The Sporting calendar

As England cricket basques in the glory of their 2009 Ashes win over Australia, questions need to be asked about the disagraceful scenario the Ashes series 2009, has thrown up.

Cricket is not alone in being a sport under funded by the powers that be, the damage is not just done to the individual sport, but also the children of the UK, that are the new stars of the future.

This has been the first Ashes series that has not been available to watch on the UK terrestrial television channels.
Instead, coverage has been live on subscription TV channel Sky, for a premium price of their sports package of £32 per calendar month (which involves also being tied into a 12 month minimum contract), which in effect means that if we wanted to watch the ashes test matches live, then it would have resulted in a 12 month outlay of £384!
All the fans who have no option but to watch sport on our national TV, have had to watch each night (on the day of a test) a lesser channel (channel 5) for a 40 minute highlights program.
Although channel 5 did a very good job, it is totally unacceptable, to have one of our national sport’s biggest event, unavailable to the people of the UK on national television!

Sports, for any nation, is of vital importance to any country.
The level of interest that was generated as I grew up, could never be measured. I watched Wimbledon, my friends and I went out for weeks and played on the local tennis courts.
During the football season, Match of the Day and the Big match, were played out and discussed in school yards, back streets and on the fields of Britain.
Cricket was the sport taken up by many children once the football season was over.
Olympic games and later World athletic championships, were national sports that all of us could watch. (Currently, the World athletics championships are shown on BBC 2).
Most of the children of today, do not have access to subscription TV, how else are the future generations (from which we will pick our future sporting stars) be selected?

“We put money into the sport” argument, is a false one and ultimately damages the sport it is applied to.
As subscription TV takes over coverage of most sports – there are even rumours abound that Wimbledon could be lost to it – the prices of attending the grounds and stadium (that taxpayer’s money often has built) is not dropping. Access to the sports is increasing dramatically!
Each sports governing body is facing funding issues, but the public, which is their life blood, is being cut off from each sport when subscription is required to access it.
Ticket prices are going through the roof, parents of children have to pay money for coaches and sports, where as, in previous generations, children learned sporting skills at school and off their peers.

This can all be turned around and put right!
The government of the day needs to step in and protect national sports for free to air national television for the people. A simple law could be brought in, giving rights of coverage first and foremost to the people.
It cannot be right, morally or legally, that countries such as Norway and Iraq, have access to our premiership football matches being shown live, when the people of the country they are played in, are over charged and denied free access to the same games?

In the case of English cricket, all is not lost.
At present, ticket prices for the test matches here is less than £30 for each days play.
It has been reported that interest in the Ashes series in 2009 has not met the same levels of the Ashes win in 2005.
This is not just because the Aussies are no longer world leaders and THE team to beat. It is because in 2005 the nation was able to tune in and watch every shot played, every over, building up to the final test and the draw we needed to win the Ashes.

Not only does the sport benefit from more people viewing it, it also has a knock on effect in the revenue it generates. Websites and shops promote merchandise, kit, flags, equipment, etc.
More people pass through the grounds to watch county cricket as their players, who have played and won for England, draw in the crouds their status grows, which leads to TV endorsements, increasing the coverage of the sport still further.
When we win, the people come out to see the team parade the streets. The kids start playing the sport in the steets and on the fields, we have role models and idols from the sport, as a result, more talent is unearthed from the young kids and the sport benefits long term.
There will always be times when interest drops off a sport, we saw this with darts, stock car racing, ice dance, etc in the 70s and 80s.
Until Torvill and Dean revived interest in their sport at the olympics, the sport had been very low key.

If the public are being forced to pay a license fee for “free” television, then UK laws should back this up and retain free access for all to our national sports events, without exception.

Sportsmanship in todays sporting world is hard to come by.
Footballers barracking referrees when decisions don’t go their way, fighting between two teams out on the pitch (not just in football), etc, there’s a blame culture in sports, which is all to often excused by “it’s the pressure in today’s sport!”

Money is a major factor and occurring all to often, is the view that participants in sport will do anything to get a slight edge over their opponent.
As in everyday life, those who show compassion and a sense of balance towards people, are seen as weaker in some way, than those who must win at all costs!

Bobby Robson was a fine example of how a person can succeed without exploiting others and shows clearly that winning at anything, is down to skill and good judgement.

Two sporting incidents highlight the differences perfectly:
Ashes third test match: As the first days play was delayed by rain until late afternoon, Ricky Ponting (Australian captain) had submitted his team sheet for the test match. Unbeknown to him as he tossed a coin to decide who was to bat first, Brad Haddin, their wicket keeper and middle order batsman, had sustained a fractured finger in the warm up.
As are the rules, Ponting had to ask for permission from the England captain Andrew Strauss, to bring in a last minute replacement.

Andrew Strauss was within his rights to take advantage of this misfortune and force Australia to play Haddin, with his injury!
Strauss displayed good sportsmanship and allowed Ponting to bring in Graham Manou as a last minute replacement, putting the Australian side back to full strength.
It had no real bearing on the rain affected match, but with all the “pressure” on teams to do well in todays sporting world, all the sledging in cricket, this shone out for me like a beacon.
Good sport Andrew Strauss, had he forced Australia to play an injured player and won, it would have been a hollow victory against a weakened side.
English Cricket is all the more stronger for it, a fine example to set the young people who are fans and players of the game.

Michael Schumacher’s return to formula 1: Felipe Massa’s life threatening injury has opened the door for Schumacher to return to formula 1 and race in his place as he continues to recover.
Under formula 1 rules, only special dispensation can allow a driver to test drive a race car during the season.
Ferrari wrote to all the teams taking part in this year’s championship to ask for permission for Schumacher to have a days testing prior to the European grand prix.
Seven teams gave their permission, three teams refused permission!
Williams, Toro Rosso and Red Bull all turned down the request, disgraceful!

What happens when, god forbid, Schmacher drives the car, untested, at the next grand prix and he has a bad accident?

Would one days testing really make that much difference? Are they really that worried?
There is an opportunity here to display good sportsmanship and set an example for those following the sport and the youngsters around the world, that there is more to life than taking advantage of others misfortune, by refusing a days testing, these three teams have displayed complete arrogance towards the “sport” they take part in.

As in real life, progressing at anything should not be by standing on others, what goes around – comes around, good sportsmanship is a lesson everyone in todays world, would be well advised to learn!

Are England about to open up and finally smash their way to an Ashes win?
So many times we have seen the promise, so many batting innings have been good, only to fall making silly shots in a moment of madness.
At Edgbaston, in this the third Ashes test match, England’s batting is starting to click.
Whilst not smashing big scores and dominating, the England batting order are starting to put together partnership after partnership, Strauss playing steady, Bopara (only hitting 24) but hanging around for 54 bowls and being difficult to shift, once he had gone, Bell came in, hitting some well timed shots, but again struggling against the left hander, with three lbw appeals (two of which were plumb out) against him, but luck was on his side and how he capitalised on his home ground. Finally falling lbw on 53, but more importantly, sticking around for 114 deliveries.
Collingwood looked unsure as he smashed three fours in one over, but got out playing to a bowl which was well wide of the wicket.
Matt Prior came in and started another partnership with Bell and then Flintoff, a valuable 41 scored, but holding out for an impressive 59 deliveries.
Flintoff, clearly struggling with injury, played some classic shots as he grew in confidence, top scoring with 74 and the excellent Broad and Swann, who came in and played masterfully to frustrate the Aussie attack, Broad landing 55 off 64 bowls.

England of old would have folded and struggled when left at 2-1 after cook went early on, but not this team. Each batsman simply set off on another patnership with the new batsman, it was a joy to watch.
Australia’s bowlers played very well, bowled in the right areas, got good swing, etc, the difference was that this England batting performance didn’t lose two or three wickets once the Aussies got a breakthrough, they just started all over again.

A special mention though for two of the England bowlers today, Graham Onions and Graeme Swann.
Since the West Indies test matches, I’ve been of the opinion that Onions is the key to any chance of an Ashes victory this summer.
His bowling is dangerous, more by nature than design, he is unpredictable.
Bowling at fast to medium, he gets good swing bringing the batsman out of stance to play at shots and he often manges to swing a ball or two an over back inside. This makes him very difficult to read, if he finds a good line and keeps to it the wickets will come.
His best asset is his slower bowl.
Occasionally, Onions bowls a slower delivery, in itself a tricky proposition for any batsman who has got used to his constant pace attack, but this slower bowl has a twist!
Often when it comes in, his slower bowl finds extra height – very rare for a medium paced bowl – so the batsman is faced with will it swing in or out, will it be fast or medium paced and the best of all, will it stay low or bounce up?

Unpredictablity is a bowler’s best weapon and Graham Onions has it by the bucket load!

A special mention for Graeme Swann.
I love bowlers who can bamboozle a batsman, not neccessarily with sheer pace and agression, but with skill and trickery.
Swann completely destroyed Ricky Ponting today, with an over that had “Class” written all over it!
Ponting is no slouch with the bat, one of the top five run makers of all time, batting for Australia for almost 15 years, formidable would be a fare description of his batting abilities.
Today, Graeme Swann made him look like he was playing his first ever test match.
First, he drew Ponting out by tempting him wide of his leg side, next, he pushed him onto his back foot to block. Next up he got a shorter bowl which turned, then he was drawn out to the off-side to block, before an absolute peach of a delivery which dragged Ponting’s front foot out a good 3 feet across and out of his crease, on his off-side. Ponting played to block it (with fielders close by) but Swann dropped it about a foot shorter, forcing Ponting to play it with a flat bat instead of an angled bat, turning it in the rough, clean through any defence and on to Ponting’s middle stump!
A delivery/over of such quality I haven’t seen for many a year and one that the great Indian spinners and even Shane Warne would have been proud of.

A masterful piece of bowling, totally controlling the batsman, not just any batsman, but Ricky Ponting no less.
Will it continue? That’s the big question!

Football legend Bobby Robson has lost his long battle with cancer.
A true hero of the modern game, Robson was and remains a firm favourite with everyone involved in the sport, fans and players alike.

With Ipswich Town, Robson took on and beat some of the best Liverpool teams, winning the FA CUP, UEFA cup, and were twice runners up in the league, with a style of football that is still played at Portman Road to this day.
Success with Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Porto and PSV Eindhoven followed, but it is for his achievements as manager of England in the World Cup finals that I will always remember him.

In 1986, Mexico, we watched as his team of established and younger players turned up the heat on the rest of the world as we battled through to the quarter-finals, facing the “mighty” Argentina and Maradonna in his prime.
Despite the gulf in experience and skills, England more than overcame their nerves, after the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the world class strike from the world’s best player, England set about the so called giants of the world game.
John Barnes was introduced on the left wing, feeding the ever more threatening Gary Linekar, England managed to pull it back to 2-1.
Then with just seconds remaining, Barnes curled a cross in which beat the keeper and curled agonisingly across the front of goal, just beating Linekar’s outstretched boot. The chance had gone and England were out, beaten by a goal which was clearly handball.

After a disappointing performance saw us knocked out of the European championships in 1988, Robson took charge of the England team at the Italia 1990 World Cup finals.
What a roller coaster ride we had!
Who can forget Nessun Dorma?
The edgy 1-0 win over egypt with a Mark Wright goal that saw us win the group – The last second David Platt goal against Belgium that took us through to the quarter finals.
The brilliant Roger Milla and the Cameroon team that came so close to knocking us out, we broke their hearts and won through 3-2 after extra time.
The real challenge was about to come. Desperate for revenge against Argentina for the “Hand of God” – this side had Maradonna, but they were nothing like the team that we had faced four years earlier in Mexico.
Between us and our glorious revenge, was West Germany, perhaps the worst team to come up against in a World Cup finals match!

West Germany were not lighting up the tournament, their team was ageing but still dangerous, as all German national sides are.
At the end, only a penalty shoot could deny us, as devastating as it was, thankfully West Germany went on to beat Argentina in the final.

For all of us, just simple fans, who were not even born in 1966 when England triumphed, this was our ‘66!
It was a great occasion enjoyed by millions of England fans all over the world, all created because of a small group of players, picked and motivated by Bobby Robson.

A true gent of the game, a very humble and honest man, who did everything he could to encourage players of all levels, ages and nationalities. Bobby Robson never forgot his roots and the fans, always showing great humility.
Rest in peace Bobby, you will be sorely missed.

How many times must the humble English cricket fan despair at the tactics used, in their attempts to wrestle the Ashes from the Aussies?
Due to hospital visiting here, I only managed to catch brief highlights and some of the final days play in Cardiff, during the first Ashes test match.

The fielding during Australia’s first innings was utter rubbish!
Why on earth play two spin bowlers, yet have no fielders around the wicket to pressure the batsmen?
With Vaughn as captain, we wrestled the Ashes back with exciting, challenging cricket, team selections varied only slightly and everyone of England’s players, played their part in winning the series.
If things were not working in the field, Vaughn changed or made subtle changes to them, listening to his bowlers and pressurising a great Aussie side into mistakes.

With Strauss as captain for the first test in Cardiff, I saw none of this. England lacked bite.
To win the Ashes, you have to deserve it!
England players looked to be on a casual warm up game… this is the Ashes – how much more incentive do they want?
Our bowling was weak and a good ball was too often the exception. Bowling too wide, to predictable and too often, easily read.
No surprises, no threat and no pressure!
Not good enough England. Bowlers set the field with a captain making small adjustments. Vary the pace, spin at one end – pace at the other.
Only by consistantly putting the ball in danger areas accurately can we turn the tide.

If our bowling lacked bite, our batting lacked common sense.
A simple message should be sent out to our batsmen, keep it simple, play percentages!
Stop trying to look like a hero, play cautiously and frustrate the Aussie bowlers, make them work at least!
Then once they start to change tactics to get your wicket, start playing them, with a controlled bat, picking your shots off their mistakes and start building a decent score.

If I see one more England batsman play a sweep shot against the spin I’ll scream!
Enough with the heroics, play with common sense and use your head!

At least in the next Ashes test at Lords on Thursday, we will have Graham Onions back in the attack and maybe some variety?