Category: Sport

What a shocker!

Surprise news just in, the London Sports Day, looks like it might come in a tad over budget!

Linky Linky!

Bloody ‘eck! I reckon no-one thought that might happen.

I suppose we are all supposed to be grateful that the Capital City Improvement Scheme will only overrun by an estimated 270 million for an unexpected security guard cost. Erm did no-one think to budget for security? Sounds to me like there has been a little “Lobbying with extreme Prejudice” here. But the gubmint have come clean and told us all up front that it is ‘only a possibility’ and there is still another 500 million in the kitty before they need to call on the national purse. Continue reading “What a shocker!”

Ready for a rout?

This is an aerial view of Brisbane, looking north.   In the fold of the river is the area known as Kangaroo Point, where OZ lived for a few years.   The big round thing is The Gabba – which is short for Woolloongabba, the suburb where it’s located.   Our Cricket season traditionally starts at The Gabba – the first test of the year is always played here. Continue reading “Ready for a rout?”

What d’ya reckon, Soutie?

Or how about you, Sipu?

Here’s our new Australian Team Coach and Selector, Mikey Arthur.

A Saffer who coached the Proteas with some success until he suddenly left after a disagreement with CSA or Graeme Smith or possibly both.

At the time he avowed that he wanted nothing more than to move to England and coach a County Team, but apparently the Poms didn’t want him and he ended up as coach to the WA (West Australia) Warriors.   He has  a reputation for being a good man-manager – is that praise, or is it a nice way of saying that his cricket isn’t very good?

Reactions from Aussie fans have been mixed, so far.   Some of the derogatory comments included –

  • Anyone would be better than Tim Neilsen
  • Why can’t we have an Aussie coach?
  • Does this mean our team will become as arrogant and precious as the Proteas?

Continue reading “What d’ya reckon, Soutie?”

S.A. v Aus, The Wanderers, Jhb

This was my preferred position when watching cricket at The Wanderers, the stand wouldn’t have been so high back in those days and the seats (well, we didn’t have seats but rows and rows of wooden railway sleeper benches, complete with splinters) wouldn’t have been as comfortable,

The Wanderers, affectionately known as The Bullring, prior to the construction of the new stands it actually resembled a bullring, is the venue for today’s test match.

And am I looking forward to it. Continue reading “S.A. v Aus, The Wanderers, Jhb”

Back to their bad old ways?

Before South Africa became the Rainbow Nation, we in the rest of the world were resigned to reading regular reports of how police suspects had unaccountably jumped out of tenth storey windows while being questioned.    Steve Biko, for one.  One shrugged.   What else could one do, it was what the police did in the state of apartheid.

What were they called?   BOSS, or something, wasn’t it?   Buro vir Staatsveiligheid, that’s the chap.   They bullied their way around the world, infiltrating other police forces, including the UK, where they did some very questionable things.

But that’s all behind us, isn’t it?

South Africa is a model state these days, surely.

Well, actually – no.

After several misleading – and in some cases downright false – statements, the world’s press appears to have established that Peter Roebuck (an English-Australian-South African cricket journalist of great renown) “jumped” from his sixth floor hotel room whilst being questioned by a solitary South African police person, allegedly about a matter of sexual abuse.   Some accounts report two police persons.

Hah!   If you believe that you’ll believe anything.

I would dearly like to hear Soutie’s take on this.

S.A v Aus, Newlands, Cape Town

Picturesque Newlands

Probably one of the prettiest cricket grounds in the world. Pictured above is where I often sat, round about square leg under the shade of the trees, with the Kelvin Grove end bar within easy walking distance. Continue reading “S.A v Aus, Newlands, Cape Town”

Springbok 7s kit 2011/12

Unbelievable

My ghast was completely flabbered when I saw this over the weekend. (hat tip Furry)

On the left is the new Springbok 7s (nicknamed The Blitzbokke) training kit provided by the kit sponsors Canterbury and I assume approved by our lot in charge.

It looks like something one might find in the bdsm section of a sex shop, I’m assured that it’s no prank but the genuine kit our team will be wearing during the upcoming 7s series (and is set to debut at the Gold Coast Sevens in Australia at the end of the month.)

One news report (the reader’s comments are hilarious) has the following tweets –

“Are the @blitzbokke sponsored by a brand of adult nappies this season?”

and

“The Blitzbokke were accused of trying to give Superman a run for his money.”

My local daily has a poll on what we think of the kit . Continue reading “Springbok 7s kit 2011/12”

Match fixing sentences

It all seems a bit harsh to me.

They already have career destroying bans from the ICC but imprisonment!

Agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months for his role in the fixing.

Pakistan Test cricket captain Salman Butt jailed for 30 months.

Former world number two Test bowler Mohammad Asif  jailed for one year for his involvement.

Mohammed Amir sentenced to 6 months in prison.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not going soft, in fact I’d lock up the agent and throw away the key, and Salmaan Butt, well he can sit, he should have known better and it appears that it was he who recruited the other two.

I remember the Hanse Cronje scandal, he was quite rightly banned for life, but the guys that he involved, where are they now? Well two of them have just finished playing in the Champions League Trophy in India (of all places).

Sure, the culprits have to be punished, but jail?

Not for me, not today.