The Ozzies are Talking it up
Well only a few hours to go before England start the second test and the Ozzies are predictably talking it up. However, this test will be almost certainly be decided by the toss of a coin - you have to go back about 15 years to find a side that batted first and then lost. Freddy is in bouyant mood and claims the bowlers are all really fired up and the absence of the old man McGrath could give the guys an even bigger lift. He faces a late fitness test tomorrow for a long standing heel injury. He may regret walking off pretending to be old and decrepit after the last test - he really is old and decrepit afterall and it would be a big risk for them to play him. If England do win the toss and bat first then Mcgrath could face a long stint of bowling and break down completely. Let’s hope egos take over and he insists on wanting to play even though he isn’t up to it.
Good news too that Vaughan played his first game yesterday. The bad news is he only face 5 balls and failed to score - on that form though he could walk straight back into the team!
It will be an interesting decision to make if Bell, and Cooke both score well over the next few tests and Vaughan proclaims himself fit!
Robinson Out?
Well within a few days of being given the vote of confidence by Rob Andrew after a “lengthy meeting”, Andy Robinson is set to quit as England coach following their defeat to a second string RSA side. I thought I heard that he had been sacked but according to the BBC he is set to quit tomorrow on the understanding that he will still be compensated. Martin Johnson looks set to take over. Robinson has presided over the worst string of results in English Rugby history and has seen his side booed off twice, which has never happened before to my knowledge. The only concern for me is that Robinson was Woodward’s number 2 and presumably therefore a top notch coach. Therefore, unless he has become a poor coach over night, the recent run of results might just be that we do not have the quality of players that we need to compete at the top level. A worrying thought with the 6 nations about to kick off and the World Cup next year.
Ashes - First Test - Result
As predicted after day one really, England have lost the first test. At least some pride was salvaged in the second innings with Collingwood and Pieterson getting to the 90s. Hopefully that will give the team a bit of a lift for Friday and Adelaide. Let’s just hope that Freddy can win the toss and we can post a half decent socre and put the Ozzies under pressure for the first time in the series.
I’ve not seen much in the way of highlights as I was limping around a hockey pitch all weekend, but I understand that Warne and Pieterson had a little go at each other. Good to see a bit of aggression - hopefully that will fire them all up for the next match.
Can’t wait till Friday! (Thursday night)
Fraser
The Ashes - First Test - Day 2
I’m not a betting man (well not much of one anyway!) but if I was I would have put money on England losing a couple of quick wickets when chasing a massive 602. The first session is crucial to the match now, with Bell and Pieterson needing to bat through until lunch time at the very least. If one or the other gets out early doors, then England could be staring down the face of a “innings plus” defeat. Bat through and avoid the follow on (unlikely) or bat long enough to force a draw and the Ozzies will feel like they have lost.
I stayed up to watch the first hour and see Harmison continue to spray the ball all round the wicket, and could only feel for him. If a batsman is out of touch then he gets out and goes back to the pavillion to hide, whereas a bowler must stay and face the music. Made even harder when surrounded by 40000 people, 38000 of whom are praying for you to get it wrong!
Don’t forget though that he is still a great bowler contrary to what some muppet on the BBC Blog is suggesting, which is that he has never been any good. Not so long ago he was the world number one. You don’t get there without being good. So he IS still a great bowler, just a great bowler out of form!
The Ashes - First Test - Day 1
| So finally it’s here - after all the hype and hyperbole the Ashes is upon us. And for England at least the tone was set with the first ball of the series when Harmison was so wide he almost missed second slip. At least Flintoff had the bottle to change him after just 2 very expensive overs, which is something he wouldn’t have done a few months ago. I wonder if that’s something he learned from Vaughan, who has never shied away from making quick changes if it’s not working. As mentioned before, Harmison is a real concern for me and the selectors can’t give him too long to find his form or the Ashes will be lost. I feel he has his place at the moment based purely on past achievements rather than current form. I hope more than anybody that he finds his line and length quickly.
Overall though, England seem to have worked hard on an excellent batting pitch (I didn’t stay up to watch unfortunately), but according to Mr Botham it is the “best batting pitch I’ve seen in a very long time”. Which means the fact that Ponting won the toss and chose to bat first is a major factor in this match. In fact the toss will be a major factor throughout the series- let’s hope that we win the odd one or two! Anyway, back to the first test. I can’t see the Ozzies getting less than 500 now having finished on 346/3, which means that England are going to have to bat for at least 2 days in order to force a draw. They will really need to get off to a good start - a couple of early wickets and they will be looking at following on and a prayer to the rain Gods. In fact after the start they’ve had, the Ozzies will not be happy with anything less than victory I imagine. Don’t panic either way though. Remember the Lords test - England down and out and written off by the press only to bounce straight back. |
Champions League Round-Up
A satisfactory two days for the British teams in Europe, although I suspect Man United will be the most worried team out of the home nations. I only got to see the last 15 minutes of the Man U Celtic game but tuned in at the right time for all the fram (for once). A free kick that was never a free kick, but what a finish by Nakamura, followed by the most bizarre attempt at a finish by Saha (I can only assume he thought he was offside, but haven’t yet seen him comment on it), and then a penalty that wasn’t a penalty which looked to even things up - only for Saha to miss again. End result a 1-0 defeat for the English side and very final game to come to ensure qualification, and Celtic guaranteed a place in the next round.
Arsenal faired much better with a 3-1 win over Hamburg. A result made even more remarkable as it was at the Emirates stadium, and it leaves them safely through.
Liverpool put in an impressive display to ensure top spot in their group winning 2-0 against PSV. The game was marred by injuries to 3 key players though, although surely that’s why the “elite 4″ have such large squads?
Chelsea went down 1-0 away to Werder Bremen, due in part to yet another ridiculous free kick award, although the subsequent defending needed a lot to be desired. Chelsea will still qualify though, although and even better news is that Barcelona will have to beat Werder Bremen to go through - no mean feat. More worryingly for Morinho though are the injuries to Ballack and Drogba, with Sunday’s clash against Man U. Again though, it shouldn’t worry him too much thanks to the talent he can draft in i.e. Shevchenko, Wright-Phillips etc. Oh to be one of the “elite four”.
I’ll finish by saying I’m really looking forward to Sunday’s big game. I would normally be referring to Portsmouth v Newcastle, but as I will be running/limping around a hockey pitch attempting some giant killing in a cup semi final, I will have to settle for the Chelsea v Man U (assuming we finish the job in 70 mins and don’t end up with extra time and penalties of course).
Prediction Man U 2 Chelski 1. Oh and Pompey to thrash the Toon Army 3-0.
Britain get off to a good start in Belfast
Congratulations to the British Ladies who have qualifed for the World Women’s Squash Open in Belfast. Special mention must go to Lauren Briggs and Becky Botwright, both who came from behind to beat their oponents and reach the forst round proper, with both matches taking well over an hour. Anybody who plays “friendly” squash as I do, with rallies that last no more than a few strokes will appreciate how fit these guys are to play long rallies over a sustained period of time. As the coverage for this tournament will no doubt be scarce it’s worth checking out the official website to keep abreast of the results.
Rugby Round Up
Well finally a weekend of wins for the home nations, - I was going to say a weekend to be proud of, but considering the standard of opposition (Ireland’s win over the Ozzies excluded), it really should have been a winning weekend. Even then England had to wait until the last minute to beat a 2nd string South African side, but at least they managed to break the unbeaten run, and can hopefully make it 2 out of 2 and a little more convincing when they meet South Africa again this coming weekend. This victory will be somewhat tainted though, with the news that Charlie Hogson and Andrew Sheridan will miss the rest of the season and possibly the world cup through injury. This doesn’t bode well for the World Cup either.
Meanwhile, Wales thrashed Canada 61-26 and even Scotland managed to beat the The Pacific Islands 34-22.
Ireland’s win means they now move to third in the world rankings and makes them clear favorites for the upcoming six nations.
Not such good news on the League side with GB going down 33-10 to the Ozzies - we’ll let them have that one providing we get to keep the Ashes!
Fraser
Rugby chaos - Dallaglio the saviour?
Following the worst run of results for an England rugby team in over 100 years, Andy Robinson, under pressure for his job looks like bringing back Lawrence Dallaglio for Saturday’s clash with South Africa. Why oh why oh why? Ok, yes he has experience and leadership qualitites, but he hasn’t played an international for over 2.5years andis passed his peak. If Robinson is saying there really is nobody better than Dallaglio in the current England squad, then English Rugby is in a much worse state than the recent results would suggest. Dallaglio is a player of the past and it smacks of a knee jerk reaction from a coach and management team lacking in confidence and ideas and worrying about their jobs. They should be looking to the future to improve things in the long term not looking to put a sticking plaster over the current situation.
What’s going on with Trescothick
At the risk of turning this blog into a cricket only blog, I still feel the need to comment on the breaking news regarding Marcus Trescothick. Having only been certified fit to bat a couple of weeks ago, he has been sent home due to the return of his “stress related illness”. Why oh why did he go in the first place if there was any doubt. If he is still feeling under pressure then Australia on an Ashes tour is the last place he should be and therefore if there was any doubt he shouldn’t have gone in the first place. It now gives the team only one more match to test either Bell or Cook as openers with Strauss. Madness all round. End of rant.