Day 4 of the Ashes and resuming at 25 for none, chasing a deficit of 220 runs, I watch the first 5 or 6 overs and Strauss and Cook seem to be doing ok, so I decide to leave them to it and I'll just check through the night.
This was my modus operandi for the last series down under and it was usually not good news, with me timing my viewing with an England collapse or the last few overs of each losing match, so I was expecting my first check to see Englan 5 down still not having levelled the scores, so at over 100 for no wicket just before Lunch it was a pleasant surprise.
So I left them to it.
Alarm set for 6am, I was planning to see the last hour before going to play golf.
I turned on the TV, expecting to see England Fielding and the Aussies ready to knock off the last few runs for an opening win and a demoralised England.
My bleary eyes managed to establish that England were still in and were at 280 for 1!!!!
Strauss was out having scored 110 and Cook on 120 with Trott on 43.
The Aussies were not looking so cocky now! In fact they were relieved to get off the pitch early due to bad light!
At 308 for 1 a healthy position with a day to go.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Thursday, 25 November 2010
The Ashes Down Under...........
So the hype is over and the Ashes are about to start. No more talk, no more build up the toss has been won and England are about to bat.
With the Live coverage these days, it's a must to stay up and watch the first session of the first test, so having planned to work from home, it's time to hunker down and get ready for the midnight hour.
The first session, even the first ball, can set the scene and to go back 4 years to 2006, England were holders of the ashes and under the Captaincy of Freddie Flintoff it was looking good.
Having lost the Toss this time and Bowling, Harmison's first ball summed the series up. It was SO wide, Freddie took it at 2nd slip. It went downhill from there and England lost 5-0.
Poor Harmison, now working as a summariser in the studio has had to watch that ball about 10 times in the last half an hour!
Strauss facing the first ball...................good leave, second ball ditto.
Third ball and a short long hop outside his offside and 4 runs, great start. Only it does'nt go for 4, it's plucked out of the air by the Gully fieldsman and the Englan Captain is out 3rd Ball for a duck................here we go again!!!
Looks ominous and despite a recovery of sorts at 86 for 2, the Aussies are on a high at the end of the first session.
Bed for a few hours and then back up for the final session and it's 194 for 4, good recovery, Bell going well, until Siddle the "workmanlike" Aussie Bowler dismisses the beligerent Cook for 67. Out comes Prior and he goes first ball, stumps sent flying.
Now it's Broad to face the hat trick ball and despite the review, he is out LBW to give Siddle his hat trick.......I wonder if I'd stayed in bed this wouldn;t have happened!
The collapse is ievitable and despite Bell's effort of 76 with the tail offering little support it's all out for 260!!!
Here we go again!!!
With the Live coverage these days, it's a must to stay up and watch the first session of the first test, so having planned to work from home, it's time to hunker down and get ready for the midnight hour.
The first session, even the first ball, can set the scene and to go back 4 years to 2006, England were holders of the ashes and under the Captaincy of Freddie Flintoff it was looking good.
Having lost the Toss this time and Bowling, Harmison's first ball summed the series up. It was SO wide, Freddie took it at 2nd slip. It went downhill from there and England lost 5-0.
Poor Harmison, now working as a summariser in the studio has had to watch that ball about 10 times in the last half an hour!
Strauss facing the first ball...................good leave, second ball ditto.
Third ball and a short long hop outside his offside and 4 runs, great start. Only it does'nt go for 4, it's plucked out of the air by the Gully fieldsman and the Englan Captain is out 3rd Ball for a duck................here we go again!!!
Looks ominous and despite a recovery of sorts at 86 for 2, the Aussies are on a high at the end of the first session.
Bed for a few hours and then back up for the final session and it's 194 for 4, good recovery, Bell going well, until Siddle the "workmanlike" Aussie Bowler dismisses the beligerent Cook for 67. Out comes Prior and he goes first ball, stumps sent flying.
Now it's Broad to face the hat trick ball and despite the review, he is out LBW to give Siddle his hat trick.......I wonder if I'd stayed in bed this wouldn;t have happened!
The collapse is ievitable and despite Bell's effort of 76 with the tail offering little support it's all out for 260!!!
Here we go again!!!
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Nothing like being prepared.................
Winter League round 2 and the regular 4 ball of me, Mr Barrett and team Hallam. (Mark and Ben)
We are teeing off later than ususal as Mark was at a Wedding the night before, so he was expecting to be the worst for wear, but he was there well on time and had obviously had his sensible head on!
Mr Barrett, however, had forgotten that he was going to a 40th Birthday Party, with a free bar............do I need to say more?
Rob had suggested that he had managed to play well in the texas Scramble a few weeks before after not going to bed after a night out, so it worked last time so he'd be ok.
He was late. Infact when we called him he was still in bed! We were due on the tee in 10 minutes time!!!
He came screeching around the corner and into the car park as we were teeing off, so by the time he got to the tee, he was late enough to warrant a 2 shot penalty on the first. We didn't tell him this as he needed to focus on hitting the ball!!!
He teed it up and it looked like the effort of bending down and getting back up had taken it out of him!!!
A couple of practice swings, painfully completed and he addressed the ball.
Nice looking back swing, but unfortunatley he hit the deck about a foot behing the ball, taking a massive divot and the ball remained proudly on it's tee!!! An airshot.
Rob took aim again and managed to hit the ball, but only low and left into the rough!
A couple of hits at the ball to get out of the rough and he decides to save himself for the next hole.
It's a better ball format, so the best score of the 2 counting and Rob actually saves himself until the 7th hole when he manages a remarkable point with an 8.
Coffee at the halfway house seems to pep him up a bit, but he declines the shot of JD to go with it.
We manage to garner 26 points and that includes a birdie for me on 13, which scores 4 points, but to be honest Rob has done well to make it round.
Especially as when we are recalling his opening tee shot in the clubhouse afterwards, he can't remember it! In fact, he can't remember the first 6 holes!!!
Perhaps the preparation methods need to change.
We had a good laugh though!!!
We are teeing off later than ususal as Mark was at a Wedding the night before, so he was expecting to be the worst for wear, but he was there well on time and had obviously had his sensible head on!
Mr Barrett, however, had forgotten that he was going to a 40th Birthday Party, with a free bar............do I need to say more?
Rob had suggested that he had managed to play well in the texas Scramble a few weeks before after not going to bed after a night out, so it worked last time so he'd be ok.
He was late. Infact when we called him he was still in bed! We were due on the tee in 10 minutes time!!!
He came screeching around the corner and into the car park as we were teeing off, so by the time he got to the tee, he was late enough to warrant a 2 shot penalty on the first. We didn't tell him this as he needed to focus on hitting the ball!!!
He teed it up and it looked like the effort of bending down and getting back up had taken it out of him!!!
A couple of practice swings, painfully completed and he addressed the ball.
Nice looking back swing, but unfortunatley he hit the deck about a foot behing the ball, taking a massive divot and the ball remained proudly on it's tee!!! An airshot.
Rob took aim again and managed to hit the ball, but only low and left into the rough!
A couple of hits at the ball to get out of the rough and he decides to save himself for the next hole.
It's a better ball format, so the best score of the 2 counting and Rob actually saves himself until the 7th hole when he manages a remarkable point with an 8.
Coffee at the halfway house seems to pep him up a bit, but he declines the shot of JD to go with it.
We manage to garner 26 points and that includes a birdie for me on 13, which scores 4 points, but to be honest Rob has done well to make it round.
Especially as when we are recalling his opening tee shot in the clubhouse afterwards, he can't remember it! In fact, he can't remember the first 6 holes!!!
Perhaps the preparation methods need to change.
We had a good laugh though!!!
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