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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2023 10:37:59 GMT
England in Netball World Cup final
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 8, 2023 4:25:25 GMT
Stuart Broad to retire He's been a great bowler and his batting always made me smile. I think in batting he was a proponent of Bazball before it was ever a thing đ Broadball |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 10, 2023 15:45:22 GMT
I'm pleased to see that London Luton Airport are supporting their local team with a grass painting: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66461863Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu becomes the first player ever to play for the same club from non-League football all the way up to the Premier League. There's a good pub quiz answer for you. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 11, 2023 10:47:10 GMT
Good to see Howard Webb saying that additional time will be played in the event of time wasting: www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league-more-injury-time-referees-b2390703.htmlI did notice though, at the World Cup the amount of time added seemed to get less as the knockout rounds progressed. I hope this does not end up as something that becomes a widely ignored principle. I would like to see a shot clock as used in Tennis; if the side putting the ball back into play does not do so within, say, 15 seconds, they turn the ball over to the other side. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 11, 2023 15:10:31 GMT
Good for Harry Kane going to Bayern Munich; he's been screwed by Levy for too long. We'll miss him in English football, but he deserves the opportunity to go somewhere he can win League and Cup titles, as Levy would never let him move to a Premier League title contender: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66276899 |
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 19:33:09 GMT
crossbat11 - Anent (as they say in Scotland) Brian Hardie. It is fair to say that when Brian appeared at the crease was the moment to go and get a beer or pop to the loo. It wasn't just that he was slowish (because he could score fast if the game situation demanded), it was the complete lack of any aesthetic style to his batting. The politest term might be that runs were accumulated rather than made. And yet he was one of the most valuable players in the very successful Essex side of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and very popular with Essex supporters. The reason was he was the perfect balance to all the stroke-makers. You had Gooch and McEwan, who were world class, Fletcher, a bit past his best but still better than most, and a whole string of people down the order like Keith Pont, Norbert Phillip and Stuart Turner who could throw the bat and get good quick runs. Brian Hardie at 5 was the glue that held the thing together and proper cricket fans understood the value of that. Essex won 4 championships and 3 one-day trophies while Hardie was part of the team. 18,000 first class runs at 34 attests to his value and while I can bring to mind his batting style, I don't think I can remember any of those 18,000 runs! Mention of Ken McEwan is going to make me do another post to recollect one of the best bits of cricket I ever witnessed.
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 20:17:15 GMT
Down memory lane, part 2. I went to see Essex play the Indian tourists in 1979. In those far off days, the tour match was still regarded as quite a big deal and a money-spinner and the counties generally put out a reasonably decent side. Essex on this occasion played their full first team, despite which India had rather the better of the match overall. It was the second innings and Essex were going for quick runs. Ken McEwan was facing the bowling of the great Bishen Singh Bedi, slow left arm. For those who don't know, McEwan was a seriously good player, one of that generation of great South African players who were destined to play little or no international cricket due to the sporting boycott over apartheid. Anyway, Bedi bowled McEwan a well flighted ball which the batsman, with a free swing of the bat, straight drove past the bowler along the ground for four. Bedi then bowled the same ball again and McEwan swung harder and belted it over the sight screen behind the bowler for six. Next ball Bedi bowled the same well tossed up ball as the previous two (or so it seemed) and McEwan began to deliver the same big back swing in preparation for another drive ... only to suddenly turn it into a desperate stab down at the ball, but unavailing as he was far to late to stop it bowling him. The ball which had looked the same to the crowd and the batsman as the previous two had in fact been subtly different, faster and dipping sooner to effectively 'york' that flourishing back-lift. It also dawned on us all that Bedi had gifted the previous ten runs to set the batsman up - ten runs to get a player as good as Ken McEwan out was well worthwhile. McEwan stood there for a moment looking surprised, then he visibly nodded to Bedi, acknowledging to the bowler that he had been 'done' and walked off. Bedi just gave a gentle smile. I was young and newish to the game in those days and that was the moment when I discovered what "beaten in the flight" actually meant. I also came away with the impression that this Bedi chap might just be a seriously good bowler. This is also the reason I love three/four/five day cricket. There are so many facets to it, so many ways to make runs and take wickets. I find the shorter forms formulaic and rather dull, replying heavily on slogging for entertainment value. There is so much more cricket has to offer! wisden.com/matches/scorecard/112657/essex-v-indians-at-chelmsford |
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Post by mercian on Aug 16, 2023 21:38:50 GMT
pjw1961I haven't watched too much county cricket though I've been down to Worcester about once a year for the last few years, but I had a vivid memory of a Sunday game in the early 70s when I saw Jackie Hampshire get a century for Yorkshire followed by Dennis Amiss getting one for Warwickshire. However on researching it I found that it must have been a JPL game in 1975 when Hampshire got exactly 100 and Amiss just 80. It was an interesting contrast though. Hampshire was all biff-bang-wallop (for the day), and Amiss never seemed to exert himself - just calm defence and occasional beautifully timed and seemingly effortless off-drives. Then I looked up and saw he'd got to 50 in no time. I think he actually scored faster than Hampshire. Warwickshire won comfortably and Kanhai at 5 didn't even have to bat. In that era Warwickshire's top 5 were probably as strong as any country's. Jameson, Amiss, Kallicharran, Mike Smith, Kanhai. They also had Derick Murray as wickie and David Brown and Eddie Hemmings among the bowlers.
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pjw1961
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 21:55:19 GMT
pjw1961 I haven't watched too much county cricket though I've been down to Worcester about once a year for the last few years, but I had a vivid memory of a Sunday game in the early 70s when I saw Jackie Hampshire get a century for Yorkshire followed by Dennis Amiss getting one for Warwickshire. However on researching it I found that it must have been a JPL game in 1975 when Hampshire got exactly 100 and Amiss just 80. It was an interesting contrast though. Hampshire was all biff-bang-wallop (for the day), and Amiss never seemed to exert himself - just calm defence and occasional beautifully timed and seemingly effortless off-drives. Then I looked up and saw he'd got to 50 in no time. I think he actually scored faster than Hampshire. Warwickshire won comfortably and Kanhai at 5 didn't even have to bat. In that era Warwickshire's top 5 were probably as strong as any country's. Jameson, Amiss, Kallicharran, Mike Smith, Kanhai. They also had Derick Murray as wickie and David Brown and Eddie Hemmings among the bowlers. Apparently although all the yorkies called Hampshire 'Jackie' he hated it - said it was a girl's name and wanted to be called John  . Fine stroke player. You are right about Amiss, he had a fantastic record for England in the early ODIs - just struggled with Lillee and Thomson, but then many did (Australia walloped the West Indies in 1975/6 - Richards, Lloyd, Greenidge, Fredericks, Kallicharran, Rowe and all). Thinking about the strong Warwickshire batting line-up, here is a corrective from a little later. Warwickshire 523-4 on day one - and lost by 10 wickets! Graeme Fowler batted with a runner in both innings! wisden.com/matches/scorecard/148590/lancashire-v-warwickshire-at-southport-schweppes-county-championship |
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Post by johntel on Aug 21, 2023 8:57:19 GMT
Biggest Pitches in the Premier LeagueAlthough many of the Premier League pitches are the same size, there is some variation across the grounds. Most of the biggest pitches use the same dimensions but Nottingham Forest has the largest pitch in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season measuring in at 105.2m x 71.3m. City Ground â Area: 7,500.76m City of Manchester Stadium â Area: 7,140m Emirates Stadium â Area: 7,140m Molineux Stadium â Area: 7,140m Old Trafford â Area: 7,140m Smallest Pitches in the Premier LeagueThere is more variation when it comes to the smallest pitches in the Premier League and Fulhamâs Craven Cottage holds the title of smallest playing area with dimensions of 100m x 65m. Craven Cottage â Area: 6,500m Kenilworth Road â Area: 6,619m Goodison Park â Area: 6,832.64m Selhurst Park â Area: 6,868m Bramall Lane â Area: 6,868m There's clearly a direct relationship between the quality of a team and the size of their pitch
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 21, 2023 14:00:20 GMT
Biggest Pitches in the Premier LeagueAlthough many of the Premier League pitches are the same size, there is some variation across the grounds. Most of the biggest pitches use the same dimensions but Nottingham Forest has the largest pitch in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season measuring in at 105.2m x 71.3m. City Ground â Area: 7,500.76m City of Manchester Stadium â Area: 7,140m Emirates Stadium â Area: 7,140m Molineux Stadium â Area: 7,140m Old Trafford â Area: 7,140m Smallest Pitches in the Premier LeagueThere is more variation when it comes to the smallest pitches in the Premier League and Fulhamâs Craven Cottage holds the title of smallest playing area with dimensions of 100m x 65m. Craven Cottage â Area: 6,500m Kenilworth Road â Area: 6,619m Goodison Park â Area: 6,832.64m Selhurst Park â Area: 6,868m Bramall Lane â Area: 6,868m There's clearly a direct relationship between the quality of a team and the size of their pitch Just for reference, the official minimum and maximum sizes of soccer pitches are: length 90-120 m; width 45-90 m (although the pitch must be longer than it is wide - square pitches are not allowed). I seem to remember stories from the old days of groundsmen being instructed to reduce the width of pitches if the opposition had quick wingers. |
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 21, 2023 20:55:36 GMT
Biggest Pitches in the Premier LeagueAlthough many of the Premier League pitches are the same size, there is some variation across the grounds. Most of the biggest pitches use the same dimensions but Nottingham Forest has the largest pitch in the Premier League for the 2023/24 season measuring in at 105.2m x 71.3m. City Ground â Area: 7,500.76m City of Manchester Stadium â Area: 7,140m Emirates Stadium â Area: 7,140m Molineux Stadium â Area: 7,140m Old Trafford â Area: 7,140m Smallest Pitches in the Premier LeagueThere is more variation when it comes to the smallest pitches in the Premier League and Fulhamâs Craven Cottage holds the title of smallest playing area with dimensions of 100m x 65m. Craven Cottage â Area: 6,500m Kenilworth Road â Area: 6,619m Goodison Park â Area: 6,832.64m Selhurst Park â Area: 6,868m Bramall Lane â Area: 6,868m There's clearly a direct relationship between the quality of a team and the size of their pitch The Mighty Wolves might be an outlier đ |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 24, 2023 10:16:16 GMT
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 25, 2023 9:26:50 GMT
You can understand why refs and VAR get so much grief from supporters when you read stories like this: www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/mike-dean-var-anthony-taylor-chelsea-tottenham-b2399223.htmlFormer Premier League referee Mike Dean said he decided not to alert a fellow official to a missed call via the VAR system during last seasonâs fiery match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur because the referee âis a mateâ and he wanted to spare him âmore griefâ.
Dean, 55, was the Video Assistant Referee during a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last August when Spursâ Cristian Romero pulled Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair at a corner.
The foul was not given by on-field referee Anthony Taylor and Spurs scored a late equaliser during the resulting passage of play.As it happened it didn't make much difference to the end-of-season table. Had Spurs lost instead of drawing they would have dropped one place, finishing behind Brentford on goal difference, while Chelsea would have finished above Crystal Palace. What one cannot quantify is the psychological effect on both the respective managers and teams of knowing that the result was obtained by cheating. This is one of those times when I would like to believe in karma because Romero deserves everything he has coming to him. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 30, 2023 23:26:21 GMT
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Sept 2, 2023 18:22:40 GMT
Mason Greenwood is to leave Man United following sexual assault allegations and us going to.... wait for it...Spanish side Getafe
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Post by johntel on Sept 2, 2023 21:11:04 GMT
If Chelsea carry on like they are doing they soon won't have any fans left at all. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Sept 2, 2023 23:20:26 GMT
Mason Greenwood is to leave Man United following sexual assault allegations and us going to.... wait for it...Spanish side Getafe But only on a season-long loan: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66698653Does this give you the idea that ManUre are hoping that everything will die down and they can bring him back to Manchester next season? If so they may be sadly disappointed. |
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Post by neilj on Sept 3, 2023 6:15:13 GMT
Mason Greenwood is to leave Man United following sexual assault allegations and us going to.... wait for it...Spanish side Getafe But only on a season-long loan: www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66698653Does this give you the idea that ManUre are hoping that everything will die down and they can bring him back to Manchester next season? If so they may be sadly disappointed. Perhaps Man United will hire Luis Rubiales as Director of Football |
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Post by moby on Sept 10, 2023 11:52:20 GMT
Good win for England last night. Really unusual to see 3 drop goals in international rugby. Can't see beyong South Africa for the cup, being realistic. They have some massive forwards as substitutes to bring on in the latter part of matches. I'm getting really nervous now regarding our chances against Fiji tonight. Fiji are three places higher than us in the world rankings but Muntz is out injured. We have a chance!
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Post by moby on Sept 11, 2023 5:16:15 GMT
What a brilliant game last night between Wales and Fiji. It had everything. We were clinging on at the end, just trying to keep Fiji out as the clock ticked down. The game has changed a lot now due to the rule changes to protect players, one mis placed tackle can shift the momentum of a game. It had to be done but is going to take time to adjust to the new rules to protect players.
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Post by leftieliberal on Oct 2, 2023 14:45:05 GMT
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Post by leftieliberal on Oct 2, 2023 16:08:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2023 16:25:09 GMT
With Rodney Marsh and Denis Law at on stage |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2023 16:26:45 GMT
With Rodney Marsh and Denis Law at on stage Rodney Marsh to Alf Ramsey when heâd threatened to pull players off at half time: âBlimey at City we only get a cup of teaâ |
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Post by athena on Oct 9, 2023 16:18:33 GMT
 This weekend my favourite athlete got to throw his arms in the air one last time this season. No one else in sight and a beautiful solo victory by a brilliant cyclist who gives every indication of being a grounded, decent human being as well as a consummate racer. mercian may be interested in the irony that professional cycling is riddled with fossil fuel sponsors. Races are now regularly targetted by climate protesters. When protesters glue themselves to the road the race is halted until they can be de-glued. The riders themselves could easily ride round the protesters, but a race isn't allowed to proceed unless there is a certain number of ambulances with the peloton, so when something like this happens the race organisers quickly halt all the groups so as to 'freeze' the state of the race. Cyclists as a group are favourably inclined towards climate activism and halting the race doesn't selectively disadvantage anyone, so there's not yet been any grumbling about the disruptions. They are less forgiving of protesters who disrupt races by putting tacks on the road, because tthat does affect the racing and a blowout at high speed can be dangerous, especially in a group of riders. Cyclists live with the knowledge that on any given day an ill-timed mechanical mishap or a crash that was completely outside their control could end their race (or career or even their life), which may help to explain their relaxed attitude to having to hang around whilst a road is cleared.
The tactic of disrupting races isn't unique to climate protesters either - French farmers and Basque separatists have also used it in recent years.
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Post by leftieliberal on Oct 11, 2023 11:03:35 GMT
Wayne Rooney: Birmingham City appoint ex-England captain as manager www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67055334Well, I hope he does better than his England ex-teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, and I think he was unlucky at Derby with the points deduction forcing their relegation, but I think this idea that a great player will become a great manager is misplaced. The greatest players have rarely become great managers, perhaps because their playing careers at the top level have been longer and so they haven't had the same opportunity to learn the skills of being a manager out of the spotlight. I don't blame Gary Lineker for taking the easier route of becoming a TV presenter. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Oct 23, 2023 21:20:00 GMT
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Post by leftieliberal on Oct 24, 2023 9:42:12 GMT
Jonathan Liew with some perceptive analysis on the England Rugby team www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/23/england-exit-rugby-world-cup-with-pride-intact-but-more-than-grit-needed-to-woo-publicCertainly not the rugby itself. Stylistically, the gulf between England and the very best in the world has rarely been wider. England kicked away 93% of their possession on Saturday night, and spent a total of 73 seconds in the South Africa 22. They registered the slowest ruck speed of the entire tournament (narrowly beating the record mark they set against Samoa). It was the first time at this World Cup that a team played an entire match without registering a single line break.Everyone before concentrated on England kicking away 93% of their possession, but that is a symptom, not the cause, of their problems. Getting the ball back from the ruck so slowly (and that was something I thought at the time) gives the opposition's defence time to get organised and the failure to make any line breaks means that they don't need to reorganise. Under those conditions kicking is inevitable. It would also be fair to say (which Liew unjustifiably omits) that the injury to Marcus Smith in the Fiji game exposed England's dependence on him, even though he was not being played at his Club position. He was the one England player who I thought always threatened to make line breaks. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2023 10:22:41 GMT
After a decade of unremitting misery, which has seen them fall from the second tier of English football to the sixth, perhaps things are finally looking up for Yeovil Town.
After another very shaky start to the season, they have had six straight league wins, and now find themselves top of Nationwide League South. Yesterday's derby win, on a terrible night, over traditional rivals Weymouth was watched by a crowd of 6,289. This beat the league's previous highest ever attendance by over 1,000. It was also higher than six attendances in League 2 and three in League 1 last night.
Fingers crossed.
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. Fine stroke player. 
