It's when I read internet reports of the cricket that I remember one more reason to miss England. Anyone else here into this arcane pursuit? But it seems like it's harder than expected against New Zealand...the climate must suit the New Zealanders, as their weather is pretty similar, I hear...rain and dreariness in general...here I'm in short sleeves, maybe go to the beach...

Guess I don't miss England much after all.

Hmmm. Cricket. Not really a great follower because I don't have the attention span.... sorry, what were we talking about again??? :wacko:

As a 'Merican with Fox Sports World (Fox=Sky), I've always been a footie fan, and can now follow rugby and Aussie rules matches (but still am sorting out the difference between rugby and rugby league). Cricket broadcasts still utterly bewilder me -- Foe

I am actually at Lord's working, but Giles' dull leg stump line means that the Fall Forum is a touch more interesting than what is going on in the middle....

can i be the first to say "the bowlers Holding, the batmens willy".......ahhhhhh, the sound of leather on willow <_<

Cricket is great. I have tickets for the day-night game at Old Trafford. Try and go at least once a year. What could be better? A day in the sun drinking beer - the occasional cigar - and Patak's Curry Wagon- all in the name of sport. :beer: :zzzz:

Much better than the painful hysteria I have suffered from watching Man City for 30 years :banghead: .

Of all the sports I've ever played cricket is by far and away the best - the gradual ebb and flow, the explosive action, the supreme subtleties of getting a delivery to swing, cut or spin and the batsman dealing with them when they do.

Mind you, I find it difficult to watch on TV now they have adverts at the end of overs - that really does spoil it.

B) I used to play at semi-pro level B) so although I like footy more than anything I was crap at it so for me cricket was always the best to play. :D

The best thing about cricket as a playing sport is that you can actually drink (and smoke) whilst taking part in the game. Well you certainly can at the level I play at now. And what other proper sports actually have a break so you can have your tea.

10 pin bowling is a better sport... u can get dead drunk AND eat while yer carry on playin -_- :beer: I AM CRAP AT IT THOUGH

Darts is another, even though I too am crap at that...Golf is another, though I only tried to play once...the better you are at golf, the less you play, have you ever thought about that? But a lot of golfers are right-wing idiots with stupid jumpers and even more stupid trousers. If I've upset any golfers here, then obviously I'm not referring to you...don't come chasing me with your four irons, thankyou very much...

Since moving to the US about a year ago I've missed cricket a lot. I used to play, plus have been a season ticket holder/ member at Lancashire since I was a little kid. Ahh.. memories of long summer school holidays and spending all day every day at Old Trafford! :D

I have managed to find some refuge in baseball. I never imagined I'd like it, but went to a few Florida Marlins games when I first moved here and both Mrs H and I enjoyed it. It's nowhere near as subtle as cricket, but it's good. It probably also helped that the Marlins, who were frankly shite when we first arrived, turned around their fortunes and won the championship last year. I'm sure it was more to do with the influence of the new manager, rather than our presence. :P

I know a Yorkshire first team player - went out for a drink with him and his g/f a few months ago, drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney. No wonder they got relagated. The New Zealand cricket team are so shite it's unbelievable, how can they let England tease them, and then let them walk all over them on the final day?

I like cricket - it's cool. Remember the England Barmy Army winter tour of NZ in '96?

Yes, I was only saying the other day, that England are a spinner short of a world-class side. Since Embers and Edmonds it's been very patchy...Giles would struggle to turn milk in a month.
MES looks like a candidate to be a spinner...right temperament.

i like baseball too...but i dont watch it ....cos its never on in the day :(

richard has left the building

that's what put me off cricket.....just seemed like an excuse for ppl to throw balls at me....i just wanted to wrap the cricket bat round the bowler's head :rant:

Fucking hard when you try to catch the thing, too...fingers hurt for ages after...

New Zealand are proving a bit trickier than everyone thought, aren't they, especially since people tend to see them as a poor man's Australia.

So time has moved on and here's the question: Are England ready for the Aussies yet?

You can ask them to put up bumpers at either side of your lane. That way it really does require absolutely no skill whatsoever and being drunk and eating while playing gives you a distinct advantage. If you're too drunk to stand, you can also get these devices where you sit, point them at the skittles and roll the ball down them (using minimal force).
:beer: :wacko:

I used to be a (drinking) member of our local cricket club. I don't like cricket and the youths that were being groomed for the team were just revolting misbehaving idiots. There parents were just rude. I left the club because the place smelt horrible, like a cross between a cow shed and limeburner's clog.

:girly:

but maybe next year??? England are in a bit of revival. Australia seem to be on the way down, or at least on the way to the way down & will shortly loose some more key player (Warne can't keep it up much longer, McGrath is now injury prone, Lee's body can't take the pounding & Gillespie goes off injured with a broken finger nail) they will lack the devastating bowling attack that has demolished sides for so long. And because it was so effective, little effort was given to bringing new talent through until last year. This will be a time of rebuilding for Australia, so if England are to retake the Ashes, it's next year or not for at least 10 more.
Worth a bet for the odds though. (England to win 2-1 9/1)

But Australian cricket always seems to possess an edge, a hardness, which is often absent in England teams. This will, I feel, be a problem.

I dunno this time. Twelve wins and a draw out of 13 tests does give you a bit of confidence that pulls the team together, something that Australia have had for years. These tests next year may be closer than recently, as England now have a winning ethic to go with the top individual performances.

I think you're right, England are not driven to win & don't have that reserve. It reveals itself in most sports, particularly footy (soccer) they gave up once Brazil had pulled back to 1-1 in Korea, lets not mention Euro championships.. the Rugby world cup is the one glaring contradiction.
The Ashes were lost in Oz last time on day on when Nasser pu tOz into bat & couldn't take a wicket. They gave up there & then. If England can get off to a good start they have a chance.
Australia need to win; it is a nation that defines itself via sport;look at the furore over the rower who gave up... she has been branded that most heinous of crimes "Unaustralian"
I have very divided loyalties, but I would like to see a decent contest.

richard has left the building

Sadly, even with England's current revival, I can only forecast series losses to South Africa,and once gain, Australia. We've got the best seam attack now since the halcyon days of Botham, Willis, Hendrick and Old but Aussies have the mental toughness of years of success. Vaughan doesn't help matters proclaiming Freddy to be the best cricketer in the world. Predict England to win a dead rubber as normal. :(

Hotel Amnesia.... did you forget this post???

there's a final on today... no impending Australian victory, funnily enough, no coverage here...
maybe it's cos of the final in that funny game they play in Melbourne with the rugby ball?

That's Australian Rules, right? Seen a lot of that, but don't really get it, It seems to be more vital to catch the ball in the field of play...scoring seems ridiculously easy if the territorial play goes your way...the scores are usually in the hundreds...if anyone can explain or point me to a good website...

Meanwhile, today I can choose between the Arsenal, Liverpool or Man U game on TV. Which one should I watch?

England v West Indies, clearly :applaud:

Listen to the wireless instead - Saturday's a top day on ResonanceFM... Over the Edge, Hello Goodbye, Nostalgie ya Mboka, Harmon E Phraisyar... who needs telly?

Sorry, but I want to watch the footie. It's my second drug.

That'll be Australian No Fuckin' Rules Football actually.
It seems to me to be the most random, fast, tactic free & violent game played off an ice hockey rink.
But those carzy Victorians (the state, not the period) can't get enough of it.


Here's a starter for 10;


18 players on the ground and four on the interchange bench in the premiership season. Players can be swapped on and off the bench at any time as long as they comply with the interchange guidelines. Scoring: a goal shall register six points and a behind one point. Starting the match: unless a free kick has been awarded, at the start of each quarter the field umpire shall hold the ball aloft, sound his whistle and bounce the ball in the circle. A maximum of four players from each team are permitted in the square for the centre bounce.

Mark: a mark is catching the ball directly from the kick of another player, not less than 15 metres distant, the ball being held a reasonable time and not having been touched in transit from kick to catch. Kicking off after a behind: unless a subsequent free kick has been paid, any player of the defending team shall kick the ball into play from within the kick-off lines. The contact must be made before the ball completely crosses the line. Ball disposal: the ball may be kicked or handballed. Handball: a player must hold the ball in one hand and hit it with the clenched fist of the other hand. If the ball is not handballed correctly, a free kick shall be given to the nearest opponent. Kick: contact must be below the knee. Ball possession: a player may hold the ball for any length of time provided he is not held by an opponent. If he runs with the ball, he must bounce it or touch it on the ground at least once every 15 metres from the start of his run, whether running in a straight line or turning and dodging. Free kicks: according to the spirit of the laws, the player who makes the ball his sole objective shall be given every opportunity to gain possession of the ball. The player who has possession of the ball and is held by an opponent shall be given a reasonable time to kick or handball the ball. The ball shall be kept in motion. The field umpire shall call play on’ if by awarding a free kick, he would have penalised the team offended against. The main frees: Holding the ball: if a player is caught with the ball after having an opportunity to dispose of it, or if he pulls the ball underneath him, the umpire will pay holding the ball. Holding the man: player held when not in possession of the football. Around the neck: a tackle above the shoulder. Out on the full: kicking the ball over the boundary line without it touching the ground or being touched by another player. In the back: when a player is pushed in the back. Deliberately out of bounds: when a player deliberately forces the ball out of bounds.


all clear now????
I got that here; AFL

Wow - what a final that was : truly ripping stuff.

SPOILER follows so avoid if you want to watch the highlights tonight


















England were absolutely pummelling the W Indies and had them at 147-8, needing 71 runs off approx 16 overs. The number 9 and 10 batsman were at the crease....and they bloomin' well did it !

Real edge of the seat stuff, and well done to Bradshaw and Browne for sticking at it against adversity. Gough bowled a load of total rubbish today....

Should the English Cricket team be touring Zimbawbe? Has Mugabe won? Does it matter? Would it have made a practical or moral difference if they'd stayed at home? Do sport and politics go hand-in-hand nowadays? I think they do, and I don't think England should be there. They nearly didn't go because of the lack of press access...they were going in spite of genocide. What do you think?

I use cricket for one thing only, I use it as a sedative. I think it is the worst sport ever it is just plain boring and has no redeeming assets about it. To try and answer your questions though I don't think the England Cricket team should travel anywhere. As they are an embaressment to to our country, because the one thing I do know about cricket is that England are shite at it. Which is ironic, because of the fact that we created it. Have they actually won a match recently??

I actually have a question of my own which involves sport in general, not just cricket.

Are England actually superior at any sport??

I mean the football team does allright but could be better as we're not the best are we. So is there actually a sport we can say we are peerless at???

Foxhunting! And, and Crown Green Bowling (probably) :unsure:

love cricket me. think it's shit that the team keep getting put in this position because the icb cant get it's head out of it's arse.........