There was a gathering on Monday in Leicestershire at Stapleford Park, one of those grand country houses with a croquet lawn and giant outdoor chess board, the kind of place Hercule Poirot might have enjoyed poking around. You know the sort — “secluded”, the brochure says; inconvenient, everyone else says. Still, we travelled in aid of a good cause: Test cricket, which the ECB fears is in decline and in need of a fillip. There was an awful lot of what West Indians would call “gaffing”. A lot of chat.
Most of the arrows were well aimed: the need to “rebrand” Test cricket so that each match becomes special rather than humdrum; the marketing potential offered by the sport’s superstars, two of whom happen to wear the crown and three lions; the need to get the stronger nations playing against each other more often in a competition that gives every game some context — a world championship of Test cricket, in other words.
The ECB will look at playing neutral Tests in England, too, as it positions itself as the “home of Test cricket”. As the rest of the game pays lip service to the idea of the primacy of Test cricket — all the while undermining it — the ECB leads the way in trying to protect the sport’s greatest asset.
That is the good news as we enter 2009. The bad news is that England are not very good at this game we hold dear. As England’s cricketers embark tomorrow on their first match of the new year in Basseterre, St Kitts, they do so as statistically the fifth-best Test team on earth, which sounds all very well until you realise that, discounting Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, there are only eight to choose from. Not impressive for a nation with resources second only to India and ambition to match. By any empirical measurement, England start the year in modest shape, bereft of confidence, too, after a calamitous and wholly avoidable sequence of events that resulted in them losing captain and head coach on the same day. It is typically English to begin a year that includes Test series home and away against West Indies, the World Twenty20, the Ashes, a Test series in South Africa, possibly a Champions Trophy and various Stanford irrelevancies in the kind of state that a boxer might end his fifteenth round rather than begin his first. It is now Andrew Strauss who must apply the balm and the magic sponge as captain, and many of the clues to the strength of England’s midsummer Ashes challenge will be discovered over the next six weeks when, against a side who have not won a Test series against significant opposition for six years, England will be expected to rediscover and hone their competitive instinct and put the troubles of the past month behind them.
Ultimately, England ought to be too strong, but West Indies should not be taken lightly. They have probably started to climb out of the trough and in Shivnarine Chanderpaul they have the next best batsman in the series to Kevin Pietersen, in Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle they have two other high-class batsmen and the quickest, if not the most consistent, bowling attack around. Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor will get England’s batsmen hopping about with the new ball, although their low trajectories should mean scoring opportunities with the old. Dale Richards, 32, the Barbados opening batsman, was the only face in a 14-man West Indies squad named yesterday that England may not know.
In sport, it is the moment of triumph that is remembered. Invariably, though, the snapshot of success is preceded by the kind of toil that is quickly forgotten. When Michael Vaughan held the Ashes trophy aloft at the Brit Oval in 2005, it was an image two years in the making. Strauss has only six months until England next face Australia, but nevertheless much can be achieved over the next two series against West Indies.
The first thing to do is start winning. Much of the apparent dressing-room discord has been overplayed — the England team are like any other group of diverse, driven professionals for whom success has been elusive and any professional sportsman will acknowledge the essential truth behind the aphorism of Steve Archibald, the former Scotland forward, that team spirit is something glimpsed only in the aftermath of success.
Having said that, harmony among the senior players and how they relate to the management team is important — which Peter Moores found to his cost. To that end, Strauss will no doubt spend much time trying to get the key pieces of his jigsaw in the right order, coaxing Stephen Harmison back to his best, using Andrew Flintoff wisely, watching Pietersen carefully before rehabilitating him slowly back into the decision-making process when the one-day matches come around and making sure the competition (envy?) between the last two works to his team’s advantage. They are a talented triumvirate, but the first two are water to Pietersen’s oil.
It would help the players if they had a clear sense of where accountability and responsibility among the management lies. At Stapleford Park, all England’s chiefs were there — Hugh Morris, Geoff Miller, Andy Flower and Strauss — as they will be at some stage in the Caribbean, but it was not clear whose voice carried most weight.
Work to do, then, but much to play for in 2009. There should be plenty of high-class Test cricket, the pinnacle of which will be the most prestigious battle of all. And, as everyone knows, a decent tilt at the Ashes will do far more to boost Test cricket’s flagging fortunes than a lot of hot air in a remote country hotel.
source:the london times
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Alvaro Quiros powers his way into Qatar contention
The eagerly awaited debuts of Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker, the high-profile Americans, on the European Tour ended prematurely in Doha yesterday, when they failed to make the cut in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.
As they prepared for their long flights home to Florida and Nashville respectively, they could have taken with them two messages for any of their countrymen eyeing up the riches to be won on the new $20 million (about £14.4 million) Race to Dubai.
First, that there are no easy pickings to be swept up on a tour that the Americans have for so long regarded as secondary to their own and that, possibly next month and certainly in March, they will come up against a big-hitting phenomenon to match or even outstrike their own J. B. Holmes.
Lying fourth going into today’s third round is Álvaro Quirós, from Spain, who, if he should win his third tour title tomorrow, will climb into the top 64 in the world rankings. That means he will qualify for the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain in Arizona, in three weeks’ time. The willowy 26-year-old cannot wait to broaden his horizons, having secured his first appearance in the United States, at the Bridgestone Invitational this August, on the back of the strength of the field when he won the Portuguese Masters last autumn.“The way the courses in the States are set up should suit me,” Quirós said yesterday after he defied the wind and rain to record a five-under-par round of 67 to move to within four strokes of Louis Oosthuizen, the leader from South Africa, who had a 65 to reach 12 under par. “You would think the way I hit the ball that the Match Play might suit me better, but there I use my brain.
“If my opponent goes off the fairway, I use a two-iron off the tee, but at Bridgestone I will have fun with my driver,” Quirós said with the broad smile that, along with his wide-brimmed straw hats, are his trademarks.
The extent of Quirós’s power is best explained by a conversation that he had with Raphaël Jacquelin after his round. On the practice range, he asked the Frenchman what club he had used playing his second shot into the wind at the 474-yard, par-four 11th hole. And where Jacquelin had taken a three-wood, Quirós had required only a seven-iron.
Weekley, after recording a second round of 73 yesterday, missed the halfway cut by three strokes and Snedeker was only two strokes better. Also flying out of Qatar early last night after missing the cut was Colin Montgomerie.
The Scot was looking forward to a quiet weekend in Dubai away from further media questioning about the Ryder Cup captaincy announcement, which is due to be made early next week.
“I am not saying anything significant to anyone,” Montgomerie said. “I will see you next week and I am looking forward to it.”
source: the london times
As they prepared for their long flights home to Florida and Nashville respectively, they could have taken with them two messages for any of their countrymen eyeing up the riches to be won on the new $20 million (about £14.4 million) Race to Dubai.
First, that there are no easy pickings to be swept up on a tour that the Americans have for so long regarded as secondary to their own and that, possibly next month and certainly in March, they will come up against a big-hitting phenomenon to match or even outstrike their own J. B. Holmes.
Lying fourth going into today’s third round is Álvaro Quirós, from Spain, who, if he should win his third tour title tomorrow, will climb into the top 64 in the world rankings. That means he will qualify for the Accenture Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain in Arizona, in three weeks’ time. The willowy 26-year-old cannot wait to broaden his horizons, having secured his first appearance in the United States, at the Bridgestone Invitational this August, on the back of the strength of the field when he won the Portuguese Masters last autumn.“The way the courses in the States are set up should suit me,” Quirós said yesterday after he defied the wind and rain to record a five-under-par round of 67 to move to within four strokes of Louis Oosthuizen, the leader from South Africa, who had a 65 to reach 12 under par. “You would think the way I hit the ball that the Match Play might suit me better, but there I use my brain.
“If my opponent goes off the fairway, I use a two-iron off the tee, but at Bridgestone I will have fun with my driver,” Quirós said with the broad smile that, along with his wide-brimmed straw hats, are his trademarks.
The extent of Quirós’s power is best explained by a conversation that he had with Raphaël Jacquelin after his round. On the practice range, he asked the Frenchman what club he had used playing his second shot into the wind at the 474-yard, par-four 11th hole. And where Jacquelin had taken a three-wood, Quirós had required only a seven-iron.
Weekley, after recording a second round of 73 yesterday, missed the halfway cut by three strokes and Snedeker was only two strokes better. Also flying out of Qatar early last night after missing the cut was Colin Montgomerie.
The Scot was looking forward to a quiet weekend in Dubai away from further media questioning about the Ryder Cup captaincy announcement, which is due to be made early next week.
“I am not saying anything significant to anyone,” Montgomerie said. “I will see you next week and I am looking forward to it.”
source: the london times
Liverpool want to get back to business
There are certain ways to prepare for an FA Cup fourth-round tie against your local rivals. As the captain spent the morning in court answering an assault charge while the manager pondered how his unedifying contract dispute might be affected if a family of Kuwaiti billionaires succeeds in buying the club from their warring American owners, it was tempting to wonder yesterday whether there could be anything worse than the Liverpool way.
By tomorrow evening, Liverpool could be celebrating an FA Cup victory over Everton, looking forward to an encounter with Real Madrid in the Champions League first knockout round and gearing up for a memorable tussle with Manchester United as they look to bring the league title back to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
However, the club are not defined at the moment by exciting prospects on the pitch but by serious issues off it. Whether it is the takeover saga, the dispute over Rafael Benítez’s contract or Steven Gerrard’s court case, a club who were once synonymous with quiet achievement find themselves with more on their plate than is palatable. Benítez has at times been only too eager to thrust himself into the political minefield that is the Anfield boardroom but, as the Al-Kharafi family continue their negotiations to buy the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, with rival interest being shown by an American investor, the manager was playing it all low key yesterday. “I was surprised by what I read this morning,” he said. “I have just been focusing on getting my team prepared.”
In particular, he was concentrating on Gerrard. Benítez is not a touchy-feely kind of manager, more tactical than tactile, but he went out of his way to speak to his captain when the latter arrived at the club’s Melwood training ground yesterday morning. Gerrard had come straight from North Sefton Magistrates’ Court, where he denied charges of assault and affray in relation to an incident in a bar in Southport in the early hours of December 29. The case has been adjourned until March 20, but Benítez was eager yesterday to check that there were no signs that Gerrard, a more introspective individual than many may imagine, was feeling the strain of the case.
“Steven is training really well,” Benítez said shortly after yesterday’s lunchtime training session. “I was watching him play in the five-a-sides today and he scored two or three very good goals. I don’t think he has been affected by other things at all. I asked him about it and I asked how he was and he said he was OK. Steven has shown that he is a very good professional. He showed that the other night [in the 1-1 draw against Everton in the Barclays Premier League], when he scored a fantastic goal and he was playing really well. I think he will do the same again on Sunday.”
The concern for Benítez is that Gerrard’s state of mind might become a regular subject of discussion in the coming weeks, with his next court date coming on the back of an intense four-week period that will include the two legs of the Champions League tie with Real and a series of important Premier League matches, including the trip to Old Trafford to face United on March 14. Benítez, though, said that he was unconcerned. “It won’t be a problem if he stays focused on football,” the manager said. “We just have to help him by keeping him fit and by playing well.”
Gerrard will be entrusted tomorrow to lead out a Liverpool team who are likely to include Diego Cavalieri, the reserve goalkeeper, as Benítez looks to rest José Manuel Reina. Other fringe players, such as Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel, hope to be involved.
But, even with a Premier League trip to Wigan Athletic on Wednesday, Benítez cannot contemplate wholesale changes at a time when his regime is under scrutiny, after he went public on his decision to reject the club’s offer of a new contract because he wants more control over transfer policy.
While he hopes that a solution can be found, with Hicks travelling to Merseyside next week to meet him, Benítez is known to be increasingly fearful of his prospects of staying at Anfield beyond his existing contract, which expires at the end of next season, so he may find himself welcoming the prospect of a change of ownership.
Hicks and, in particular, Gillett appear to be encouraging offers and, while it has emerged that interest is being shown by other American investors, the strongest interest is coming from the Al-Kharafi family.
They are likely to be watching from afar tomorrow as Gerrard and his team-mates look to register a victory that would offer the perfect antidote to the off-the-field issues.
They peaked before the beak
Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate stood trial in 2001 for an attack on a student. While the case hung over them, Bowyer produced the best performances of his career but Woodgate’s form suffered. Woodgate was found guilty of affray and given community service and Bowyer cleared of all charges.
John Terry was charged with assault after a brawl in a nightclub in January 2002. He was cleared that August. He scored the winning goal in an FA Cup semi-final while facing court proceedings, but they cost him a place in the World Cup finals.
Robin van Persie was arrested on suspicion of rape and spent two weeks in prison in the Netherlands in June 2005. It was not until late February 2006 that charges were dropped. In between, he found impressive goalscoring form.
Words by Tom Dart
David Moyes, the Everton manager, expects a very different encounter with Liverpool from Monday’s 1-1 draw in the Barclays Premier League. Tim Cahill’s late equaliser dented Liverpool’s title hopes, but Moyes expects that to be forgotten tomorrow. “I don’t think it [Monday's result] gives us any advantage,” he said. “It is a different game for both of us. We think we can play better than we did in midweek. We are concentrating on getting through in the Cup. We are going to go there to see if we can try to make it happen.”
source: the london times
By tomorrow evening, Liverpool could be celebrating an FA Cup victory over Everton, looking forward to an encounter with Real Madrid in the Champions League first knockout round and gearing up for a memorable tussle with Manchester United as they look to bring the league title back to Anfield for the first time since 1990.
However, the club are not defined at the moment by exciting prospects on the pitch but by serious issues off it. Whether it is the takeover saga, the dispute over Rafael Benítez’s contract or Steven Gerrard’s court case, a club who were once synonymous with quiet achievement find themselves with more on their plate than is palatable. Benítez has at times been only too eager to thrust himself into the political minefield that is the Anfield boardroom but, as the Al-Kharafi family continue their negotiations to buy the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, with rival interest being shown by an American investor, the manager was playing it all low key yesterday. “I was surprised by what I read this morning,” he said. “I have just been focusing on getting my team prepared.”
In particular, he was concentrating on Gerrard. Benítez is not a touchy-feely kind of manager, more tactical than tactile, but he went out of his way to speak to his captain when the latter arrived at the club’s Melwood training ground yesterday morning. Gerrard had come straight from North Sefton Magistrates’ Court, where he denied charges of assault and affray in relation to an incident in a bar in Southport in the early hours of December 29. The case has been adjourned until March 20, but Benítez was eager yesterday to check that there were no signs that Gerrard, a more introspective individual than many may imagine, was feeling the strain of the case.
“Steven is training really well,” Benítez said shortly after yesterday’s lunchtime training session. “I was watching him play in the five-a-sides today and he scored two or three very good goals. I don’t think he has been affected by other things at all. I asked him about it and I asked how he was and he said he was OK. Steven has shown that he is a very good professional. He showed that the other night [in the 1-1 draw against Everton in the Barclays Premier League], when he scored a fantastic goal and he was playing really well. I think he will do the same again on Sunday.”
The concern for Benítez is that Gerrard’s state of mind might become a regular subject of discussion in the coming weeks, with his next court date coming on the back of an intense four-week period that will include the two legs of the Champions League tie with Real and a series of important Premier League matches, including the trip to Old Trafford to face United on March 14. Benítez, though, said that he was unconcerned. “It won’t be a problem if he stays focused on football,” the manager said. “We just have to help him by keeping him fit and by playing well.”
Gerrard will be entrusted tomorrow to lead out a Liverpool team who are likely to include Diego Cavalieri, the reserve goalkeeper, as Benítez looks to rest José Manuel Reina. Other fringe players, such as Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel, hope to be involved.
But, even with a Premier League trip to Wigan Athletic on Wednesday, Benítez cannot contemplate wholesale changes at a time when his regime is under scrutiny, after he went public on his decision to reject the club’s offer of a new contract because he wants more control over transfer policy.
While he hopes that a solution can be found, with Hicks travelling to Merseyside next week to meet him, Benítez is known to be increasingly fearful of his prospects of staying at Anfield beyond his existing contract, which expires at the end of next season, so he may find himself welcoming the prospect of a change of ownership.
Hicks and, in particular, Gillett appear to be encouraging offers and, while it has emerged that interest is being shown by other American investors, the strongest interest is coming from the Al-Kharafi family.
They are likely to be watching from afar tomorrow as Gerrard and his team-mates look to register a victory that would offer the perfect antidote to the off-the-field issues.
They peaked before the beak
Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate stood trial in 2001 for an attack on a student. While the case hung over them, Bowyer produced the best performances of his career but Woodgate’s form suffered. Woodgate was found guilty of affray and given community service and Bowyer cleared of all charges.
John Terry was charged with assault after a brawl in a nightclub in January 2002. He was cleared that August. He scored the winning goal in an FA Cup semi-final while facing court proceedings, but they cost him a place in the World Cup finals.
Robin van Persie was arrested on suspicion of rape and spent two weeks in prison in the Netherlands in June 2005. It was not until late February 2006 that charges were dropped. In between, he found impressive goalscoring form.
Words by Tom Dart
David Moyes, the Everton manager, expects a very different encounter with Liverpool from Monday’s 1-1 draw in the Barclays Premier League. Tim Cahill’s late equaliser dented Liverpool’s title hopes, but Moyes expects that to be forgotten tomorrow. “I don’t think it [Monday's result] gives us any advantage,” he said. “It is a different game for both of us. We think we can play better than we did in midweek. We are concentrating on getting through in the Cup. We are going to go there to see if we can try to make it happen.”
source: the london times
Soccer club mourns legend, then realizes he's alive
LONDON (AP) - An English amateur soccer team mourning the death of one of its greatest players discovered an important error in the tributes by the club and local press to the 86-year-old man — he's still alive.
Tommy Farrer had the rare distinction of reading his own obituary as a former "legend" with northern amateur side Bishop Auckland FC.
The mistake came to light when an official of the club, which held a solemn minute of silence before a match last week, called Farrer's wife to offer condolences.
A surprised Gladys Farrer said her husband had indeed departed — but only for a few minutes to buy a newspaper and would be back soon if the official wanted to talk to him.
Farrer, a former England amateur who played in three Wembley finals, said in Friday editions of the Northern Echo: "We are not upset, but we did think it was a bit of a joke at first."
Farrer said he wants to play down the mistake, saying it was time to "let it die."
source:fox sports
Tommy Farrer had the rare distinction of reading his own obituary as a former "legend" with northern amateur side Bishop Auckland FC.
The mistake came to light when an official of the club, which held a solemn minute of silence before a match last week, called Farrer's wife to offer condolences.
A surprised Gladys Farrer said her husband had indeed departed — but only for a few minutes to buy a newspaper and would be back soon if the official wanted to talk to him.
Farrer, a former England amateur who played in three Wembley finals, said in Friday editions of the Northern Echo: "We are not upset, but we did think it was a bit of a joke at first."
Farrer said he wants to play down the mistake, saying it was time to "let it die."
source:fox sports
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