Sunday, 14 July 2013
Blogathonrunner: Has An Ashes Urn Caused England To Have A Funny Tu...
Blogathonrunner: Has An Ashes Urn Caused England To Have A Funny Tu...: Well if that was the starter cooked up by the English and Australian Cricket teams these past few days blog readers, we are most definitely...
Has An Ashes Urn Caused England To Have A Funny Turn?
Well if that was the starter cooked up by the English and Australian Cricket teams these past few days blog readers, we are most definitely in for a fun Summer and Winter, or Winter and Summer if you are an Australian. That Test Match had more drama and incidents than you probably get in an entire TV Detective Series if the truth be told. The odd thing is though, as an England fan I can't say I was entirely convinced by their performance as a team at times, and if I was an Australian fan, even though they lost the Test Match, there is quite a bit they can take encouragement from.
Now don't get me wrong, based on quality of players, stats, recent history, team experience, opinions of cricket pundits in the know, England should most definitely win the Ashes Series on both sides of the equator. Some have been saying however, there could be a 10-0 whitewash across the two series. Having seen England's performance over the past few days, I'm not entirely sure many members of the public or pundits alike would be utterly convinced by that prediction.
I recall in my youth when Australia were a team in their pomp with the likes of McGrath, Warne, the Waugh Brothers etc, you got the feeling when they predicted they would more or less slaughter England during an Ashes Series, you didn't need convincing of the fact. Usually they had won the required number of Test Matches by huge margins in a very short space of time, without drawing a sweat from brows of any player.
On the evidence of the first Test Match of this Ashes Series however, you feel England need to improve vastly if they wish to reach the equivalent of the Ashes Summit and leave the Aussies firmly at base camp, or else they may well be sweating buckets for several months to come as they did the past few days.
Areas of Improvment. I can think of a few straight off:
1) When you have your opponents 117 - 9 in their first innings, you really should not be letting smiley faced assasin 19 year no.11 batsmen by the name of Ashton Agar score 98 runs against you.
2) Similarly you would hope on a last day of a test match if you have your opponents 6 down and they still require over 150 runs to win a test match, you can get the job done by 12 and settle down to a pleasant lunchtime celebration with a glass of the amber nectar. Noooooooo not England. They have to drag it out past lunchtime and let the Aussies get a tad too close to achieving the remarkable.
3) Slightly worrying was the fact Cook had to work Jimmy Anderson into the ground bowling wise in order to achieve the victory, and Anderson did respond magnificently with 10 wickets. He did appear at times to be suffering from cramp during today however which does not bode well if Anderson's fellow bowlers do not improve their performances with the ball toute suite. England need a fit and healthy Anderson if 10-0 is a goal to be achieved.
4) The English batting line-up had its moments as well. Just 215 in the first innings. Cook and Pietersen going at an absolute snails pace during their the second innings. The loss of wickets in clusters. In the end Bell and Broad's partnership proved to be the most significant of the game. There needs to be better partnerships at the top of the order though. I 10-0 winning team needs to be scoring 400 odd in their first innings to help achieve the 10-0 goal.
And the Aussies. Well the reasons I believe they won't be too disheartened by the Test loss are mainly to do with the following.
1) Mr Ashton Agar - As I say the 19 year old Smiley Faced Assassin caused England a lot of problems this Test Match both with bat and ball. It was a joy to watch a young man playing cricket with not a care in the world and having a blooming good time doing it.
2) Australia fought till the bitter end of this Test Match, an ability that seemed to be entirely lost during the Micky Arthur regime. The last Test series they played in India they collapsed in heap virtually every innings.
3) The employment of Darren Lehmann as the Australian coach appears to have removed the shackles from the players that were tied down during the Arthur regime. Australia are back to playing cricket instead of having corporate ideas imposed on them. They work out issues on a cricket pitch, not using a Powerpoint presentation. We all know this was never going to be the greatest Australian team ever, but most importantly they now resemble a team as opposed to a complete and utter shambles.
4) One of the biggest lessons Michael Clarke would have learnt from this Test is to employ the DRS reviews wisely. As a result of using up both of the Australian Reviews in England's second innings, he could do nothing about the howler by Aleem Dar when he didn't give Broad out. I mean even I could have given that one out. Ultimately it may well have proved costly to Australia, especially as they only finished 14 runs behind England's total in the end.
So will England overcome their initial nerves and prove to be a Test Superpower or will Aussies become a brick wall and block all thoughts of a 10-0 whitewash. Who knows! Going to have great fun finding out though.
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Blogathonrunner: Good Luck US Open! You've Got A Job Living Up To T...
Blogathonrunner: Good Luck US Open! You've Got A Job Living Up To T...: Wimbledon 2013. Don't think many people (particularly British Citizens) will forget this one in a hurry blog readers. It had enough con...
Good Luck US Open! You've Got A Job Living Up To These Past Two Weeks.
Wimbledon 2013. Don't think many people (particularly British Citizens) will forget this one in a hurry blog readers. It had enough conversation topics to last several dinner parties until Wimbledon 2014 to be honest. From former Wimbledon Champions dropping like flies in the first week, to conspiracy theories that someone had slipped something slippery on the grass, causing Wimbledon Casualty to be at breaking point. Then there's the fact Laura Robson probably has to face the pressure of the fact a British Female has not won the Women's Wimbledon title for over 36 years, for a few years to come. To top it all the Blogathonrunner attended the tournament on the Middle Saturday and nothing sinister happened at all!
Wimbledon has been memorable for so many reasons this year. So here is my list of possible dinner party conversations partially resulting from the events of the past two weeks, and my own experiences as a Wimbledon Tennis punter.
1) Can Rafael Nadal ever be a serious contender at Wimbledon again?
Another year, another defeat in the early rounds of Wimbledon for Rafa. Credit to Rafa for not blaming his defeat on his knees or the fact he was probably undercooked practice wise on the grass, but one cannot help but feel are his crooked knees ultimately going to hamper his ability to be a serious contender at Wimbledon ever again. Who knows what the future may hold for Rafa, but you feel ultimately his focuses during the tennis year may well have to lie elsewhere on the clay. Ultimately he has nothing to prove at Wimbledon. He's a two time Wimbledon Champion and no one can ever take that away from him.
2) Can Roger Federer ever be a serious contender at Wimbledon again?
Let's get one thing straight, the fact Federer is a 7 time Wimbledon Champion and he's not ready to enter the Tennis Geriatric Retirement Home, means you can never rule out Federer at Wimbledon. One thing that is ambudantly clear during his last two defeats at Wimbledon to Stakhovsky and Tsonga, is the fact Roger does not have a plan B, C, D when he is losing to an opponent, For so long in his career his Plan A style of game ruled the world, except for Rafa on clay. He almost seems lost on a court, when Plan A goes wrong. When you are a young player, I would think it is quite easy to adjust elements of your game in order to improve and develop. When you are approaching the end of your career, do you have the will to adapt and change though? It is a question Roger will have to face up to and quite fast.
3) Is Laura Robson partially responsible for helping Murray win Wimbledon?
The British Tennis Playing Story of Wimbledon for the past ten years normally reads something like this. Ten British Players entering the draw, all but one being Wild Card entries, and then generally all but one player falls at the first hurdle of the tournament. It's now 2013 and hold on a second, a British teenager has torn through her part of the draw and actually finds herself in the fourth round of Wimbledon! As Andy and Tim for his part before him, generally have found themselves flying the flag solo well into the second week, every single column inch in the British Media generally revolved around them. 2013 and we see Laura Robson stepping up to the plate. Suddenly the British Media have something else to talk about other than Andy Murray. Does Murray mind one iota? I very much doubt it. He could focus on what really matters.
4) Boredom seems to be the biggest threat to the career of Serena Williams at the moment.
The Blogathonrunner and her friend had the pleasure of seeing Serena Williams play on the middle Saturday on Centre Court at the unsavoury Wimbledon hour of 9pm under that great piece of architecture they call the roof (back to roofs later). Interestingly both myself and my friend observed the fact that Serena seemed to be doing an excellent impression of someone having a distinct lack of interest in proceedings. It was almost as if turning up on the court would simply get the job done, and truth be told it probably would for 90% of women's top 100 on tour. The trouble is when you get young whippersnappers like Lisicki, who can serve as big as Serena Williams, (and having also seen Lisicki on that middle Saturday you can rest assured she can on that front), turning up on court was never going to get the job done for Williams. Her aura of many a year where an opponent would get into the next round of this tournament over her dead body disappeared against Lisicki. It is for certain Williams can blast any female player off the court on top form, and will collect several Grand Slams along the way. If she is not getting a consistent challenge from the female players around her however, will she be encouraged to continue on with her career, or will she just get bored?
5) Marion Bartoli - A Wimbledon Champion who doesn't conform to the norm! Thank God!
I do wonder if when John Inverdale, TV & Radio presenter, made insulting comments in regards to Bartoli's physical appearance, he had been brainwashed, having watched hundreds of female tennis players over recent years, into thinking virtually every female tennis player resembles a prerequisite stereotype. Maybe there is a factory somewhere in the world that creates female tennis players with certain robotic characteristics. For example they must be tall, they should generally have blonde hair, they should play double handed from at least one side, they should have the ability to grunt and be heard in another continent, and last but not least the ability to volley should be wiped from their memory by the time they are five. Hooray for Bartoli is all I can say as a woman and a tennis player! A worthy champion and a worthy role model for women across the world.
6) Based on the alleged assumption that the Wimbledon grass was to blame for the numerous injured on the renamed Casualty Wednesday, surely technically the casualty queue should actually have been extending to Southfields Tube station?
The First Wednesday of Wimbledon for several players could be considered "unfortunate". I mean seriously they were dropping like flies out there, so much so that AELTC felt obliged to issue a statement basically saying there's nothing wrong with our grass. The truth of the matter very few of those injuries did the injured attribute to falls on grass, except possibly for Azarenka whose loud agonising scream after falling on the grass on the Monday, was not pretty. Besides which as I understand the basic principles of tennis, apparently a player actually plays games on both sides of the net. Surely if one player is falling due to grass, the other must have a pretty good chance of doing exact same tumble to the grass floor with a possible twist involved. Sometimes people in life seek reassurance or an explanation as to why bizarre events happen. I think in this case they won't find a satisfactory answer. Strange things just happen!
.
7) If in five years time, we are talking about Andy Murray winning his fifth Wimbledon title and tenth Grand Slam, I will personally pick up the Queen's sword, head to Andy Murray's home and crown Sir Andy Murray myself!
Firstly big congratulations to Andy Murray for his first Wimbledon title on Sunday. That was an absolutely momumental effort to defeat world no. 1 Novak Djokovic in 3 rather brutal straight sets. Not only did he have to deal with Djokovic, but also the unusually warm day on Centre Court, and then of course the expectations of an entire British Nation. You got the feeling however, since he was crowned as Olympic Champion at the same venue last year he has grown in so many ways and the way he has handled to pressure cooker that is Wimbledon is admirable. If i hear one more person say Arise Sir Andy however, i will simply tell them to their face, stop being ridiculously emotional just because another British man had not won Wimbledon in 77 years. A good friend of Andy Murray was sitting in his box during the final by the name of Sir Chris Hoy. Rest assured he wasn't knighted after winning his first world title. It took several years for Sir Chris to be honoured, based on his all round achievements. Murray may well become a Sir in the future, but you just hope it will be in a few years time and several more Grand Slam title trophies are on the shelf.
8) Wimbledon - The Ever Evolving, Ever Improving, Big Daddy of Tennis Tournaments.
Virtually every year for the past 15 years i have been to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and it excites me every time I go. Wimbledon is one of those unusual venues that literally thinks of everything for the players and fans alike.
I can go to Wimbledon Centre court now knowing that if the rest of the world may require the equivalent of Noah's Arc to get round Wimbledon because of rain, I know i'll get to see some tennis.
Prices of essential tennis fan items such as programmes and strawberries & cream do not shoot up every year I go.
Wimbledon thinks of its fans sitting in the nose bleed seats on Centre Court. You don't have to go down 20 flights of stairs and miss an hour of tennis, just to get a cup of coffee or go to the loo. There are refreshment cafes and loos on the top floor.
It has the most famous hill in sport possibly. Henman Hill or Murray Mound is like a overcrowded village for two weeks of the year, but boy is it great fun to be a temporary resident.
Wimbledon has an aura which keeps making you want to come back for more. I along with many others will be returning next year. I may see you there.
Wimbledon has been memorable for so many reasons this year. So here is my list of possible dinner party conversations partially resulting from the events of the past two weeks, and my own experiences as a Wimbledon Tennis punter.
1) Can Rafael Nadal ever be a serious contender at Wimbledon again?
Another year, another defeat in the early rounds of Wimbledon for Rafa. Credit to Rafa for not blaming his defeat on his knees or the fact he was probably undercooked practice wise on the grass, but one cannot help but feel are his crooked knees ultimately going to hamper his ability to be a serious contender at Wimbledon ever again. Who knows what the future may hold for Rafa, but you feel ultimately his focuses during the tennis year may well have to lie elsewhere on the clay. Ultimately he has nothing to prove at Wimbledon. He's a two time Wimbledon Champion and no one can ever take that away from him.
2) Can Roger Federer ever be a serious contender at Wimbledon again?
Let's get one thing straight, the fact Federer is a 7 time Wimbledon Champion and he's not ready to enter the Tennis Geriatric Retirement Home, means you can never rule out Federer at Wimbledon. One thing that is ambudantly clear during his last two defeats at Wimbledon to Stakhovsky and Tsonga, is the fact Roger does not have a plan B, C, D when he is losing to an opponent, For so long in his career his Plan A style of game ruled the world, except for Rafa on clay. He almost seems lost on a court, when Plan A goes wrong. When you are a young player, I would think it is quite easy to adjust elements of your game in order to improve and develop. When you are approaching the end of your career, do you have the will to adapt and change though? It is a question Roger will have to face up to and quite fast.
3) Is Laura Robson partially responsible for helping Murray win Wimbledon?
The British Tennis Playing Story of Wimbledon for the past ten years normally reads something like this. Ten British Players entering the draw, all but one being Wild Card entries, and then generally all but one player falls at the first hurdle of the tournament. It's now 2013 and hold on a second, a British teenager has torn through her part of the draw and actually finds herself in the fourth round of Wimbledon! As Andy and Tim for his part before him, generally have found themselves flying the flag solo well into the second week, every single column inch in the British Media generally revolved around them. 2013 and we see Laura Robson stepping up to the plate. Suddenly the British Media have something else to talk about other than Andy Murray. Does Murray mind one iota? I very much doubt it. He could focus on what really matters.
4) Boredom seems to be the biggest threat to the career of Serena Williams at the moment.
The Blogathonrunner and her friend had the pleasure of seeing Serena Williams play on the middle Saturday on Centre Court at the unsavoury Wimbledon hour of 9pm under that great piece of architecture they call the roof (back to roofs later). Interestingly both myself and my friend observed the fact that Serena seemed to be doing an excellent impression of someone having a distinct lack of interest in proceedings. It was almost as if turning up on the court would simply get the job done, and truth be told it probably would for 90% of women's top 100 on tour. The trouble is when you get young whippersnappers like Lisicki, who can serve as big as Serena Williams, (and having also seen Lisicki on that middle Saturday you can rest assured she can on that front), turning up on court was never going to get the job done for Williams. Her aura of many a year where an opponent would get into the next round of this tournament over her dead body disappeared against Lisicki. It is for certain Williams can blast any female player off the court on top form, and will collect several Grand Slams along the way. If she is not getting a consistent challenge from the female players around her however, will she be encouraged to continue on with her career, or will she just get bored?
5) Marion Bartoli - A Wimbledon Champion who doesn't conform to the norm! Thank God!
I do wonder if when John Inverdale, TV & Radio presenter, made insulting comments in regards to Bartoli's physical appearance, he had been brainwashed, having watched hundreds of female tennis players over recent years, into thinking virtually every female tennis player resembles a prerequisite stereotype. Maybe there is a factory somewhere in the world that creates female tennis players with certain robotic characteristics. For example they must be tall, they should generally have blonde hair, they should play double handed from at least one side, they should have the ability to grunt and be heard in another continent, and last but not least the ability to volley should be wiped from their memory by the time they are five. Hooray for Bartoli is all I can say as a woman and a tennis player! A worthy champion and a worthy role model for women across the world.
6) Based on the alleged assumption that the Wimbledon grass was to blame for the numerous injured on the renamed Casualty Wednesday, surely technically the casualty queue should actually have been extending to Southfields Tube station?
The First Wednesday of Wimbledon for several players could be considered "unfortunate". I mean seriously they were dropping like flies out there, so much so that AELTC felt obliged to issue a statement basically saying there's nothing wrong with our grass. The truth of the matter very few of those injuries did the injured attribute to falls on grass, except possibly for Azarenka whose loud agonising scream after falling on the grass on the Monday, was not pretty. Besides which as I understand the basic principles of tennis, apparently a player actually plays games on both sides of the net. Surely if one player is falling due to grass, the other must have a pretty good chance of doing exact same tumble to the grass floor with a possible twist involved. Sometimes people in life seek reassurance or an explanation as to why bizarre events happen. I think in this case they won't find a satisfactory answer. Strange things just happen!
.
7) If in five years time, we are talking about Andy Murray winning his fifth Wimbledon title and tenth Grand Slam, I will personally pick up the Queen's sword, head to Andy Murray's home and crown Sir Andy Murray myself!
Firstly big congratulations to Andy Murray for his first Wimbledon title on Sunday. That was an absolutely momumental effort to defeat world no. 1 Novak Djokovic in 3 rather brutal straight sets. Not only did he have to deal with Djokovic, but also the unusually warm day on Centre Court, and then of course the expectations of an entire British Nation. You got the feeling however, since he was crowned as Olympic Champion at the same venue last year he has grown in so many ways and the way he has handled to pressure cooker that is Wimbledon is admirable. If i hear one more person say Arise Sir Andy however, i will simply tell them to their face, stop being ridiculously emotional just because another British man had not won Wimbledon in 77 years. A good friend of Andy Murray was sitting in his box during the final by the name of Sir Chris Hoy. Rest assured he wasn't knighted after winning his first world title. It took several years for Sir Chris to be honoured, based on his all round achievements. Murray may well become a Sir in the future, but you just hope it will be in a few years time and several more Grand Slam title trophies are on the shelf.
8) Wimbledon - The Ever Evolving, Ever Improving, Big Daddy of Tennis Tournaments.
Virtually every year for the past 15 years i have been to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and it excites me every time I go. Wimbledon is one of those unusual venues that literally thinks of everything for the players and fans alike.
I can go to Wimbledon Centre court now knowing that if the rest of the world may require the equivalent of Noah's Arc to get round Wimbledon because of rain, I know i'll get to see some tennis.
Prices of essential tennis fan items such as programmes and strawberries & cream do not shoot up every year I go.
Wimbledon thinks of its fans sitting in the nose bleed seats on Centre Court. You don't have to go down 20 flights of stairs and miss an hour of tennis, just to get a cup of coffee or go to the loo. There are refreshment cafes and loos on the top floor.
It has the most famous hill in sport possibly. Henman Hill or Murray Mound is like a overcrowded village for two weeks of the year, but boy is it great fun to be a temporary resident.
Wimbledon has an aura which keeps making you want to come back for more. I along with many others will be returning next year. I may see you there.
Sunday, 23 June 2013
The Sporting Week - What Have We Learnt?
Well firstly blog readers I think I've learnt that I may well be in love with the Tahitian international football team, but that's a story for a bit later.;
The fact of the matter is blog readers that the sporting week has had very little to do with my love for random things, and more to do with myself, and no doubt millions of others, pondering the answers to several questions such as:.....................
1) Does Novak Djokovic think he is the luckiest man alive who happens to play tennis rather well and is currently residing in the Wimbledon area?
Well put it this way, when we are in an tennis era where four male players are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of world in terms of ability, Novak Djokovic has probably performed several rain dances to the tennis gods this week, thanking them for the fact he more than likely would not come accross Murray, Federer or Nadal over the other side of the net until a Wimbledon Final. In fact Djokovic's biggest opponent for 6 matches at Wimbledon could possibly be complacency.
2) If Gus Poyet and Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club represented a marriage, would they be heading for the divorce courts right now, due to irreconcilable differences?
This question comes about after Gus Poyet, performing pundit duties for the BBC's coverage of the Confederations Cup in Brazil, was informed by the BBC that Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, the club he has managed since 2009, had issued a statement saying they have terminated his contract after a disciplinary hearing, but he does have a right to appeal. Now Poyet, speaking on the BBC coverage, claims he wasn't personally informed of this actual decision by any means of communication, which the club actually deny. If it is correct what Poyet says, Brighton and Hove Albion haven't exactly acted with a great deal of class in this situation. In fact it's tant amount to issuing divorce proceedings to your husband/wife by means of a communique to the entire world.
3) Does the England Cricket Team have the ability to think outside the box when it comes One Day International Cricket?
I must confess odd thoughts have been racing through my brain whilst watching England during the ICC Champions Trophy taking place in England and Wales these past two weeks. I was delighted they reached the final of the tournament which ended with them playing India in the final today. The trouble was even though England had reached the final, I still didn't think they had a hope in hell's chance of actually winning the damn tournament. Was it because of their opponents. Well yes that is partially true. India were actually outstanding during this tournament and deserved their victory today. Duncan Fletcher yet again has done the business and he has the makings of a great team, especially in the shorter formats of the game.
What bothered me somewhat about England had far more to do with their plans when it came to batting. Apart from a two brief cameos with the bat by Bopara, England trotted along (if you pardon the pun) at the same pace during most innings. There was virtually no thinking outside the box. There was zero speculating meaning minor accumulating. England for the most part were too safe, and relied heavily on the fact they did have one of the better bowling attacks in the entire tournament. When they eventually had to come out of their shells today, and really bat well, they completely lost the plot and seemed to decide the best way to deal with the situation was for both batsmen to end up at the same end. England seem to have lost their Mojo, their vibrancy when it comes to batting in the one day game. Where's KP when you need him? Oddly enough scoring a bucketload of runs in a County match.
4) Should Tahiti being playing in the Confederations Cup or any other world tournament?
Absolutely 100% categorically YES! Forget the fact Tahiiti have been on the end of severe pumellings by Uruguay and Spain particularly during the Conferderations Cup. What has iritated me for years and years now is that on every continent except Oceania, there is always a representative who has automatically qualified for a World Cup tournament though winning a qualifying group, yet if you play in the Oceania group you have to go into a play off to qualify for the World Cup. How the hell are the likes of the Tahitis of this world able to improve their performance and quality of their play unless they can play against the better teams of this world. Tahiti may have been the whipping boys of this tournament, but let me tell you they have won thousand of friends around the world for the courage, passion, pride in representing their country. The experience of playing against the best team in the world can only serve to help improve their football and learn how to be better. Surely that is most important?
The fact of the matter is blog readers that the sporting week has had very little to do with my love for random things, and more to do with myself, and no doubt millions of others, pondering the answers to several questions such as:.....................
1) Does Novak Djokovic think he is the luckiest man alive who happens to play tennis rather well and is currently residing in the Wimbledon area?
Well put it this way, when we are in an tennis era where four male players are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of world in terms of ability, Novak Djokovic has probably performed several rain dances to the tennis gods this week, thanking them for the fact he more than likely would not come accross Murray, Federer or Nadal over the other side of the net until a Wimbledon Final. In fact Djokovic's biggest opponent for 6 matches at Wimbledon could possibly be complacency.
2) If Gus Poyet and Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club represented a marriage, would they be heading for the divorce courts right now, due to irreconcilable differences?
This question comes about after Gus Poyet, performing pundit duties for the BBC's coverage of the Confederations Cup in Brazil, was informed by the BBC that Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, the club he has managed since 2009, had issued a statement saying they have terminated his contract after a disciplinary hearing, but he does have a right to appeal. Now Poyet, speaking on the BBC coverage, claims he wasn't personally informed of this actual decision by any means of communication, which the club actually deny. If it is correct what Poyet says, Brighton and Hove Albion haven't exactly acted with a great deal of class in this situation. In fact it's tant amount to issuing divorce proceedings to your husband/wife by means of a communique to the entire world.
3) Does the England Cricket Team have the ability to think outside the box when it comes One Day International Cricket?
I must confess odd thoughts have been racing through my brain whilst watching England during the ICC Champions Trophy taking place in England and Wales these past two weeks. I was delighted they reached the final of the tournament which ended with them playing India in the final today. The trouble was even though England had reached the final, I still didn't think they had a hope in hell's chance of actually winning the damn tournament. Was it because of their opponents. Well yes that is partially true. India were actually outstanding during this tournament and deserved their victory today. Duncan Fletcher yet again has done the business and he has the makings of a great team, especially in the shorter formats of the game.
What bothered me somewhat about England had far more to do with their plans when it came to batting. Apart from a two brief cameos with the bat by Bopara, England trotted along (if you pardon the pun) at the same pace during most innings. There was virtually no thinking outside the box. There was zero speculating meaning minor accumulating. England for the most part were too safe, and relied heavily on the fact they did have one of the better bowling attacks in the entire tournament. When they eventually had to come out of their shells today, and really bat well, they completely lost the plot and seemed to decide the best way to deal with the situation was for both batsmen to end up at the same end. England seem to have lost their Mojo, their vibrancy when it comes to batting in the one day game. Where's KP when you need him? Oddly enough scoring a bucketload of runs in a County match.
4) Should Tahiti being playing in the Confederations Cup or any other world tournament?
Absolutely 100% categorically YES! Forget the fact Tahiiti have been on the end of severe pumellings by Uruguay and Spain particularly during the Conferderations Cup. What has iritated me for years and years now is that on every continent except Oceania, there is always a representative who has automatically qualified for a World Cup tournament though winning a qualifying group, yet if you play in the Oceania group you have to go into a play off to qualify for the World Cup. How the hell are the likes of the Tahitis of this world able to improve their performance and quality of their play unless they can play against the better teams of this world. Tahiti may have been the whipping boys of this tournament, but let me tell you they have won thousand of friends around the world for the courage, passion, pride in representing their country. The experience of playing against the best team in the world can only serve to help improve their football and learn how to be better. Surely that is most important?
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Rafael Nadal, Seeded No.5 for Wimbledon 2013. Is someone having a giraffe?
Forgive my cockney East London undertones blog readers, but is anyone finding it quite bizarre that Rafael Nadal is likely to be seeded No.5 in the men's draw as he sets out on his 2013 Wimbledon campaign next week?
Now I accept the fact that as it stands Rafael Nadal is ranked No.5 in the world based on the vagaries of the ATP Ranking system. Obviously having an enforced 7 month lay off with a serious knee injury hasn't helped Rafa's cause. Then there is of course a small matter of Rafa's performance at Wimbledon last year, which we now know was probably largely due to the fact Rafa could barely stand on his legs, let alone return Lukas Rosol's missiles that day.
If we assess Rafa's performance since he has returned to grace the tennis courts around the world back in February this year however, a defence lawyer representing the ATP Ranking Systems would likely struggle to present a case in a court of law justifying Rafa's current No.5 ranking, based on Rafa's performance alone.
Let's assess the facts:
1) Since returning to the ATP Tour back in February, Rafa has won 43 matches and only lost 2.
2) He has won 8 titles and has been a finalist in the two other tournaments he has competed in.
3) Just over a week ago he won the French Open Grand Slam title for the 8th time, making him the first male to achieve that feet in any Grand Slam tournament.
4) Rafa is the first player on the tour to qualify for the end of season ATP World Tour Finals at the O2
If that's the form of the no.5 ranked player of the world, I reckon the my jaw should drop to the floor in astonishment at the peformance of the no.1 ranked player of the world. Now I grant you the current World No.1 Novak Djokovic's play has on many occasion left my jaw dropping to the floor in astonishment, but Novak's current match record this year is 30 victories, 5 loses, and 3 tournament wins.
What seems even funnier is the fact David Ferrer, the finalist of the French Open this year went up the rankings following his fantastic run to the final this year. Who did he overtake in those rankings? You've guessed it! The now No.5 ranked player in the world Rafael Nadal, whom Ferrer happened to lose to in the French Open final.
All this simply highlights the ludicrousness of the ATP Ranking System at times. A player is not rewarded for the here and now, but is very much dependent on the past as well and the defending of ranking points.
We now have to face the fact Rafa could be playing Novak, Andy or Roger in the Quarter Final of Wimbledon, assuming they all make it to that round. I'm sure Rafa's adversories are overjoyed by the prospect of playing Rafa before the semi-finals of a tournament. I reckon we should probably all settle down that day for a night under the Wimbledon roof. No doubt we will have fun watching a match between Rafa and any of his three main adversories, but you couldn't help but think at the back of your mind that a quarter final seems too early.
Now I accept the fact that as it stands Rafael Nadal is ranked No.5 in the world based on the vagaries of the ATP Ranking system. Obviously having an enforced 7 month lay off with a serious knee injury hasn't helped Rafa's cause. Then there is of course a small matter of Rafa's performance at Wimbledon last year, which we now know was probably largely due to the fact Rafa could barely stand on his legs, let alone return Lukas Rosol's missiles that day.
If we assess Rafa's performance since he has returned to grace the tennis courts around the world back in February this year however, a defence lawyer representing the ATP Ranking Systems would likely struggle to present a case in a court of law justifying Rafa's current No.5 ranking, based on Rafa's performance alone.
Let's assess the facts:
1) Since returning to the ATP Tour back in February, Rafa has won 43 matches and only lost 2.
2) He has won 8 titles and has been a finalist in the two other tournaments he has competed in.
3) Just over a week ago he won the French Open Grand Slam title for the 8th time, making him the first male to achieve that feet in any Grand Slam tournament.
4) Rafa is the first player on the tour to qualify for the end of season ATP World Tour Finals at the O2
If that's the form of the no.5 ranked player of the world, I reckon the my jaw should drop to the floor in astonishment at the peformance of the no.1 ranked player of the world. Now I grant you the current World No.1 Novak Djokovic's play has on many occasion left my jaw dropping to the floor in astonishment, but Novak's current match record this year is 30 victories, 5 loses, and 3 tournament wins.
What seems even funnier is the fact David Ferrer, the finalist of the French Open this year went up the rankings following his fantastic run to the final this year. Who did he overtake in those rankings? You've guessed it! The now No.5 ranked player in the world Rafael Nadal, whom Ferrer happened to lose to in the French Open final.
All this simply highlights the ludicrousness of the ATP Ranking System at times. A player is not rewarded for the here and now, but is very much dependent on the past as well and the defending of ranking points.
We now have to face the fact Rafa could be playing Novak, Andy or Roger in the Quarter Final of Wimbledon, assuming they all make it to that round. I'm sure Rafa's adversories are overjoyed by the prospect of playing Rafa before the semi-finals of a tournament. I reckon we should probably all settle down that day for a night under the Wimbledon roof. No doubt we will have fun watching a match between Rafa and any of his three main adversories, but you couldn't help but think at the back of your mind that a quarter final seems too early.
Friday, 7 June 2013
Traffic Wardens, Soggy Bottoms, French Kids Auditioning for the X Factor & Interesting Interpretations of the Spanglish Language - My French Open Tennis Experience
Yes blog readers, the Blogathonrunner has been on an excursion to France this past week to check out the sports spectator experience from a different "international" perspective. For example, do the French attempt to bankrupt you, when you simply want to buy a burger and fries at a venue? When you stand in a queue for a particular service at a French sporting venue, do you lose the will to live from standing in exactly the same spot for ten minutes? Are staff at French sporting venues friendly and helpful or are they simply jobsworths with the inability to apply common sense to any given situation?
What better way to find out the answer to such questions, than to find out for yourself. With this in mind, the Blogathonrunner set off with a good friend for a day trip to the French Open Tennis at Roland Garros, where we had tickets for the 2nd show court Suzanne Lenglen, on the first Thursday of the tournament.
Now it should be pointed out at this stage that the Blogathonrunner and friend had been in Paris since the previous Monday doing what tourists essentially do, and quite frankly the weather had been pants. In fact we looked at the weather forecast for the Thursday, in fear we may require a boat to transport us round Roland Garros.
Thankfully however, as we made our way to Roland Garros on the Thursday, it wasn't actually raining, so seeing some tennis was a distinct possibility. Positivity was running through our veins. Forward the clock on 8 or 9 hours so towards the end of that Thursday, it is safe to say we were feeling a mixture of positivity, negativity, depression (largely at the weather), amusement, bewilderment and probably a few other emotions in between.
So what is the Blogathonrunner's verdict on the Roland Garros experience. Well if I was a School Teacher writing a school report, it would probably read along the lines of "Good, but could do better". So here it is the Blogathonrunner's Roland Garros School Report.
Rain
One thing is for certain, Roland Garros organisers cannot be held responsible for the atrocious weather we encountered on the day we attended the tournament. It's not as if they have a hotline to mother nature where they can request sunny weather for the entire tournament. The rain left us all totally frustrated and led some to send amusing Spanglish texts such as "Esta f***ing raining again". All things said and done, the organisers did their best to ensure spectators saw as much tennis as humanly possible that day. Possibly not wise however, to allow media to conduct interviews on court after matches, when the next shower is just around the corner wanting to make an appearance.
Food
If I said I purchased a mozzarella & tomato salad, packet of crisps, a mini cheese cake, bottle of water and a Kit Kat and it came to 20 Euros, need I really say more. I can buy my weekly shopping at the supermarket for only slightly more than that price. Anyway, yes it does seem to be an international phenomenon that sporting venues try to bankrupt you, when you are simply buying lunch. On the positive side good variety food for the gastronomists of the world.
Does anyone know the way to Roland Garros?
When the Blogathonrunner's friend purchased tickets for Roland Garros, she was informed by organisers that if travelling to Roland Garros by Metro and you have tickets for Suzanne Lenglen court, it would be better for you to get off at Boulogne-Jean-Jaures station. First part of the journey equation easily done, and then it gets bizarrely complicated. We exited Boulogne-Jean-Jaures station with a Roland Garros sign pointing in the appropriate direction. After that we may as well been in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The Blogathonrunner, friend, and several disciples we appeared to have attracted on the way, were looking for one god damn sign for Roland Garros. Eventually the sign came from a Traffic Warden of all people, who gave us some encouragement in that we were walking in the right direction and we got their in the end. Ironically we returned to a different station on our way back to our temporary holiday home, and there were signs on the street pavement pointing you in the right direction of Roland Garros. Go figure!
Roland Garros Staff
More or less no complaints whatsoever about the French Open Staff. They were very friendly and helpful all day and spoke English perfectly well and had the uncanny knack of recognising that you were English even when you attempted to speak French. What was rather strange was the fact that staff didn't seem to have the ability to think on their feet after long rain delays. To enter the Suzanne Lenglen court, you have to go up a flight of stairs wherever you happen to be sitting. These flight of stairs are separated into two lanes by a bannister. Now when play is occurring it does make sense to have a lane for people going into the stadium and a lane for people exiting the stadium. However when virtually thousands of spectators are returning to the court after a long rain break, does it not make sense for both lanes to go upstairs for a little while. Noooooooo! That would be too much like common sense.
Queues
Roland Garros needs more toilets! In our infinite wisdom, the Blogathonrunner and friend thought it would be a good idea to go to the toilet before play started after a long rain delay. We found one of the toilet entrances in the dungeons of Suzanne Lenglen court, but we began to think it was of those places you went into, got lost, and struggled to find your way out of again. It took us so long to get to the loo, we actually missed the covers coming off court, the players warming up, and Gregor Dimotrov achieving a break of serve in his match in the process.
Stadium Seats
The courts really do need folding seats if there is no roof overhead. It is seriously advisable to purchase a large packet of Kleenex or waterproof seat cover, if it rained as much as it did that Thursday. I went through a big packet of Kleenex trying to wipe the excess water off my seat. Even though, you couldn't really avoid that damp feeling if you know what I mean.
Things that were simply annoying full stop
There were two things that really annoying because that's the sort of tennis spectator I am blog readers.
The first revolved around some French staff working in a "Boutique" underneath. I think because they were cold and miserable due to the weather, they decided to create an audition tune for the French X Factor. The only problem was they were auditioning all flipping day long. You could even hear them in the stadium when players were on court.
The second revolved around the bag that held all the products I purchased at the Boutique. It simply disintegrated after an hour in the rain. I went in another Boutique and was leaving a trail of purchased products behind me on the floor. I'm all for recycling but please have better quality paper bags thank you.
Oh, one more annoyance. Only got to see Rafa warm up for his match and it poured down with rain for the final time. I wasn't angry at all!!!!!
Overall Assessment
Roland Garros, all said and done, is not a bad sporting tournament at all. It does suffer from the fact in terms of size, it is the smallest of the Grand Slam tournaments. The trouble is, the popularity of the tournament and tennis is increasing by the bucket load every year. If it wants to become more successful it will need to grow and improve facilities in terms of spectator experience, particularly on those horrendous days when the skys open.
As the Australian Open and Wimbledon have highlighted, keeping these tournaments as outdoor summer tournaments is an essential ethos as to why they have been so successful in recent years. The Grand Slams are a business with a product to sell, however, with increasingly unpredictable weather appearing on doorsteps of countries throughout the world, having roofs on stadiums is essential for spectators and television viewers around the world and ensures a smoother running tournament in terms of scheduling. That is why the Australian Open and Wimbledon are a few light years ahead of their sister tournaments in Paris and New York at the moment.
Roland Garros has a lot going for it. Fingers crossed it continues to move in the right direction.
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What better way to find out the answer to such questions, than to find out for yourself. With this in mind, the Blogathonrunner set off with a good friend for a day trip to the French Open Tennis at Roland Garros, where we had tickets for the 2nd show court Suzanne Lenglen, on the first Thursday of the tournament.
Now it should be pointed out at this stage that the Blogathonrunner and friend had been in Paris since the previous Monday doing what tourists essentially do, and quite frankly the weather had been pants. In fact we looked at the weather forecast for the Thursday, in fear we may require a boat to transport us round Roland Garros.
Thankfully however, as we made our way to Roland Garros on the Thursday, it wasn't actually raining, so seeing some tennis was a distinct possibility. Positivity was running through our veins. Forward the clock on 8 or 9 hours so towards the end of that Thursday, it is safe to say we were feeling a mixture of positivity, negativity, depression (largely at the weather), amusement, bewilderment and probably a few other emotions in between.
So what is the Blogathonrunner's verdict on the Roland Garros experience. Well if I was a School Teacher writing a school report, it would probably read along the lines of "Good, but could do better". So here it is the Blogathonrunner's Roland Garros School Report.
Rain
One thing is for certain, Roland Garros organisers cannot be held responsible for the atrocious weather we encountered on the day we attended the tournament. It's not as if they have a hotline to mother nature where they can request sunny weather for the entire tournament. The rain left us all totally frustrated and led some to send amusing Spanglish texts such as "Esta f***ing raining again". All things said and done, the organisers did their best to ensure spectators saw as much tennis as humanly possible that day. Possibly not wise however, to allow media to conduct interviews on court after matches, when the next shower is just around the corner wanting to make an appearance.
Food
If I said I purchased a mozzarella & tomato salad, packet of crisps, a mini cheese cake, bottle of water and a Kit Kat and it came to 20 Euros, need I really say more. I can buy my weekly shopping at the supermarket for only slightly more than that price. Anyway, yes it does seem to be an international phenomenon that sporting venues try to bankrupt you, when you are simply buying lunch. On the positive side good variety food for the gastronomists of the world.
Does anyone know the way to Roland Garros?
When the Blogathonrunner's friend purchased tickets for Roland Garros, she was informed by organisers that if travelling to Roland Garros by Metro and you have tickets for Suzanne Lenglen court, it would be better for you to get off at Boulogne-Jean-Jaures station. First part of the journey equation easily done, and then it gets bizarrely complicated. We exited Boulogne-Jean-Jaures station with a Roland Garros sign pointing in the appropriate direction. After that we may as well been in the middle of the Sahara Desert. The Blogathonrunner, friend, and several disciples we appeared to have attracted on the way, were looking for one god damn sign for Roland Garros. Eventually the sign came from a Traffic Warden of all people, who gave us some encouragement in that we were walking in the right direction and we got their in the end. Ironically we returned to a different station on our way back to our temporary holiday home, and there were signs on the street pavement pointing you in the right direction of Roland Garros. Go figure!
Roland Garros Staff
More or less no complaints whatsoever about the French Open Staff. They were very friendly and helpful all day and spoke English perfectly well and had the uncanny knack of recognising that you were English even when you attempted to speak French. What was rather strange was the fact that staff didn't seem to have the ability to think on their feet after long rain delays. To enter the Suzanne Lenglen court, you have to go up a flight of stairs wherever you happen to be sitting. These flight of stairs are separated into two lanes by a bannister. Now when play is occurring it does make sense to have a lane for people going into the stadium and a lane for people exiting the stadium. However when virtually thousands of spectators are returning to the court after a long rain break, does it not make sense for both lanes to go upstairs for a little while. Noooooooo! That would be too much like common sense.
Queues
Roland Garros needs more toilets! In our infinite wisdom, the Blogathonrunner and friend thought it would be a good idea to go to the toilet before play started after a long rain delay. We found one of the toilet entrances in the dungeons of Suzanne Lenglen court, but we began to think it was of those places you went into, got lost, and struggled to find your way out of again. It took us so long to get to the loo, we actually missed the covers coming off court, the players warming up, and Gregor Dimotrov achieving a break of serve in his match in the process.
Stadium Seats
The courts really do need folding seats if there is no roof overhead. It is seriously advisable to purchase a large packet of Kleenex or waterproof seat cover, if it rained as much as it did that Thursday. I went through a big packet of Kleenex trying to wipe the excess water off my seat. Even though, you couldn't really avoid that damp feeling if you know what I mean.
Things that were simply annoying full stop
There were two things that really annoying because that's the sort of tennis spectator I am blog readers.
The first revolved around some French staff working in a "Boutique" underneath. I think because they were cold and miserable due to the weather, they decided to create an audition tune for the French X Factor. The only problem was they were auditioning all flipping day long. You could even hear them in the stadium when players were on court.
The second revolved around the bag that held all the products I purchased at the Boutique. It simply disintegrated after an hour in the rain. I went in another Boutique and was leaving a trail of purchased products behind me on the floor. I'm all for recycling but please have better quality paper bags thank you.
Oh, one more annoyance. Only got to see Rafa warm up for his match and it poured down with rain for the final time. I wasn't angry at all!!!!!
Overall Assessment
Roland Garros, all said and done, is not a bad sporting tournament at all. It does suffer from the fact in terms of size, it is the smallest of the Grand Slam tournaments. The trouble is, the popularity of the tournament and tennis is increasing by the bucket load every year. If it wants to become more successful it will need to grow and improve facilities in terms of spectator experience, particularly on those horrendous days when the skys open.
As the Australian Open and Wimbledon have highlighted, keeping these tournaments as outdoor summer tournaments is an essential ethos as to why they have been so successful in recent years. The Grand Slams are a business with a product to sell, however, with increasingly unpredictable weather appearing on doorsteps of countries throughout the world, having roofs on stadiums is essential for spectators and television viewers around the world and ensures a smoother running tournament in terms of scheduling. That is why the Australian Open and Wimbledon are a few light years ahead of their sister tournaments in Paris and New York at the moment.
Roland Garros has a lot going for it. Fingers crossed it continues to move in the right direction.
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Monday, 18 February 2013
Blogathonrunner: Women's Cricket - Where it was, Where it is and Wh...
Blogathonrunner: Women's Cricket - Where it was, Where it is and Wh...: The Blogathonrunner is going to tell you blog readers a story. Once upon a time, the Blogathonrunner, whilst back packing around the globe...
Women's Cricket - Where it was, Where it is and Where it's going to.
The Blogathonrunner is going to tell you blog readers a story.
Once upon a time, the Blogathonrunner, whilst back packing around the globe, stumbled across some cheap sporting entertainment taking place at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, otherwise known to the world as the MCG. Yes that day, about 11 years ago to be precise, the Australian Ladies were taking on their New Zealand counterparts in a One Day International Cricket match on the hallowed turf of the MCG. For people who know the Blogathonrunner, they know she is willing to give anything a go at least once. I've seen Synchronised Swimming for heaven's sake. So off i trekked to the MCG to learn a little bit about women's cricket.
Now you must forgive me blog readers, the events of the match have mostly sadly faded from my memory, largely due to the fact i'm 11 years older, and i struggle to remember what occurred last week, let alone 11 years ago. I do recall a few pertinent facts about that day however.
1) One man and his dog wasn't far off the number of fans actually watching this match. Of course i was there but i didn't have a dog. That's still quite an eery atmosphere in the vast cavern that is the MCG.
2) The ladies struggled to hit a ball past the boundary ropes, and the only times the ball went in the air it mainly went to a fielder who caught it. Certainly do not recall a lady coming close to hitting a six that day.
3) If the cricket ball managed to reach the outer echelons of the cricket field, there wasn't a fielder who could throw the ball directly to the wicket. It required sometimes a relay team of three for the ball to eventually get back to the wicket area.
I'll be brutally honest blog readers. It was a match that didn't inspire all that much. Put it this way, if that product had been put in front of TV Executives, I think they would likely have said, i think we'll stick to the fly fishing.
As i need no reminding blog readers, we are all 11 years older, but it seems that TV Executives are taking a significant interest in the product we call Women's Cricket now, not least, during the past few weeks, with the Women's ICC World Cup taking place in India.
So what has changed. When not being stuck in front of her computer doing her day job, the Blogathonrunner did occasionally pop on her TV these past few weeks and took a look at the breed of female cricketers a la 2013. Let me tell you something blog readers, the Blogathonrunner was pleasantly surprised.
Going back to the beginning of the tournament, I watched some of the highlights of the match between the West Indies and India. I was sitting there having a coffee, when all of a sudden my eyes popped out of my head. A young West Indian lady by the name of Deandra Dottin, hit 4 sixes, yes 4 sixes, off the Indian bowlers. It kind of initiated a reaction in me a long the lines, "Hello Deandra Dottin, who on earth are you and where did you come from?" In other words i sat up and took notice. This lady is clearly an entertaining cricketer and sixes are her currency, a bit like her male West Indian counterparts such as Christoper Gayle and Kieran Pollard. In fact, after further investigation i find she holds the world record for the fastest ever T20 100 off only 38 balls.
The ladies hitting the sixes has been a personal highlight of this World Cup. Now they haven't been sixes hit from Lords to the Oval as some of their male counterparts often attempt, but the point of the matter is techniques of the female batters must have improved tremendously over the past 11 years in that they are actually hitting them. It also gets the fans excited about the women's game. They will want to find out about the Deandra Dottins of this world.
One of the slightly concerning things that have been brought up during this World Cup is the striking professionalism of some teams such as the Aussies, England and the Kiwis, in comparison to others. If you look at Australia, England, and New Zealand during the tournament, they have a set out a plan to execute the skills of batting, bowling, and fielding to best of their ability, and for the most part they did. If you look from a financial perspective, it wouldn't surprise me if these 3 teams are the ones who have received the most investment to improve the women's game to where it is now.
Now there is no denying that the West Indies team has some major talent in their ranks and on their day they look like they can beat anyone. If anyone saw the final of the tournament yesterday however, they would realise that when it comes to performing and executing every skill on a cricket pitch when it really counts, the Australian team were light years ahead of their opponents. I mean yesterday one of the striking differences was the fielding. I actually couldn't find enough hands to count the number of times the West Indian ladies misfielded the ball during the final, probably costing about 20 runs. Hopefully, the West Indian ladies will have learnt a valuable lesson from their Australian counterparts yesterday, the fact that hitting sixes does not win you matches. It's the whole package of batting, bowling and fielding that does that for you day in day out for the most part, something the Aussies, English and the Kiwis know about because professionalism has taught them to work at the whole package.
So what to the future of women's cricket. Well the Blogathonrunner would say that is largely down to the investors and promoters of the Women's Game. There is no doubt Women's Cricket is now a product that can potentially be sold to the world. There have been some extremely entertaining games during this World Cup. That coupled with promoting the emerging personalities in the game such as Deandra Dottin or Elise Perry means grounds could be filled with five to ten thousand men and their dogs in the not too distant future, if the game is promoted in the right way. What the Blogathonrunner would like to see in a four years time is that all countries have invested in their women's cricket teams, to ensure they are trained to the best professional standard possible. With the West Indies's performance during this World Cup, there are some encouraging signs that there will be more emerging nations in the not too distant future, and you never know that may just lose to England in the next World Cup final. Hey, i may be a sports fan in general, but i still want my home country to win.
Once upon a time, the Blogathonrunner, whilst back packing around the globe, stumbled across some cheap sporting entertainment taking place at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, otherwise known to the world as the MCG. Yes that day, about 11 years ago to be precise, the Australian Ladies were taking on their New Zealand counterparts in a One Day International Cricket match on the hallowed turf of the MCG. For people who know the Blogathonrunner, they know she is willing to give anything a go at least once. I've seen Synchronised Swimming for heaven's sake. So off i trekked to the MCG to learn a little bit about women's cricket.
Now you must forgive me blog readers, the events of the match have mostly sadly faded from my memory, largely due to the fact i'm 11 years older, and i struggle to remember what occurred last week, let alone 11 years ago. I do recall a few pertinent facts about that day however.
1) One man and his dog wasn't far off the number of fans actually watching this match. Of course i was there but i didn't have a dog. That's still quite an eery atmosphere in the vast cavern that is the MCG.
2) The ladies struggled to hit a ball past the boundary ropes, and the only times the ball went in the air it mainly went to a fielder who caught it. Certainly do not recall a lady coming close to hitting a six that day.
3) If the cricket ball managed to reach the outer echelons of the cricket field, there wasn't a fielder who could throw the ball directly to the wicket. It required sometimes a relay team of three for the ball to eventually get back to the wicket area.
I'll be brutally honest blog readers. It was a match that didn't inspire all that much. Put it this way, if that product had been put in front of TV Executives, I think they would likely have said, i think we'll stick to the fly fishing.
As i need no reminding blog readers, we are all 11 years older, but it seems that TV Executives are taking a significant interest in the product we call Women's Cricket now, not least, during the past few weeks, with the Women's ICC World Cup taking place in India.
So what has changed. When not being stuck in front of her computer doing her day job, the Blogathonrunner did occasionally pop on her TV these past few weeks and took a look at the breed of female cricketers a la 2013. Let me tell you something blog readers, the Blogathonrunner was pleasantly surprised.
Going back to the beginning of the tournament, I watched some of the highlights of the match between the West Indies and India. I was sitting there having a coffee, when all of a sudden my eyes popped out of my head. A young West Indian lady by the name of Deandra Dottin, hit 4 sixes, yes 4 sixes, off the Indian bowlers. It kind of initiated a reaction in me a long the lines, "Hello Deandra Dottin, who on earth are you and where did you come from?" In other words i sat up and took notice. This lady is clearly an entertaining cricketer and sixes are her currency, a bit like her male West Indian counterparts such as Christoper Gayle and Kieran Pollard. In fact, after further investigation i find she holds the world record for the fastest ever T20 100 off only 38 balls.
The ladies hitting the sixes has been a personal highlight of this World Cup. Now they haven't been sixes hit from Lords to the Oval as some of their male counterparts often attempt, but the point of the matter is techniques of the female batters must have improved tremendously over the past 11 years in that they are actually hitting them. It also gets the fans excited about the women's game. They will want to find out about the Deandra Dottins of this world.
One of the slightly concerning things that have been brought up during this World Cup is the striking professionalism of some teams such as the Aussies, England and the Kiwis, in comparison to others. If you look at Australia, England, and New Zealand during the tournament, they have a set out a plan to execute the skills of batting, bowling, and fielding to best of their ability, and for the most part they did. If you look from a financial perspective, it wouldn't surprise me if these 3 teams are the ones who have received the most investment to improve the women's game to where it is now.
Now there is no denying that the West Indies team has some major talent in their ranks and on their day they look like they can beat anyone. If anyone saw the final of the tournament yesterday however, they would realise that when it comes to performing and executing every skill on a cricket pitch when it really counts, the Australian team were light years ahead of their opponents. I mean yesterday one of the striking differences was the fielding. I actually couldn't find enough hands to count the number of times the West Indian ladies misfielded the ball during the final, probably costing about 20 runs. Hopefully, the West Indian ladies will have learnt a valuable lesson from their Australian counterparts yesterday, the fact that hitting sixes does not win you matches. It's the whole package of batting, bowling and fielding that does that for you day in day out for the most part, something the Aussies, English and the Kiwis know about because professionalism has taught them to work at the whole package.
So what to the future of women's cricket. Well the Blogathonrunner would say that is largely down to the investors and promoters of the Women's Game. There is no doubt Women's Cricket is now a product that can potentially be sold to the world. There have been some extremely entertaining games during this World Cup. That coupled with promoting the emerging personalities in the game such as Deandra Dottin or Elise Perry means grounds could be filled with five to ten thousand men and their dogs in the not too distant future, if the game is promoted in the right way. What the Blogathonrunner would like to see in a four years time is that all countries have invested in their women's cricket teams, to ensure they are trained to the best professional standard possible. With the West Indies's performance during this World Cup, there are some encouraging signs that there will be more emerging nations in the not too distant future, and you never know that may just lose to England in the next World Cup final. Hey, i may be a sports fan in general, but i still want my home country to win.
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Blogathonrunner: Shocked and Saddened By Such A Tragedy.
Blogathonrunner: Shocked and Saddened By Such A Tragedy.: Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye. The events that have occurred today with Oscar Pistorius being charged with the murder of hi...
Shocked and Saddened By Such A Tragedy.
Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye. The events that have occurred today with Oscar Pistorius being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, means whether he is found innocent or guilty of such charges (and that is for a court to decide), he will for the rest of his life have to face the consequences of his actions being responsible for the death of his girlfriend.
The reports of events in South Africa have sent shockwaves around not only Pistorius's home nation, but all four corners of the globe. Pistorius has made a monumental contribution to raising the profile of Paralympic sport across the world. To most he has been seen as a true gentleman and ambassador for his sport, and has proved that disability should not prevent you from achieving your goals by competing in the Olympic Games last year. The fact is Pistorius is a global superstar in sporting terms. I needed no further proof of this after witnessing him win the Paralympic T44 400 metres title in the Olympic Stadium last September. The roar that erupted when his name was announced over the tannoy left you in no doubt just how popular an athlete he was amongst fans.
The harsh truth of the matter however is the fact that we all have to separate our opinions and knowledge of Oscar Pistorius, the sportsman, that we as sports fans have known and loved, and focus on the tragic facts that a young lady in her prime has had her life cut short in horrendous circumstances and Pistorius is charged with her murder.
Jim Rome of CBS put it very succinctly on Twitter today. "I don't know what Oscar Pistorius did or didn't do. But I know this: we really don't know any of these guys. And should never think we do".
It can only be hoped, although i have my doubts having seen some media reports today, that Pistorius is tried in a court of law based on the facts of today's tragic events alone. If he is found guilty of murder, he must face the consequences with a likely custodial sentence. If he is found innocent of the charges, well as i mentioned before, he will still have to face the tragic consequences of his actions on a daily basis for the rest of his life probably.
For now our hearts should go out the family of Reeva Steenkamp. RIP
The reports of events in South Africa have sent shockwaves around not only Pistorius's home nation, but all four corners of the globe. Pistorius has made a monumental contribution to raising the profile of Paralympic sport across the world. To most he has been seen as a true gentleman and ambassador for his sport, and has proved that disability should not prevent you from achieving your goals by competing in the Olympic Games last year. The fact is Pistorius is a global superstar in sporting terms. I needed no further proof of this after witnessing him win the Paralympic T44 400 metres title in the Olympic Stadium last September. The roar that erupted when his name was announced over the tannoy left you in no doubt just how popular an athlete he was amongst fans.
The harsh truth of the matter however is the fact that we all have to separate our opinions and knowledge of Oscar Pistorius, the sportsman, that we as sports fans have known and loved, and focus on the tragic facts that a young lady in her prime has had her life cut short in horrendous circumstances and Pistorius is charged with her murder.
Jim Rome of CBS put it very succinctly on Twitter today. "I don't know what Oscar Pistorius did or didn't do. But I know this: we really don't know any of these guys. And should never think we do".
It can only be hoped, although i have my doubts having seen some media reports today, that Pistorius is tried in a court of law based on the facts of today's tragic events alone. If he is found guilty of murder, he must face the consequences with a likely custodial sentence. If he is found innocent of the charges, well as i mentioned before, he will still have to face the tragic consequences of his actions on a daily basis for the rest of his life probably.
For now our hearts should go out the family of Reeva Steenkamp. RIP
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
Blogathonrunner: Everyone Must Be At It - Doping That Is
Blogathonrunner: Everyone Must Be At It - Doping That Is: Doping - It's a funny word really. I mean it amuses me purely because it resembles the name of one of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs. In realit...
Everyone Must Be At It - Doping That Is
Doping - It's a funny word really. I mean it amuses me purely because it resembles the name of one of Snow White's Seven Dwarfs.
In reality doping is not a joke however when it comes to the world of sport. In fact the doping skeletons have an uncanny knack of coming out of sporting closets at regular intervals, the beginning of this year being no exception.
We've had Lance "Everyone was doing it so why not me" Armstrong finally revealing to Oprah the truth behind how he finished in front of everyone else at seven Tour de France events by stocking up internally with more drugs than a pharmaceutical company stores. Of course, in this case, USADA, the US Antidoping Authority, had to prize open Armstrong's closet with a hammer, by hounding Armstrong and his fellow team mates for numerous years before the doping skeletons were finally unleashed from the closet.
Similarly it's taken a year long investigation by the Australian Crime Commission to discover that the use of prohibited substances is apparently widespread amongst elite athletes in Australia. During the "we will hunt you down" scare tactics employed by Australia's Justice and Sports Ministers at the well publicized press conference last week, interestingly no reference was made to any incidences of doping in a particular sport. So what are the Australian sport viewing public meant to think when they are told doping is widespread amongst elite athletes?
I tell you what statements like that create -suspicion. Did that athlete finish a race so far in front of other athletes and had time to have a cup of tea, before the rest finish, simply because he/she is a brilliant athlete or because they ingested a cocktail of drugs on a regular basis?
This is the ugly, non amusing side of doping scandals. The minute a sport is involved in a doping scandal, virtually all athletes are tainted with same brush. Indeed everyone must be at it heh!
Why are the positives never accentuated when discussing doping in sport? I reckon we should congratulate all those athletes who believe in working and training hard to be the best possible athletes they can, and don't turn to a mad scientist to achieve their goals. I'm keeping the faith. Anyone else?
In reality doping is not a joke however when it comes to the world of sport. In fact the doping skeletons have an uncanny knack of coming out of sporting closets at regular intervals, the beginning of this year being no exception.
We've had Lance "Everyone was doing it so why not me" Armstrong finally revealing to Oprah the truth behind how he finished in front of everyone else at seven Tour de France events by stocking up internally with more drugs than a pharmaceutical company stores. Of course, in this case, USADA, the US Antidoping Authority, had to prize open Armstrong's closet with a hammer, by hounding Armstrong and his fellow team mates for numerous years before the doping skeletons were finally unleashed from the closet.
Similarly it's taken a year long investigation by the Australian Crime Commission to discover that the use of prohibited substances is apparently widespread amongst elite athletes in Australia. During the "we will hunt you down" scare tactics employed by Australia's Justice and Sports Ministers at the well publicized press conference last week, interestingly no reference was made to any incidences of doping in a particular sport. So what are the Australian sport viewing public meant to think when they are told doping is widespread amongst elite athletes?
I tell you what statements like that create -suspicion. Did that athlete finish a race so far in front of other athletes and had time to have a cup of tea, before the rest finish, simply because he/she is a brilliant athlete or because they ingested a cocktail of drugs on a regular basis?
This is the ugly, non amusing side of doping scandals. The minute a sport is involved in a doping scandal, virtually all athletes are tainted with same brush. Indeed everyone must be at it heh!
Why are the positives never accentuated when discussing doping in sport? I reckon we should congratulate all those athletes who believe in working and training hard to be the best possible athletes they can, and don't turn to a mad scientist to achieve their goals. I'm keeping the faith. Anyone else?
Thursday, 7 February 2013
Blogathonrunner: Too Cool For School!
Blogathonrunner: Too Cool For School!: Watching the Brazilian footballers taking on England at Wembley yesterday was an enlightening viewing experience. The way they were passing ...
Too Cool For School!
Watching the Brazilian footballers taking on England at Wembley yesterday was an enlightening viewing experience. The way they were passing the ball at times around the Wembley turf, you could easily be mistaken for thinking they were imagining themselves out for a stroll and a kick around on Copacabana beach, except on this occasion it was North West London and at least 20 degrees colder. They were just simply "Too Cool For School" or too cold.
What was blindingly obvious last night watching the England v Brazil match however, was the fact Brazil never got out of first gear the entire match, whereas England were playing in fifth gear, full throttle, be prepared to be tackled if necessary mode from the first whistle to the last, and ended deserved winners. You almost wanted to stick atom bombs up the bottoms of some of the Brazilian players and say "Run, for heaven's sake".
Could this be the reason that lies behind Brazil not being a successful international side in recent years? This idealization of style over substance, is something that needs to be addressed if they don't want to be embarrassed when the World Cup party heads to their nation in a year's time. Yes they've had the likes of Pele and Ronaldo, the footballers too cool for school, but they've also had the class nerds and work horses such as the Cafu's of this world. Interesting Cafu played in three World Cup Finals and won two. I wonder how many Brazilian players playing yesterday, will be saying that at the end of their careers.
What was blindingly obvious last night watching the England v Brazil match however, was the fact Brazil never got out of first gear the entire match, whereas England were playing in fifth gear, full throttle, be prepared to be tackled if necessary mode from the first whistle to the last, and ended deserved winners. You almost wanted to stick atom bombs up the bottoms of some of the Brazilian players and say "Run, for heaven's sake".
Could this be the reason that lies behind Brazil not being a successful international side in recent years? This idealization of style over substance, is something that needs to be addressed if they don't want to be embarrassed when the World Cup party heads to their nation in a year's time. Yes they've had the likes of Pele and Ronaldo, the footballers too cool for school, but they've also had the class nerds and work horses such as the Cafu's of this world. Interesting Cafu played in three World Cup Finals and won two. I wonder how many Brazilian players playing yesterday, will be saying that at the end of their careers.
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Blogathonrunner: The Sporting Weekend - The Good, Bad and Damn Righ...
Blogathonrunner: The Sporting Weekend - The Good, Bad and Damn Righ...: For the sports loving couch potatoes amongst us, this weekend was a veritable feast of events spread across this impressive globe of ours. ...
The Sporting Weekend - The Good, Bad and Damn Right Baffling.
For the sports loving couch potatoes amongst us, this weekend was a veritable feast of events spread across this impressive globe of ours. And then there was Beyonce!
The sporting world amazed and baffled me in equal measures over the weekend and probably a lot of active participants in the weekend that was as well.
There were firstly the things I simply didn't get.
The Super Bowl
Let's get one thing straight the Blogathonrunner is not the greatest fan of the annual American Football jamboree, but still appreciates that it is a skillful, athletic contact sport and as sporting dramas go, the one that was played out between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers was a classic one.
I ask you this question though blog readers. Did the founding fathers of this sport envisage a national competition with an end of season endurance battle between two teams lasting five hours with a pop concert at half-time?
When watching a major sporting event taking place in a different time zone the Blogathonrunner takes several things into consideration. Firstly, a simple matter of do i actually like said sport? Secondly, is it a matter of national importance, with my fellow countrymen and women competing. Finally, am i really willing to trade a valuable commodity that is sleep in order to hopefully look like a smiling zombie when i attend work the following morning. What the Blogathonrunner does not account for is arguably 75% of the sports event viewing experience consisting of advertisements, or in the case of watching BBC coverage of the Super Bowl in Monday morning, Mark Chapman having to fill probably more time on our TV screens than he's ever done in his entire media career.
American Football you have a long way to go to truly increase your fan base by simply one person. If you could guarantee i'd be in bed by 2am, i may just be willing to do a deal with you.
Have the Penalty Boxes and the Rest of Football Field Swapped Places?
Demba Ba of Chelsea FC fame got slightly more than he bargained for from Fabricio Coloccini when Chelsea took on Newcastle at the Stadium Formerly Known as St James's Park, on Saturday. Primarily a broken and bloodied nose. Not forgetting that his team mates in his absence managed to lose the match as well. Ouch all round I would think.
His beloved manager (I say this tongue and cheek of course) Rafa Benitez, may well have had a valid bone of contention to pick with Harold Webb, the referee during this match.
If Coloccini had unintentionally squelched Demba Ba's nose with his foot anywhere outside the penalty box, a Webb's whistle would go straight to his mouth and Chelsea would have a free kick. Coloccini whether unintentionally or not would most likely be on the borderline between a yellow and red card (an amber one shall we say) as well. Yet the kicking nose incident occurred in the penalty box on Saturday and neither whistles or cards were even brandished. I've seen players be sent off for kicking players below the waist. Is kicking above the waist not considered dangerous or simply a foul?
It's like referee's minds work completely differently at times when a player enters the penalty box. They think oh crikey i actually have to make a decision that may have an effect on the actual match. Oh sorry i forgot! Referees are actually paid to do that.
I did get some things however this weekend
Never let it be said representing your country doesn't mean anything to tennis players.
Yes if you think the Super Bowl was an endurance event this weekend, try telling that to Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic and Stan Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli of Switzerland, who slugged it out for over seven hours, with the Czech eventually winning to earn their Davis Cup team a measly one point in the tie. What was rather more impressive was the fact Berdych and Wawrinka were back exchanging tennis playing pleasantries the next day for another four sets, with Berdych being conqueror and consequently the Czech Republic being tie winners.
In this often mercenary world of sport, it's lovely to see that playing for your country means so much to some. Djokovic is another fella with this endearing attitude. Of course he credits his involvement in the Davis Cup winning Serbian team in 2010, as the thing that catapulted his career to where it is now.
Athletes from other sports, namely England footballers, could do well to follow such an example.
The Classic Proof History Does Not Win Matches.
The Italian Rugby Union team are never going to be the All Blacks of Europe by any stretch of the imagine. One thing they did prove on Sunday during their Six Nations match against the Rugby Charmers of France however, if you play to the best of your god given ability and to your strengths and have the will and determination to want it more than your opponents, sometimes that is enough. Brava Italia!
Bravo to Sebastian Chabal's, known to many French Rugby Fans as the Caveman for his comments on twitter. Rude but valid "Oh Merde!"
Finally the depressing. We learnt yesterday that apparently possibly 680 football matches played across Europe were rigged in some shape or form, including a Champions League game in England, rumour has it involving Liverpool.
The Blogathonrunner grew up loving sport. It is the best drama in the world because you should have no idea what the hell is going to happen. If i wanted my sport scripted, i would have switch over to Downtown Abbey!
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Blogathonrunner: Transfer Deadline Day - What's. It Really All Abou...
Blogathonrunner: Transfer Deadline Day - What's. It Really All Abou...: Yes it's that time of year again. The Football Transfer Deadline Day has nearly concluded . The way Sky Sports News go about their business ...
Transfer Deadline Day - What's. It Really All About?
Yes it's that time of year again. The Football Transfer Deadline Day has nearly concluded . The way Sky Sports News go about their business you would think it's an event on a par with the General Election. Other than football players changing geographical location, what have we really learnt today? Here are my conclusions.
1) Virtually nothing goes on whatsoever in Germany on Transfer Deadline Day.
Earlier in the day we learnt from Sky's German cousins Sky Deutschland that the German Transfer Deadline occurred at 6pm this evening. Is the European Union dictating working hours at the German Football Association? Anyway Kirsty Gallagher excitedly talked to her German colleague at Sky Deutschland trying grab a major scoop of deal for the Bayern Munichs and Borussia Dortmunds of the world. What did the German colleague have for her? Apparently Paul Scharner has returned to Wigan on loan from Hamburg. Seriously is that it. Does Angela Merkel have control of purse strings of German football clubs now? It seemed the only thing of football transfer interest for German TV came with a certain British player signing for Paris Saint Germain.
2) It says it all when David Beckham is arguably the biggest news of the Transfer Deadline window.
David Beckham signed for five months with Paris Saint Germain, and it appears he is offering his wages for those five months to French Children's Charities. A noble thing to do no doubt. You do wonder however if this is more to do with getting more Parisian derrieres on stadium seats and more merchandise being sold than Beckham's actual football prowess these days. It will be interesting to see just how much he plays for PSG in the next few months, but the jury is out as to whether he will a success on the field. Off the field well, all you can say it's a stroke of genius by PSG.
3) Football fans are arguably not interested in who their team signs. They just want to be on TV.
There's something quite disconcerting about seeing children surrounding a reporter at a football ground on Transfer Deadline day. The way they smile in front of a TV camera, you would think you are looking at Chuckie the Movie. The adults are not that much better. Mobile phones in their hands informing their loved ones "I'm on the TV". It does make you wonder, are they really interested that Emilio Butcherfiveforks has signed on loan from Amazon Riverplate in Brazil.
4) When a reporter starts talking about milkmen, you know not much has really gone on?
When you start talking about random things such as conversations with milkmen, you know basically nothing major has happened on Transfer Deadline Day with your club. I believe it was the reporter at Everton who had the pleasure of speaking to the milkman today both on his morning round and as he prepares his round this evening for the following day.
5) Brek Shea needs to buy a dictionary before he returns from the USA to Stoke.
Seriously if anyone heard his interview from his car to Sky Sports this evening, he needs to expand his English vocabulary to using sentences of more than 3 words at a time. You can tell a reporter is struggling when he has to try and ask 20 questions in a 2 minute car interview.
6) Apparently a footballer has to have twenty twenty vision for a football transfer to go through.
George Boyd appeared all set to transfer from Peterborough to Notts Forest, only to be basically told his eyesight is rubbish so forget it. This is a bizarre decision in all honesty. Now yours truly has absolutely rubbish eyesight, but because a football happens to be a rather large object, even i could cope with seeing one of those pretty clearly. I guess we've reached a age now, where football teams will use any bargaining tool in the book to get a player for less cash or use it as an excuse not to purchase a player.
Well Big Ben went bong at 11pm this evening. Has the Transfer Deadline Day had any major effect on my life. Honestly, i have more drama going to work on the Tube every morning.
1) Virtually nothing goes on whatsoever in Germany on Transfer Deadline Day.
Earlier in the day we learnt from Sky's German cousins Sky Deutschland that the German Transfer Deadline occurred at 6pm this evening. Is the European Union dictating working hours at the German Football Association? Anyway Kirsty Gallagher excitedly talked to her German colleague at Sky Deutschland trying grab a major scoop of deal for the Bayern Munichs and Borussia Dortmunds of the world. What did the German colleague have for her? Apparently Paul Scharner has returned to Wigan on loan from Hamburg. Seriously is that it. Does Angela Merkel have control of purse strings of German football clubs now? It seemed the only thing of football transfer interest for German TV came with a certain British player signing for Paris Saint Germain.
2) It says it all when David Beckham is arguably the biggest news of the Transfer Deadline window.
David Beckham signed for five months with Paris Saint Germain, and it appears he is offering his wages for those five months to French Children's Charities. A noble thing to do no doubt. You do wonder however if this is more to do with getting more Parisian derrieres on stadium seats and more merchandise being sold than Beckham's actual football prowess these days. It will be interesting to see just how much he plays for PSG in the next few months, but the jury is out as to whether he will a success on the field. Off the field well, all you can say it's a stroke of genius by PSG.
3) Football fans are arguably not interested in who their team signs. They just want to be on TV.
There's something quite disconcerting about seeing children surrounding a reporter at a football ground on Transfer Deadline day. The way they smile in front of a TV camera, you would think you are looking at Chuckie the Movie. The adults are not that much better. Mobile phones in their hands informing their loved ones "I'm on the TV". It does make you wonder, are they really interested that Emilio Butcherfiveforks has signed on loan from Amazon Riverplate in Brazil.
4) When a reporter starts talking about milkmen, you know not much has really gone on?
When you start talking about random things such as conversations with milkmen, you know basically nothing major has happened on Transfer Deadline Day with your club. I believe it was the reporter at Everton who had the pleasure of speaking to the milkman today both on his morning round and as he prepares his round this evening for the following day.
5) Brek Shea needs to buy a dictionary before he returns from the USA to Stoke.
Seriously if anyone heard his interview from his car to Sky Sports this evening, he needs to expand his English vocabulary to using sentences of more than 3 words at a time. You can tell a reporter is struggling when he has to try and ask 20 questions in a 2 minute car interview.
6) Apparently a footballer has to have twenty twenty vision for a football transfer to go through.
George Boyd appeared all set to transfer from Peterborough to Notts Forest, only to be basically told his eyesight is rubbish so forget it. This is a bizarre decision in all honesty. Now yours truly has absolutely rubbish eyesight, but because a football happens to be a rather large object, even i could cope with seeing one of those pretty clearly. I guess we've reached a age now, where football teams will use any bargaining tool in the book to get a player for less cash or use it as an excuse not to purchase a player.
Well Big Ben went bong at 11pm this evening. Has the Transfer Deadline Day had any major effect on my life. Honestly, i have more drama going to work on the Tube every morning.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Blogathonrunner: A Feather was not responsible for Andy Murray losi...
Blogathonrunner: A Feather was not responsible for Andy Murray losi...: After going AWOL for a year' s holiday, the Blogathonrunner has returned to the sporting arena and clearly the sporting press has gone compl...
Monday, 28 January 2013
A Feather was not responsible for Andy Murray losing the Aussie Open Tennis Final
After going AWOL for a year' s holiday, the Blogathonrunner has returned to the sporting arena and clearly the sporting press has gone completely bonkers in my absence. It appears today the word "feather" is appearing in sporting news but unfortunately it is not followed by the word "weight".
Yes Andy Murray's defeat to Novak Djokovic is being put down in part to a feather, but ladies and gentlemen I'm here to defend the humble feather and the fact it is no more responsible for Murray's defeat, than Shane Warne, Dame Edna Everage or that crazy dressed lunatic Victoria Azarenka is going out with.
Let's present the facts:
1) A tennis match contains more than one point.
Although female players particularly like to give the impression that a tennis match lasts for about only two minutes, matches do tend to contain more than one point. As far as I'm aware the feather was partially responsible for Andy Murray serving a double fault in the second set tie break, but someone show me the evidence it was responsible for Murray losing the 138 points that resulted him being defeated by Djokovic.
2) Some player called Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic. He's not bad is he. He probably gets more balls back than your common domestic dog. That's when it gets more and more frustrating for the player on the opposing side of the net. Yesterday Murray thought he was in control of several points during the match, but every ball seemed to come back saying "not good enough". The fact is Djokovic performance wise was the better player on the day. He is the number one in the world for a reason and I doubt he has needed to employ a feather to help defeat opponents.
3) Murray has seriously ugly and painful feet
Oh that's an image that cannot be deleted from the memory quickly. Melbourne heat and running around against Federer for a few hours, as we now know does not contribute to happy feet. In fact it's more like sad, blister ridden iodined feet. Sadly unlike feathers, blisters tend not to fly away as quick they as they arrive on your feet. When you play Djokovic, you need to be able to run and run and run again. Ouch!
4) When you're not in the zone, you notice idiots in the crowd. Oh and feathers.
Let's face it a feather is such a small inanimate object it would be difficult to find one if you were deliberately looking for it. When your concentration is broken however you begin to notice the most ridiculous of things, probably like Victoria Azarenka' s crazy dressed boyfriend in the crowd. When you're tired like Murray undoubtedly was, a Feather as it just so happened can be magnified by 200% and your faults start to get magnified about 200% more.
5) It's A Feather For Heaven's Sake!
You would think the way the press are going on, Murray succumbed to a feather rather than Djokovic. Let me tell you the feather may have played a supporting role in his defeat, but Murray was beaten by one thing and one thing alone yesterday and that was fella that goes by the name of Djokovic.
Yes Andy Murray's defeat to Novak Djokovic is being put down in part to a feather, but ladies and gentlemen I'm here to defend the humble feather and the fact it is no more responsible for Murray's defeat, than Shane Warne, Dame Edna Everage or that crazy dressed lunatic Victoria Azarenka is going out with.
Let's present the facts:
1) A tennis match contains more than one point.
Although female players particularly like to give the impression that a tennis match lasts for about only two minutes, matches do tend to contain more than one point. As far as I'm aware the feather was partially responsible for Andy Murray serving a double fault in the second set tie break, but someone show me the evidence it was responsible for Murray losing the 138 points that resulted him being defeated by Djokovic.
2) Some player called Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic. He's not bad is he. He probably gets more balls back than your common domestic dog. That's when it gets more and more frustrating for the player on the opposing side of the net. Yesterday Murray thought he was in control of several points during the match, but every ball seemed to come back saying "not good enough". The fact is Djokovic performance wise was the better player on the day. He is the number one in the world for a reason and I doubt he has needed to employ a feather to help defeat opponents.
3) Murray has seriously ugly and painful feet
Oh that's an image that cannot be deleted from the memory quickly. Melbourne heat and running around against Federer for a few hours, as we now know does not contribute to happy feet. In fact it's more like sad, blister ridden iodined feet. Sadly unlike feathers, blisters tend not to fly away as quick they as they arrive on your feet. When you play Djokovic, you need to be able to run and run and run again. Ouch!
4) When you're not in the zone, you notice idiots in the crowd. Oh and feathers.
Let's face it a feather is such a small inanimate object it would be difficult to find one if you were deliberately looking for it. When your concentration is broken however you begin to notice the most ridiculous of things, probably like Victoria Azarenka' s crazy dressed boyfriend in the crowd. When you're tired like Murray undoubtedly was, a Feather as it just so happened can be magnified by 200% and your faults start to get magnified about 200% more.
5) It's A Feather For Heaven's Sake!
You would think the way the press are going on, Murray succumbed to a feather rather than Djokovic. Let me tell you the feather may have played a supporting role in his defeat, but Murray was beaten by one thing and one thing alone yesterday and that was fella that goes by the name of Djokovic.
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