Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: David Nicholson on January 06, 2011, 06:37:18 PM
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Sad news will be released tomorrow about the death of Australian cricket. AC has been ill for some time and the condition has recently been diagnosed as terminal. It is normal, in these circumstances, to praise the fight to hang on to life but in this case the patient folded without much struggle. It is hoped that AC's wider family are able to come to terms with their sad loss and will, no doubt, be aided in this by a larger than normal consumption of amber nectar ;D
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Keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed David and don't tempt providence.
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Keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed David and don't tempt providence.
Good advice! I would add.... put on your crash helmet.... I think I hear the sound of flying bricks from the Aussies!
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Keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed David and don't tempt providence.
Good advice! I would add.... put on your crash helmet.... I think I hear the sound of flying bricks from the Aussies!
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NZers are pretending to mourn for our friends across the ditch but in reality are hoping there is no miraculous resurrection before we next meet them. Not counting on it though. That nice German word again, Schadenfreude.
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Reporting a local comment on Australia's performance - "England is a third rate team and now Australia is one too."
I don't subscribe to that view. Clearly England has outplayed Australia all summer. As usual, irrespective of teams and countries "heads will roll".
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I always hate to see the comments about "worst team ever" or "death of" type comments...... they actually put down the team that beat them. England outplayed Australia this season, no ifs buts or maybes. If we say they're the worst team ever (reported in todays papers apparently) then we're saying the England didn't necessarily play well, but Australia played badly. I think England played brilliantly, which is why they won, not that Australia necessarily played badly (if you know what I mean). The best team won, and I wish people could just leave it at that. Our media commentators over here give me the irrits at times, in case you hadn't guessed. ;D
I think I've said it before as well, if a country/player is on top of the game consistently then it is bad for the game. For so long Federer dominated the tennis, and everyone was effectively playing for second. When you go into a tournament like that, it isn't good for the game. The fact that the Aussies are not presently dominating cricket is a good thing, because it is nice to see a competition rather than an "automatic whitewash" which is what it was like a few years back. Congratulation to England, they played positively brilliantly! Well done to them, they most definitely deserved their wins!!! 8)
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They say ASHES are good for the garden but are in short supply Down Under.
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Ok, since we're on the topic.
Why is it called "The Ashes". Did the cup have someones remains in it?
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Arnold,
It is part of the long history and tradition of the England - Australia cricket competition.
The exact details I will leave for cricket aficionados but basically when Australia defeated England for the first time, the "DEATH OF ENGLISH CRICKET" was announced in the press and the stumps/bails were cremated and the ashes collected and placed in the urn which now never leaves Lords.
Hence the tradition of playing for the Ashes.
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Sorry Paul my bit was meant to be a skit on the ashes creation story.
I think the difference between the two teams boils down to youth at the end of the day. We have a team with the vast majority of members of it at the commencement of their test careers and your lot, give or take one or two are nearing the end of theirs. They shouldn't be but this is, in my view, the result of far too much cricket being played today at test level. The test series is now followed by umpteen one day internationals and 20/20 games (or pub cricket as I call it) simply to generate cash and to suit the sponsors, normally Sky television and it's competitors causing early "burn-out" in good players. No one these days is able to maintain the length of career that Bradman, Border and their ilk could mantain. The same will happen to members of the England team in time.
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early "burn-out" in good players
:o ::)
Burn out in cricket players seems extremely unlikely to me and early burn out even more so..... cricket has to be one of the most relaxed sports ever invented.... there are long periods of precious little happening, VERY short bursts of activity.... to my mind an averagely fit octogernarian could play the game.... what on earth is there in cricket to cause burn out? Boredom, yes, in players and audience but burn out? I doubt it!
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The ashes story from Lord's:
http://www.lords.org/history/the-ashes/
No mention of the actual burning of the stumps though?
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Wash your mouth out with chocolate Maggi!
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Obviously a distorted feminine view, and a Scottish one to boot, and can therefore be discounted :P ;D
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The ashes story from Lord's:
http://www.lords.org/history/the-ashes/
No mention of the actual burning of the stumps though?
There is supposed to be the ashes of a bail inside, but this would have been from the time the urn was presented to Ivo Bligh (the MCC captain) in Australia, not when the obituary appeared in The Times.
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Obviously a distorted feminine view, and a Scottish one to boot, and can therefore be discounted :P ;D
Can't deny the basic premise you have there, David.... but I would add that there is a cricket club at the bottom of my road and I have spent some time there in the past (with my late lamented Father) and I have first hand experience of the mind-numbing boredom that comes from watching the game..... also of the semi-comatose state of the players, standing on the pitch with little to keep them awake other than the occasional scratching of their "important littlee places" Those others in the batting team are sitting on the verandah, smoking fags, phoning and texting or even actually snoozing....... dear gawd... it's barely even a game, let alone a sport!
PS I thought the Ashes were those of the bails from that far off fateful game?
Ooops, didn't see Anthony's last post.... the burnt bail story is the one the TV sports comentators always repeat.
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Takes me back to the days when the AGS held their summer show at St. Chad's in Leeds. The venue was next to the local cricket ground.
So, it was a visit to the show....off for the Pudsey Pig competition......back to the show but too full of food and beer to enjoy. The only thing left to do? Stroll to the green, sit down to watch the cricket.....and fall asleep in no time.
What a wonderful sport for insomniacs!!!!
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I was hoping it was something like that and not similar to the 'ball' game the Aztecs played where the losing team was put to death.
Bill Shankley is reported to have said
"Football isn't a matter of life and death...its more important than that!
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I was hoping it was something like that and not similar to the 'ball' game the Aztecs played where the losing team was put to death.
Well that would certainly put an end to the Chelseas and Liverpools of this world, wouldn't it?
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What's cricket?
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What's cricket?
That's the attitude, Colin... keep it up, Lad! ;)
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What's cricket?
Simply Cricket is a game played by Gentlemen unlike football.
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What's cricket?
Simply Cricket is a game played by Gentlemen unlike football.
Not in Yorkshire it isn't (nor in Lancashire)
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I think it was in one of Chapelli's books that that quote was explained a little..... it all comes down to the definitely of "Gentleman" doesn't it? ;) I think from memory the definition of gentleman was provided by Freddy Trueman? One of those strange things that stuck in my mind. ::) I need a life! :'(
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If a definition of 'gentleman' is needed look no further than Steve Smith, last out after a great fifty, congratulating and shaking hands with every single England player before leaving the field.
England were brilliant. A real team. Why not celebrate?
JohnnyD
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i agree with Jonny and David we played superb and stuck to a strategy that worked,our bowling was top notch,the Aussies were well here's a song from the Barmy Army" He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, that boy Mitchell Johnson his bowling is s***e.." Gotta love the barmy army.Our fielding and catching was a master-class and batting was outstanding.I think the Aussies have now got to do what England had to a few years back and bring on some young rising stars.Even though I'm glad we won i would have preferred it going down to the last over,but you can never please everybody.
OOOH AND MAGGIE REALLY YOU DON'T LIKE CRICKET.how funny if only you could see me chuckling at your torment(if that is the right word).LOL
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Fred's definition of a gentleman was "A man who gets out of the bath to go to the toilet" (Note: this is a more polite version!) ;D
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Burn out in cricket players seems extremely unlikely to me and early burn out even more so..... cricket has to be one of the most relaxed sports ever invented.... there are long periods of precious little happening, VERY short bursts of activity.... to my mind an averagely fit octogernarian could play the game.... what on earth is there in cricket to cause burn out? Boredom, yes, in players and audience but burn out? I doubt it!
Maggi! You are now officially BANNED from the Forum and from all contact with civilized and intelligent people. For ever!!! ;D
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not that Australia necessarily played badly (if you know what I mean).
Let's face it Paul. They did. Very badly indeed. ???
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Maggi! You are now officially BANNED from the Forum and from all contact with civilized and intelligent people. For ever!!! ;D
Ah, who cares? At my age I can grow a moustache and beard and you'll never know it's still me...... :P
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not that Australia necessarily played badly (if you know what I mean).
Let's face it Paul. They did. Very badly indeed. ???
Lesley,
Yes they did in most of the tests, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make. England played brilliantly and that is why they won. To call the Aussies the worst side of all time makes out that England won just because the Aussies were crap, which diminishes the brilliant job that the English actually did. I'm actually standing up for the English side, not for the Aussies. ::)
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Overheard in the office from a bunch of gloating Englishmen.....What do you call an Australian with a bottle of champagne?.................................................Waiter.
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;D ;D
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Paul
You were being generous. It seems to me, as someone who has only the slightest interest in the game, that all matches were played by both sides wanting to win. England, on this occasion, just played better. It happens in all sports. What really matters is that it should always be a good advert for the game itself.
Still a believer in the old Corinthian spirit !
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Another joke I came across on the radio.
What do you call an Australian with 100 runs to his name?......................................................................A bowler. :D
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I think the ashes win can only be good for the longer form of cricket, which seems to have been in decline in England. Not so in Scotland, where the game has been played for over 200 years. The Scottish team seem to be on the up, but I suppose, starting from a lowly point, the only way is up?
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..............The Scottish team seem to be on the up, but I suppose, starting from a lowely point, the only way is up?
A truism! ;D
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Bet they wished they hadn't published this. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/reasons-why-poms-wont-win/story-e6frey50-1225955985591
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I can only be grateful that in all this Aussie bashing - even by the Aussies, no-one has mentioned New Zealand. If you're a cricket fan Anthony, looking for a team on the up, better stay with Scotland. The Bangaladeshis clobbered us (THEY'RE not the worst on the planet). So did India and now the Pakistanis are having their turn. We might win if we were to play Guatemala, but no promises!
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Well, I hope to be able to watch a test match or two; something you can't do in Scotland! ::)
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Hopefully you'll be barracking for NZ not Pakistan. We need all the help we can get. :o
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"We might win if we were to play Guatemala, but no promises!"
...or South Africa :-X Hey, we beat the Indians soundly last night on home turf - not so bad after all... ::)
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Anyone noticed I haven't had a lot to say for the last week or so! Still, it's not real cricket is it?
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It was real cricket on Saturday when we beat Pakistan. ;D
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Anyone noticed I haven't had a lot to say for the last week or so! Still, it's not real cricket is it?
Ah, the boot is well and truly on the other foot. I'm taking great delight in mentioning the current one day series in the office as some of my more vociferous colleagues have gone strangely quite on the topic of sport ;D
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you see its not the ashes i really don't care about one day cricket,it was all about the ashes ;D
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I agree Dave. Being a Scot Martin's view doesn't count ;D