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Cricket, Lovely (5-day Test) Cricket

Posted in Cricket with tags , , on August 7, 2016 by telescoper

Just spent a lazy Sunday pottering about, clearing a backlog of crosswords, and listening on the wireless to the final day of the Third Test between England and Pakistan taking place at Edgbaston (in the Midlands).

It turned out to be an eventful day, to say the least! England had overcome a first-innings deficit of 103 to finish Day 4 on 414 for 5, a lead of 311. As I suspected, they continued to bat on the morning of Day 5 but the declaration came earlier than expected, after they added just 31 runs in four overs. Pakistan needed to score 343 to win, a stiff but not impossible challenge.

I must be getting a bit cautious in my old age, but I would probably have wanted 30  more runs in so to be sure Pakistan had no chance of winning, but it seems Alastair Cook is getting a bit bolder in his captaincy…

Anyway, Pakistan lost an early wicket but otherwise proceeded fairly comfortably, a draw looking increasingly likely. Suddenly, though, some reverse swing started to appear, and wickets began to tumble. In no time at all they were 125 for 7, four wickets falling in as many overs. They limped to 151 for 9 but with 25 overs to survive with only one wicket left, Pakistan looked doomed.

The last pair, Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan decided to have a go, Sohail in particular throwing the bat to good effect and enjoying a sizeable chunk of good fortune. The overs passed. The England bowlers started to look tired. Could this pair do what Jimmy and Money had done for England against Australia at Cardiff all those years ago?

But no. All of a sudden it was over, as Man of the Match Moeen Ali took the final wicket (caught and beard) with 14 overs to spare. England won by 141 runs, with about an hour’s play left, and so take a 2-1 lead in the series with one match to play.

There has been some talk about reducing Test Matches to four days, to try to force a faster tempo which will appeal more to the public. I think that would be a shame. It is true that some passages of play in this series, and indeed in this match, have been slow, but the games have been absorbing precisely because of the tension generated by the shifting tactical situation.

So I hope we keep the 5-day format for Test cricket. I love it!

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Sussex versus Glamorgan

Posted in Biographical, Cricket with tags , , , on July 29, 2016 by telescoper

It was an interesting coincidence that, last night, on the eve of my last day working at the University of Sussex before moving to Cardiff University, there was a game of cricket between Sussex and Glamorgan at the County Ground in Hove. Naturally I decided to go along and was fortunate to have Dorothy Lamb along for company. To be precise this wasn’t “proper cricket”, but a Natwest T20 “Blast”. Unfortunately the weather dampened the squib considerably. Yesterday’s weather forecast predicted rain in the afternoon clearing by the time the game started (at 18.30), but when we got to the ground it was still drizzling:

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After a lot of faffing about play did actually get under way at about 19.50, the match to be reduced to 14 overs a side because of the late start.

Cricket_2You can see the full scorecard here. Glamorgan batted first, struggling right from the start despite some wayward bowling from Sussex.  Having been 62 for 8 at one point they were probably relieved to get into three figures, though they only just managed this: they were all out for 101 in the last over. Sussex batted and got off to a much better start, but then the rain came back so they went off. They then came back again but only one ball was beowled before the rain (which was really just drizzle) started again so they went off again. And so on. In the end only four overs and one ball were possible before the rain came back for good and the match was abandoned with no result. The upshot of this was that Glamorgan qualified for the Quarter Finals and Sussex didn’t. Glamorgan were lucky. Sussex were 30-1 when play was halted but a minimum of five overs have to be bowled for a result to be declared. A few minutes more play and Sussex would almost certainly have won. Such is life.

 

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The Lord’s Day

Posted in Cricket on June 12, 2016 by telescoper

I didn’t post yesterday because I was In London all day, at Lord’s cricket ground for Day 3 of the Third Test between England and Sri Lanka.

Here’s the view of “The Home Of Cricket” we had from the Grand Stand just as play was starting;

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It was cloudy all day but there were no interruptions to play for rain or bad light. It also remained very warm and humid all day, surprising so for early June.
The lights did come on later, when England batted, along with the usual ridiculous announcement that they were there to “augment the natural light rather replace it”. If anyone can explain what that means I’d be very grateful.
Perhaps the clouds didn’t actually make it dark, but instead just augmented the darkness that was already there?

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Anyway, Sri Lanka’s batsmen started the day on 162 for 1 chasing England’s first innings total of 416. The batsmen had looked well set on Friday evening but they lost batsmen Mendis and Silva before they had augmented their overnight scores. Matthews quickly followed, but Chandimal, Perera and Herath added useful runs; the latter led a charmed life, scoring a lot of his runs off the edge, but he also hit some powerful shots.

In the end Sri Lanka’s innings folded quickly,  going from 288 for 7 to 288 all out as the tailenders failed to cope with the movement generated by “English conditions”. They must have been disappointed to add only 126 for the loss of nine wickets, but batting was far from easy against Broad, Anderson and (especially) Woakes, who bowled very accurately. England’s first innings lead was 128.

England’s 2nd innings commenced after the tea interval. Alastair Cook was unable to bat, having received a knee injury in the field, so Nick Compton stepped up to open the innings with Alex Hales. Compton has been in poor form since returning to the England side and he never looked comfortable, eventually falling for 19. He may not play for England again. Root and Vince also departed quickly, the latter clean-bowled first ball for a golden duck.

That brought England’s first innings hero Johnny Bairstow in, and he and Hales steadied the ship. There then followed a dull passage of play in which England batted cautiously, wary of losing further wickets, and Sri Lanka, wary of conceding runs, bowled defensively and were in no hurry to get through their overs.

Bairstow was looking quite comfortable as the final session drew to a close, but suddenly he was out, for 32, making his aggregate for the match 199.

Finn came in as night watchman and survived a couple of overs to take England to 109 for 4 at the close. Only 235 runs were scored and 13 wickets fell.

So England go into the 4th day with a lead of 237. I reckon if they can get another hundred runs or so they will win this game but, as I write, on Sunday morning, it’s raining at Lord’s.

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R.I.P. Muhammad Ali (1942-2016)

Posted in Sport with tags , on June 4, 2016 by telescoper

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The Greatest.

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Land Of My Fathers – the 1931 Version

Posted in History, Rugby with tags , , on February 27, 2016 by telescoper

I’m very grateful to Anton for sending me a link to this wonderful bit of history – the first time the singing of “Land Of My Fathers” before an international rugby match was captured on a newsreel. The venue for the Wales-Scotland match was Cardiff Arms Park, which still exists, but the international games are now played at the recently-renamed Principality Stadium which is directly adjacent to the old venue. The skyline around the Arms Park is still mostly recognizable. The opening panning shot is looking North towards Bute Park, but as it moves right you can see the old Palace and Hippodrome, on Westgate Street, which is now the site of a Wetherspoon’s pub; only the facade is intact as the interior was completely gutted and rebuilt.

It seems that some sort of mechanical fault meant that the roof of the Principality Stadium was left open for last night’s match between Wales and France (which Wales won 19-10). That would have meant that the singing of Land of my Fathers could have been heard throughout the city. I remember once spending a Saturday afternoon in my garden in Pontcanna, and could hear the noise from the stadium very clearly. There’s something very special about the singing of the Welsh National Anthem on such occasions – it always sends a shiver down my spine.

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Moeen, Man of the Match

Posted in Cricket with tags , , , on December 30, 2015 by telescoper

He may not have won this year’s Beard of the Year award but Moeen Ali did his best to compensate this morning by taking three quick wickets as England bowled out South Africa to win the First Test in Durban by the impressive margin of 241 runs.

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With overall figures of 7 for 116 including the key wicket of AB De Villiers early on this morning, he thoroughly deserved his Man Of The Match award. Beard power strikes again!

South Africa had been set a total of  416 with a day and a half to play (140 overs). Some were arguing that Cook should have declared but I think he was right in batting on. I said so on Twitter and my comment made it onto the bbc Web feed

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I felt an earlier declaration would have been reckless and unnecessary: There was plenty of time to bowl out South Africa on a turning wicket so why give them even a sniff of victory?

As it turned out there was no declaration anyway: England were all out for 326 in their second innings. South Africa batted well to start with, scoring steadily at five an over, but lost key wickets to close on 136-4 last night. Had they been able to bat all the last  day they would not only have saved the game but have had a chance if winning it, but once De Villiers was out, in Moeen’s first over, South Africa were doomed.

Well played Moeen and the rest of the England team!

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R.I.P. Jonah Lomu

Posted in Biographical, Rugby with tags , , , , , , , , on November 18, 2015 by telescoper

At the end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, I wrote a post recalling the World Cup of 1995, which was held in South Africa while I was visiting there. I had the privilege of seeing the great Jonah Lomu demolishing the England defence that day. Today I learned with greant sadness that he has passed away, aged just 40. Since Jonah Lomu played such a central role in one of the most amazing sporting experiences of my life, which lives in my memory as if it happened yesterday, I wanted to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the awesome sportsman that he was by sharing that memory again.

In 1995 was visiting George Ellis at the University of Cape Town to work on a book, which was published in 1997. The book is now rather out of date, but I think it turned out rather well and it was certainly a lot of fun working on it. Of course it was a complete coincidence that I timed my trip to Cape Town exactly to cover the period of the Rugby Word Cup. Well, perhaps not a complete coincidence. In fact I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the semi-final of that tournament between England and New Zealand at Newlands, in Cape Town. I was in the stand at one end of the ground, and saw New Zealand – spearheaded by the incredible Jonah Lomu – score try after try in the distance at the far end during the first half. Here is the first, very soon after the kickoff when Andrew Mehrtens wrong-footed England by kicking to the other side of the field than where the forwards were lined up. The scrambling defence conceded a scrum which led to a ruck, from which this happened:

Jonah Lomu was unstoppable that day. One of the All Blacks later quipped that “Rugby is a team game. Fourteen players all know that their job is to give the ball to Jonah”.

It was one-way traffic in the first half but England played much better in the second, with the result that all the action was again at the far end of the pitch. However, right at the end of the match Jonah Lomu scored another try, this time at the end I was standing. I’ll never forget the sight of that enormous man sprinting towards me and am glad it wasn’t my job to try to stop him, especially have seen what happened to Underwood, Catt and Carling when they tried to bring him down. Lomu scored four tries in that game, in one of the most memorable performances by any sportsman in any sport. It’s so sad that he has gone. It’s especially hard to believe that such a phenomenal athlete could be taken at such a young age. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

Rest in Peace, Jonah Lomu (1975-2015)

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From Physics to Powerlifting!

Posted in Education, Sport on November 3, 2015 by telescoper

I couldn’t resist posting a quick item relating to Nathaniel Wiesendanger Shaw, a student in the Department of Physics & Astronomy here at the University of Sussex. Nathaniel is a student on our Theoretical Physics (Research Placement) programme, which means that he works during the summer gaps in his course attached to one of our research groups. He also survived my attempts to teach the joys of Green’s functions, conformal transformations and assorted topics in mathematical physics when he was in his 2nd year.

However that’s not the focus of a recent news item about him. Here he is in action:

Nathaniel

In fact Nathaniel is an accomplished powerlifter and, after a win in the All England Powerlifting Championships in August, he will soon be travelling to Canada to compete in the Commonwealth Championships in Vancouver. I don’t know the first thing about powerlifting, but I think this story just demonstrates that physics students can and do get involved in interesting stuff outside physics. In fact when I welcome new students at the start of each academic I stress how important it is to achieve a balance between work and life. I honestly believe that taking a break from studies to do something different every now and then – whether it’s sport or music or whatever – actually makes you a better student.

Anyway, good luck to Nathaniel in Vancouver in December!

 

 

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1995 World Cup Memories

Posted in Biographical, Rugby with tags , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2015 by telescoper

So, the 2015 Rugby World Cup final takes place this weekend. It’s been an interesting tournament with some memorable games (and some notable disappointments). Anyway, I suddenly remembered that in 1995 I was in South Africa during the Rugby World Cup. In fact I was visiting George Ellis at the University of Cape Town to work on a book, which was published in 1997. The book is now rather out of date, but I think it turned out rather well and it was certainly a lot of fun working on it!

Was that really twenty years ago?

Of course it was a complete coincidence that I timed my trip to Cape Town exactly to cover the period of the Rugby Word Cup. Well, perhaps not a complete coincidence. In fact I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the semi-final of that tournament between England and New Zealand at Newlands, in Cape Town. I was in the stand at one end of the ground, and saw New Zealand – spearheaded by the incredible Jonah Lomu – score try after try in the distance at the far end during the first half. Here is the first, very soon after the kickoff when Andrew Mehrtens wrong-footed England by kicking to the other side of the field than where the forwards were lined up. The scrambling defence conceded a scrum which led to a ruck, from which this happened:

Even more impressively I had a very good view when Zinzan Brooke scored at the same end with a drop-goal off the back of a scrum. Not many No. 8 forwards have the skill to do that!

It was one-way traffic in the first half but in the second half England played much better, with the result that all the action was again at the far end of the pitch. However, right at the end of the match Jonah Lomu scored another try, this time at the end I was standing. I’ll never forget the sight of that enormous man sprinting towards me and am glad it wasn’t my job to try to stop him, especially have seen what happened to Underwood, Catt and Carling when they tried to bring him down.

Anyway, I hope it’s a good final on Saturday. For what it’s worth, I did pick the two finalists correctly before the tournament. I’m expecting the All Blacks to beat Australia comfortably, but am not going to bet on the result!

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R.I.P. Brian Close

Posted in Cricket with tags , , on September 14, 2015 by telescoper

I heard today of the death, at the age of 84, of former Yorkshire and England cricketer Brian Close. Close was an abrasive character whose personality made him more than a few enemies, but he had a very successful playing career and was a tough but effective captain both on the field an in the dressing room. Above all, he was an exceptionally brave batsman. I can think of no better example than this video of him facing Michael Holding (“Whispering Death”) at Old Trafford in 1976. He struggles to lay bat on ball and is hit several times on the body but he always gets into line. This is from an era in which batsmen didn’t wear head protection; this nearly cost him serious injury, as you will see in the clip. Even with a helmet I would have been terrified. Cricket is not a game for faint hearts…

At the age of 45 Brian Close had been brought in to open the England batting earlier in the series in an attempt to stiffen their resistance to the West Indian attack. He wasn’t the greatest player in the world nor the cricketing world’s most agreeable character, and as you can tell he wasn’t in the first flush of youth in 1976 either, but there is no denying his courage and determination. Here he is enduring a vicious battering at the hands of Michael Holding. One short-pitched delivery in this sequence came within a whisker of hitting him on the head; had it done so the consequences would have been horrendous. As it was, he “only” had to take a succession of blows to his body. He scored 20 runs at Old Trafford, off 108 balls in 162 minutes, and was dropped for the next Test, as was his opening partner John Edrich, although both had stood their ground and defended their wickets (and themselves) manfully.

R.I.P. Brian Close (1931-2015)

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