Thankfully, club nets were deferred last week and my body was spared the agony of that first stretching and even pulling of muscles of the new season. Like a schoolboy who hears that an impending Maths test has been called off due to the teacher’s absence, I took the weekend as a final blow out to be enjoyed without worrying about cricket and the expected toll it will take upon my aged body.
On Friday I attended the humanist wedding of Pembroke’s President and her partner, held in the magnificent venue that is Dublin City Hall, with the reception held in the grand surroundings of Fallon & Byrne. The wedding ceremony took 26 minutes. The Reception was ever-so-slightly longer, with each gin and tonic pushing the idea of nets further and further from my mind. Many congratulations to both Janice and Helen and thanks to the Irish electorate for making it possible.
Saturday, by contrast, did not see too much happening. For some inexplicable reason my body and mind both seemed to be lacking their usual energy and the day was spent on the couch, further cementing the shape of my arse into the cushions, watching the gogglebox. Copious amount of tea (or tae as I understand it should be called) and unsuitable sugary treats sustained me for the excitement ahead.
First up was the opening game of the 2016 Six Nations. None of the Northern Hemisphere nations (principalities included) managed to reach the semi-finals of the recent world cup and yet all seem to persist in tactics of giving the ball to a big man who walks into the big fellow in front of him. They fall to the ground in a tackle, are joined by another two or three big fellows plopping on top, then the ball reappears and is given to another big bloke to start it all over again. I had hoped that the World Cup would herald a new beginning of searching for space and running at it, offloading, initiative, exciting rugby. Ah well, one can but dream. I suspect that rugby will be looking at a summer season before too long. Better for the style of rugby, better for the spectators (home and away) and better for the groundsmen.
France survived the visit of Italy in spite of, or perhaps because of, Sergio Parisse and his late attempt at a drop goal. After 80 minutes of throwing himself around, one could sympathise with his do-or-die kick. Then it was off to Murrayfield, via the miracle of satellite TV rather than actually travelling, to watch Scotland try to derail Eddie Jones and England. Another biff-bash game of attrition, which saw the English big boys defeat the Scottish big boys.
On Sunday, when I expected to be easing my body back and reminding the relevant muscles that they DO work this way, I was safely sat in my lounge watching the Ireland rugby team take on the Welsh, with the over-bloated extravaganza of the Super Bowl to follow. Both games seemed to feature a lot more defence than attack, although the American game did include a lot more Beyoncé and a lot less Michael D. The general reaction seemed to be that a draw was a fair result. My own opinion of the rugby was that neither team deserved to win. Ireland could not capitalise on a 13 point lead and Wales could not utilise a dominant scrum to put Ireland away.
With just one set of games gone, only England and France can win the Grand Slam and only England can win the Triple Crown. This is not shaping up to be a classic Six Nations.
The Super Bowl on the other hand gave all old geysers hope as a 39 year old Peyton Manning collected his second Championship win despite being 19 point underdogs. This was no helter-skelter we will score more points than you game; it was more a we will win conceding less points than you. Congratulations to Peyton; and to the NFL who year after year make the day less about the football and more about the half-time show, the adverts, the awards ceremonies, well actually more about the entertainment. Who wouldn’t want a Swarovski clutch bag in your Club colours for $2,500 or a jacket with the SB50 logo for $500? Anyway, another season of grid iron is done and it represents one more step closer to our cricket season.
This countdown by event is an annual pilgrimage through a wide range of sports for me. It starts in earnest with the first test of a New Year taking place in Sydney. The McGrath Foundation has its Pink Day during this game and seeing the SCG so coloured is the ideal start to my countdown. During this time the PDC Darts World Championship will be on. Not one I watch throughout, but ideal time filler over the festive period. I don’t bother with the BDO World Darts Championship. It’s like watching a little white guy like me play basketball after watching LeBron James.
The Six Nations Rugby tournament will take us well into Indoor Nets season as the final weekend is 19th March. The T20 Men’s World Cup starts on 8th March and so the overlap between these two events could mean some very long days. Finally for my personal countdown The Masters comes around at the start of April and provides sunshine, drama and history. Oh and a late night finish. Then I know it is time for the cricket season, albeit a time for cricket dressed in long johns, vests, multiple jumpers and very thick socks.
Luckily for fans of cricket, there has been plenty of games to watch as long as you are willing to forego any semblance of regular sleep. The Under 19 World Cup is reaching its conclusion with India having booked their finals berth. However Irish interest is still strong, despite the team being in the 9th-16th Plate competition. There have been some good individual performances with W. McClintock, Jack Tector and Lorcan Tucker all recording half centuries. Rory Anders has starred with the ball taking wickets at a reasonable cost. Wednesday 10th February saw Ireland win their last game, the 13th place playoff final against Scotland. Scotland had pipped Ireland for direct qualification in the regional qualifying tournament and Ireland would have wanted to gain revenge and establish themselves as the top European Associate Nation. Despite not qualifying directly, but replacing the Australians who deemed the venues as potentially unsafe, this Irish team has had the highest place finish of any under 19 squad at a finals tournament. Congratulations to the lads.
The Women’s team continue training and preparations for their own T20 World Cup and looking from the outside in, they appear to be the best prepared any Irish Women’s team has been. Aaron Hamilton does seem to have been a very good appointment by Cricket Ireland and he is overseeing not just the National team, but is looking to improve Women’s cricket across all the leagues. He has promoted youth, but also encouraged some of our more experienced girls to look to improve on a world wide stage and not just within the Irish system. Kim Garth and Laura Delany were given the opportunity to join teams in this years inaugural Women’s Big Bash tournament. It will stand to them both as well as the Irish team.
The Men’s Irish team have been travelling all over the world this winter. Time was spent in the UAE and then it was off to Townsville, QLD, Australia for the sweatiest Inter-Continental Cup game our players have ever experienced against Papua New Guinea. A final day victory put the Boys in Green back to the top of the table and still well in the hunt for getting that first Test match.
Attention now turns to their T20 World Cup campaign which begins with a preliminary tournament to add two teams to the 8 Full Members who have already booked their place at the top table. Ireland will have to overcome Bangladesh in their preliminary group as well as the Netherlands and Oman as only one team will advance. Ireland’s first game versus Oman is on 9th March and a winning start is vital. Bangladesh will be next, two days later, with the final game against the Netherlands on 11th March. Then, and only then, we will know if Ireland will play in the World Cup proper.
Our T20 form has not been sparkling with the most recent games resulting in a 2-1 series win over PNG. However, our boys do rise to the occasion and if they do qualify for the actual tournament they could easily beat one of their group rivals. The days of Ireland causing shocks are over as every nation, every team is now well aware what they are capable of producing. However, do not write off the Netherlands either as they have beaten England at the two previous tournaments.
My last item this week concerns the mankading incident in the Under 19 Q/F match between the West Indies and Zimbabwe. Firstly, let me say that although it is not my favourite method of dismissal it is within the Laws of the Game and is not mentioned at all in the Preamble or Spirit of the Game sections of the Laws. The West Indian bowler was well within his rights to effect such a dismissal and in doing so ensured his side would reach the semi-finals. The subsequent uproar and controversy was misplaced and some people who should know better expressed their views on Twitter (other social media is available), including the England ODI captain.
“Disgraceful behaviour in the U19WC. WI’s (West Indies) should be embarrassed” (@eoin16)
When no Laws have been broken it’s not right. Would a captain call back a batsman in such circumstances? Wouldn’t it be interesting if it happened in the tournament to come, perhaps with qualification for a semi-final at stake?
The game is meant to be an even battle between bat and ball, but over time the balance switches from bat to ball and visa versa. Sometimes the administrators will make changes to rules to make it a more even battle. An example of this was the changing of the No-Ball Law from the back foot to the front foot. There is no doubt that the balance is in favour of the batsmen these days. Bigger bats, better pitches, even white balls are all assisting the batsmen. Bowlers appear at times to be little more than cannon fodder as ball after ball disappears over the rope, the sightscreen and in some cases over the stands. How far down the track should a batsman be permitted to go without risk? The lines are there and are usually quite clear. The Laws are there and are very clear.
“Mankading” as a name for running out the non-striker prior to the bowler delivering the ball and comes from Vinoo Mankad, who affected this type of dismissal in 1947 whilst on tour in Australia. He did it in two games, to the same batsman in both incidents. Vinoo did give a warning in the first game against an Australian XI, but still managed to dismiss Bill Brown, not only in this game, but also in the Second Test. The Australian press accused Vinoo of being unsportsmanlike, although the Australian captain at the time, Don Bradman, defended Mankad's actions.
“For the life of me, I can't understand why [the press] questioned his sportsmanship. The laws of cricket make it quite clear that the non-striker must keep within his ground until the ball has been delivered. If not, why is the provision there which enables the bowler to run him out? By backing up too far or too early, the non-striker is very obviously gaining an unfair advantage.”
And now Vinoo Mankad has achieved immortality with this type of dismissal carrying his name. Incidentally he is one of only three non-English players to be on both the batting and bowling honours board at Lord’s. Anyone out there (a) have read this far and (b) would have any idea on the other two on the board?
So that is it for this week. Plenty happening out there: just none of it my doing....yet.