an honest mistake . Anyone could have done it.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 08:29 AM

Found at Cric Info for the benefit of Guest Noddy

This calypso was written after the Windies won the test in
1950 against England at Lords.

==========================================================

VICTORY CALYPSO - Egbert Moore ("Lord Beginner")

Cricket lovely Cricket,
At Lord's where I saw it;
Cricket lovely Cricket,
At Lord's where I saw it;
Yardley tried his best
But Goddard won the test.
They gave the crowd plenty fun;
Second Test and West Indies won.

Chorus:With those two little pals of mine
       Ramadhin and Valentine.

The King was there well attired,
So they started with Rae and Stollmeyer;
Stolly was hitting balls around the boundary;
But Wardle stopped him at twenty.
Rae had confidence,
So he put up a strong defence;
He saw the King was waiting to see,
So he gave him a century.

Chorus:With those two little pals of mine
       Ramadhin and Valentine.

West Indies first innings total was three-twenty-six
Just as usual
When Bedser bowled Christiani
The whole thing collapsed quite easily;
England then went on,
And made one-hundred-fifty-one;
West Indies then had two-twenty lead
And Goddard said, "That's nice indeed."

Chorus:With those two little pals of mine
       Ramadhin and Valentine.

Yardley wasn't broken-hearted
When the second innings started;
Jenkins was like a target
Getting the first five in his basket.
But Gomez broke him down,
While Walcott licked them around;
He was not out for one-hundred and sixty-eight,
Leaving Yardley to contemplate.

Chorus:The bowling was superfine
       Ramadhin and Valentine.

West Indies was feeling homely,
Their audience had them happy.
When Washbrook's century had ended,
West Indies voices all blended.
Hats went in the air.
They jumped and shouted without fear;
So at Lord's was the scenery
Bound to go down in history.

Chorus:After all was said and done
       Second Test and the West Indies won!

Nigel

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: artbrooks
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 08:41 AM

So far, Rapaire's first post has made the most sense to me...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 09:15 AM

There are other cricket songs. Leslie Haworth from Cheshire - who wrote a verion of HERE'S TO CHESHIRE, a version of The Frog's Courtship, which is in the DT, but without his name on it - wrote at least one good one. I think the Spinners recorded it.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 09:56 AM

I don't mean he wrote "a version of Here's to Cheshire", he wrote the song itself, and it is a version of the Frog's Courtship.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 Jul 03 - 10:45 AM

And here is another version of "Cricket Lovely Ctricket" by Prince Far I:

"Cricket lovely cricket
And this is how I saw it.
England has tries their best
But West Indies has won the Test.
In fact the series me a tell you.

Under heavy bowling,
So me track Mr. Golden,
Fi go ask bout the bowling
He said check Mr. Holding
And let me tell you bout the heavy heavy bowling:
How is that Umpire?
Clean bowl!

So I man dolly down and hold meself a radio,
And go down a beach,
As soon as I reach down there, one more wicket gone.
Michael Holding me a tell you iya, yeah.
Say him juggle under heavy heavy bowling
What a heavy heavy heavy heavy heavy bowling
From the man called Michael Holding.

Boy me a tell you the wicket dem fly like lightning
Boy me a tell you is a first time the wickets fly so
It s a record!
Fourteen wickets in one series.
Me a tell you, bwoy, the dreadlocks him heavier than lead
And him dreader than dread
Let me tell you bout the man call Michael Holding,
Him full of bowling
Heavy heavy bowling, yeah.
Me a tell you bout a man call Michael Holding.

So I man dolly down a beach with I man radio
As soon as I reach down there,
Another wicket gone
Michael Holding again me tell you:
How is that Umpire?
Clean bowl!

England has tried their best,
But West Indies has won the Test.
In fact the series.
But seeya, but must, of course
Yeah.

Cricket lovely cricket.
And this year I really saw it.
And this is how I really know it.
Yeah."

And here is an article by Stuart Hall, about Cricket and the West Indies contribution to the way it is played and watched and celebrated in song- Calypso kings

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 01:52 PM

What a depressing day!

I'm an eternal optimist regarding English cricket (I was at an impressionable age in the summer of 1981).

But, please!

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 02:14 PM

I agree Ed. At least Gough and Anderson got some runs.

Hussain dropping Smith early in his innings is looking quite costly now.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 04:25 PM

Another disaster looming for England, three days will suffice for a South Africa win. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 05:33 PM

Flintoff will get 5 for 17 tomorrow, and they'll only make 220.

Hussain will then get 200, with an England total of 500+ and then Giles will spin South Africa out on the final afternoon.

We'll win the Ashes next time too!

You can always dream...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 31 Jul 03 - 08:00 PM

LOL Ed, but an early breakthrough in the AM would be nice.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Sooz
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 03:47 AM

Ed - I also remember 1981 when Botham rekindled the Ashes. What do you think to recalling Mike Brearley as captain? It worked then ........

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Trevor
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 04:33 AM

Typical - bloody weather forecast says that cloud cover will lift..

I've watched cricket in Corfu by the way. There's a thriving cricket club in Corfu town (or there was a few years ago) and they play on a bit of grass in the middle of the town.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 07:58 AM

Guest Ed: if only that was true :) or it could rain solidly all weekend and get us another draw. Young Mr Vaughan must be feeling quite sick!

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 03:03 PM

Hmmm, didn't do too well in my predictions, did I?

Worse than yesterday, if anything...

I had to listen to the old 'Spitting Image' song (direct link to a 2MB mp2 file) to cheer myself up...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 04:53 PM

Poor old England, looks like another complete rout. Stick to the one day stuff, test cricket is proving too much. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 01 Aug 03 - 04:59 PM

Stick to the one day stuff, test cricket is proving too much

No. When we finally get around to winning the Ashes, (and we will, eventually) it will be far sweeter because of the last 15 years

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 06:24 AM

I see we have already been treated to a bad dropped catch this morning...

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 07:20 AM

Make that two, Jon.

Add Stewart being hit in the face, and having to go off. And we can't even use our second choice keeper (Trescothick) because he's got a broken finger.

It's pitiful.

I feel really sorry for Vaughan.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 07:36 AM

YES!!!!

Graeme Smith is out.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 07:41 AM

Yep, maybe we will pick up a little now...

And Ed, I too feel sorry for Vaughan in his first test as captain.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 04:39 PM

Shouldn`t be problem for England 510 , it is a pity there best man will be having a few days off,no rain forecast. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 02 Aug 03 - 06:56 PM

Vaughan can still get a result out of this. But only if Graeme Smith has done a Lilley or a Cronje and put a few quid on England.

Spaw, re yacht racing - our beloved Prince Philip once likened it to having a shower with your clothes on, while tearing up large-value banknotes.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 03 Aug 03 - 04:07 PM

Walloped again, South Africa are supposed to be re-building their Side, looks like a bleak future for England. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:17 AM

Ard your just a sad negative Bastard

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 02:06 PM

I was being kind, so an even bloody bleaker future. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Teribus
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 11:04 AM

"Oh come ye of little faith" - it's based on a whole series and it's early days yet. I will remain optimistic and enjoy it, whatever, it's the sport I follow, not a country.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 03:43 PM

When was the last time England beat the Aussies in a Test Series?, Faith, it proves damm little if you beat this emerging South Africans, the dominant force in Cricket for the past 50 years has been the Aussies, with the Windies in second place. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 05 Aug 03 - 07:08 PM

Ard, you know little and are blinded by your own hatred of England.

In the period you talk about, the WI were at one time the best in the world. Nobody would have wanted to face the bombardment from the likes of Holding with the ball and Richards with the bat. Even English kids who followed cricked wanted to be like Viv or like Clive Lloyd...

SA cricket has had its ups and downs because of past disgusting attitudes over race (I mean I could never support apartheid) but they have been strong and produced some fine players. Look up the records of Graeme Pollock and Barry Richards. SA are not starting now as an emerging country but as a country that has put past troubles behind it.


Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Strollin' Johnny
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 07:58 AM

Sooz - now look what you started.
Curleigh

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: ard mhacha
Date: 06 Aug 03 - 09:08 AM

Jon You didn`t dispute the fact that Australia are second to none in the past 50 years, and yes I know all about Hall and Viv Richards, and Jim Laker`s 19 wickets on a doctored wicket at Old Trafford and from memory Tony Lock took the remaining wicket.
Sure the Windies had a great sides with the likes of Worrel Weekes Sobers, Lloyd etc, but overall in the past fifty years the Aussie record is without parallel.
Don`t get me wrong, I know my Cricket, I could bowl you a few chinamen any day. Ard Mhacha.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Aug 03 - 09:20 AM

Ah, for the days on the pitch. For gentlemen
in white flannels, bowling and batting.

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 11 Aug 03 - 09:51 PM

ard, maybe I didn't say it explicitly but I would certainly say that Australia have not always been second to none over that period. this article by Imran Khan may be of interest to you.

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Anyone for cricket?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 12 Aug 03 - 12:46 PM

Depending on how you choose to measure it, I think that the 'best team over the last 50 years' would be a pretty close run thing between Australia and the Windies.

This site provides some interesting stats. Compare 1946 - 1979 with 1980 - 1999 for example.

Ed
(who grew up wanting to be Viv Richards)