Liverpool Echo - Liquorice Allsports

Can the 2009 England-Australia Ashes battle live up to sky-high expectations?

2009-07-08T00:31:15Z

It would be quite easy to blame Sky TV for the ridiculous level of excitement surrounding the resumption of one of the oldest and most celebrated rivalries in world sport this morning in Cardiff.

With Murdoch's mob covering their first ever home Ashes series and their long-established penchant for over-hyping the back out of pretty much everything they broadcast well-evidenced, the uninitiated could be forgiven for assuming Sky's slick sales pitches have weaved their usual magic on a public still a month away from having the Premier League circus back in town to slake its sporting thirst.

As it is, Sky's cricket coverage, particularly the punditry, is peerless and light years beyond its often execrable football equivalent but that has no bearing on why cricket lovers will be gripped for the next six weeks.

Four years ago, an Australian squad which had held the urn for the previous sixteen years with barely a flicker of a creditable challenge to their supremacy arrived on these shores with a glut of legendary players still at the peak of their powers to face an England side bouyed by an encouraging 18 months but aware how often such optimism had been brutally swatted aside by Antipodean invincibility since Mike Gatting led his side to victory Down Under in 1986/87.

What followed was nothing short of a masterpiece that ebbed and flowed but never veered in the supremely high quality of its play nor from the gradual feeling that the impossible - the Ashes changing hands for the first time in two generations - was going to happen.

What elevated this particular chapter of cricketing history to the pantheon of iconic sporting contests was the way England's inexorable march to victory was resisted every step of the way by some of the greatest players ever to play the game, totally unaccustomed to having their long-held superiority in these matches threatened and desperately determined not to let Australia's hard-earned hegemony slip on their watch, with the defining four matches of the five Test series marked by tight finishes of almost unbearable tension.

When you add in the fiercely competitive way both sides went about their business throughout along with the numerous gestures that honoured the true spirit of the game, like Andrew Flintoff's consoling of Brett Lee at the Edgbaston moment of victory and the tourists' donning of sunglasses in light-hearted protest at the fading light during the Oval Test, it is clear the 2009 Ashes has quite an act to follow.

A lot has changed in four years of course, primarily the ownership of the little urn. A little under eighteen months after all that tickertape in South London, Ricky Ponting and his men had wrested back bragging rights on home soil in the only way that could have truly exorcised their pain from 2005 - a 5-0 whitewash for the only the second time in history.

For Australians, it was the perfect way to send greats like Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath into retirement but it also heralded the break-up of an Australian side that had dominated world cricket for the best of two decades and ushered in an era of transition that has seen them lose Test series in the last twelve months in India and, for the first time in sixteen years, at home to South Africa.

While they held off Graeme Smith's side's bid to evict them from their world number one ranking spot by reversing that 2-1 series result in South Africa earlier this year, the aura of invincibility attached to the Australian sides decorated with the likes of Border, Taylor, Waugh(s), Warne et al is no longer there with the standard of new players now wearing the baggy green cap, particularly in the bowling department, perhaps understandably not appearing to be at the same celestial level as their predecessors.

Young players such as opening batsman Phillip Hughes and left-arm bowler Mitchell Johnson have shown they can more than live at this level but Ponting's captaincy, regarded by many as suspect at times and one of the factors in England's 2005 triumph, will surely be tested as never before now he is without go-to performers like Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and Hayden.

The question remains as to whether England are in a sufficiently healthy state to take advantage however.

The settled side that proved the foundation of the triumph four years ago - just twelve players used, with Paul Collingwood only playing the final match at the Oval - never again stepped onto the same field together after that decisive 4th Test at Trent Bridge because of injuries and illness and has lurched from one mediocre series result to another since.

Michael Vaughan, whose intuitive captaincy was so integral to 2005, has been forced to prematurely retire from the game due to persistent injury, with two of his best players in Flintoff and Pietersen unsuccessfully trying to pick up the reins and struggling at times to maintain their own sky-high standards on the pitch.

Both were gargantuan performers four years ago and current England captain Andrew Strauss will be requiring them to be firing on all cylinders if his side is to recapture the mood that so jarred the unsuspecting tourists back then.

England's slight advantage seems to be in the bowling department with young guns James Anderson and Stuart Broad now having the control and experience to go with their raw agression and pace, more options in the spin department and a fired-up Steve Harmison chomping at the bit on the fringes of the side awaiting the bouncier tracks later in the series.

But the sides are pretty evenly matched and only a fool would underestimate the inherent competitive streak hewn into every Australian cricketer when they face the old enemy.

The large turnover of players on both sides means many of the participants will be unblemished from past battles which should leave them fully able to stamp their personality on proceedings - what is for certain is that by the end of it all, some familiar old names and some new ones will have written themselves into Ashes folklore.

If it's a fraction as absorbing as the last time this most primal of sporting rivalries was played in the land where it was first conceived, it will quite a ride.

Michael Vaughan - a tribute

2009-06-30T19:02:14Z

So, farewell then, Michael Vaughan.
You were the captain who regained the Ashes after that all-too-painful wait.
You were the man who touched the tattered urn to your lips and lifted it to the azure blue skies above the Oval on that poignant evening.
You were the boy who came to the wicket at my school with your Yorkshire sweater on, but returned to the dressing room with a duck.

You were the man with whom I shared a few beers before Sheffield Wednesday - our shared joy - won at Cardiff a few years ago.
You were the number three batsman I watched trudge into the Chester-le-Street changing room last week after you were dismissed by Durham in a meaningless T-20 match.

But that is not how I will remember you.
I will remember you for your swashbuckling batting knocks in the Ashes tour of 2003.
I will remember you for my argument with an Australian friend when I told him the innings you made were against some of the finest bowlers the world will ever produce.
I will remember you for the glory of your stroke play, for the sheer elegance of your stroke play, for the Peter May-like cover drives and your dismissive pull shots.
I will remember you for the nights I fell asleep listening to the action from Australia and woke in the middle of the night to see you in three figures and to cheer in my sleep-befuddled state "Go on Vaughany!".
I know I am writing about you as if you are dead. But, to me, those moments which I hope you share are those which are sepia-clad in memory.
I know the resounding image in many cricket minds is that of you kissing that little urn and raising it to the South London skies.
I know many will regard you as the greatest England captain they have seen. And I would agree.

You were more imaginative than the dogged Hussain, more creative than the Cambridge-educated Atherton, more full of flair than than Strauss.
And yet, that is not how I will remember you.
I will not even remember you for being dismissed before I arrived at Ely to support Yorkshire against Cambridgeshire five years ago.

I will remember you as the most graceful and elegant batsman of my generation. Someone who denied one of the greatest bowling attacks the world has ever seen with flair and elan.
So, farewell then, Michael Vaughan.
I salute you, and wish you a happy and deserved retirement.

Lions or Sprinboks?

2009-06-15T12:23:40Z

NORMALLY any professional sportsman wants to make the team for a big game.
But the 15 selected to take the field for tomorrow night's match against the Southern Kings will be cursing their luck.
There's no way a seasoned old-timer like Geechs would risk a nailed-on test starter in a provincial mid-week game, no matter what he says about the first xv being picked afterwards.

Coming into the tour there were several areas where it was difficult to pick the starting player.
After the early tour matches, that number had dropped to maybe half a dozen. And now it would seem the test side has already been selected.

Some pundits had championed Nathan Hines as a second rwo enforcer alongside captain Paul O'Connell. But his press-gang style selection at blind side flank tomorrow night would suggest he won't make the team.
And the same goes for the rest of the side. None of the men who have stitched up test spots with their performances so far are involved tomorrow night.
For what it's worth (ie pretty much bugger all), it matches roughly what I would have done.
Although I think there might be one place still up for grabs. Phil Vickery has won good reviews for his performances in the front row, but I'd pick Euan Murray at tight head.
The difference in the scrum when the Scotsman came on against Western Provice was noticeable and Vickery's Raging Bull nickname has been a misnomer for years.
In other contested spots, it would take a monumental performance from Shane Williams, Andy Powell or one of the second row forwards to oust the likely incumbents.

My team would be:
Byrne
Bowe
Roberts
O'Driscoll
Monye
Jones
Phillips
Jenkins
Mears
Murray
O'Connell
Wyn-Jones
Croft
Wallace
Heaslip

But will whatever team Geechs picks for Saturday be capable of overturning the Springboks on their home patch?
That's a difficult question to answer in my view. In the months leading up to the series I would have predicted a Bok whitewash win.
Now I'm not so sure. This Lions squad has gelled much better than the previous two tours and some of the combinations look genuinely exciting. They have also put together some decent rugby - despite the odd bit of inconsitency creeping in - on the tour so far.
In addition, there's got to be a chance of the Boks coming into the series a bit cold - none of the squad has played a match in anger for yonks.

There are two other factors which offer encouragement. South Africa haven't had a settled fly half for a while and although both Ruan Pienaar or Morne Steyn are fine players, I'm not convinced either are absolute top class number 10s.
And what of John Smit at prop? Moving a life-long hooker along the front row is a surprising decision and one which could give the Lions a crucial advantage in the scrum - if the ref lets us actually contest them.
Having said that, there is the odd decent player to worry about. Pierre Spies showed in the Super 14 he has the ingredients to become the best player in the world, while there can't have been many better second row partnerships than Matfield and Botha. Then there's Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana and numerous others.
But still, I'm a lot more optimistic than I was before the start of the tour.
Now bring on Saturday!

What have we learned from beating the Windies?

2009-05-18T20:18:50Z

SO WE tucked away the West Indies 2-0.
No real surprise there. They're not a great side and they were playing in completely alien conditions that really played into England's hands.
But let's be honest, this silly two test series played ridiculously early in the season was never more than a warm-up for this summer's main event.
So to get anything out of regaining the Wisden Trophy, we need to have learned a few lessons that will help us also regain the Ashes.

The most encouraging thing to come out of the series was the makings of a new England unit out of what had looked a bit of a mess in the Caribbean.
Here are a few other things the England selectors will have learned - if they didn't know them already.

1) Ravi Bopara is a prodigious talent.
I know the West Indies are not a great side, but the only other England players to notch three tons on the trot are Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Denis Compton and Herbert Sutcliffe - not a bad list. Clearly, he will face a much bigger challenge at number three from the Aussies. But I think sometimes people rattle on too much about the technical ability required for the position. His opposite number in the Australian line up can be all over the shop at the start of an innings and he hasn't done too badly.
2) Stuart Broad is a fast bowler growing in potency.
The lanky quick had a good tour to the Caribbean, but has picked it up a notch since. He seems to have improved his accuracy and developed a couple of variations. I'm not 100% convinced he's ready to open the bowling against Australia, but a glittering career awaits at this rate.

3) Tim Bresnan is no Andrew Flintoff.
I just can't see the Yorkshire bowler as a test match player. And despite his three wickets today, it would seem Andrew Strauss agrees. I always think it's telling when a captain seems reluctant to throw the ball to a new boy. We desperately need Fred back and firing to balance the team.
4) Matt Prior is looking increasingly comfortable at number six.
Prior has his critics over his wicket keeping, but his batting is looking good. I was at Chester-le-Street to see him put together a knock of aggressive elegance (if that's not a contradiction in terms) in which he outscored and outshone Collingwood at the other end.
5) Graham Onions looks like he might cut the mustard (sorry, couldn't resist).
I wasn't sure about Onions as a test bowler. His county performances have merited a call-up - unlike fellow debutant Bresnan. But I'm always uncomfortable about those hit-the-deck 80mph seamers stepping up. I like a bowler to have something different - the height of Broad, the swing of Anderson, the pace of an on-form Harmison. Onions showed he might have something to offer though - a good cricketing brain. After a shonky start, he reverted to type and concentrated on hitting a good length and bowling wicket to wicket. What followed was two encouraging performances. Get Fred back and he could be a useful option at second change.
So, all in all, an encouraging start to the summer. There's still an awful long way to go before we can be confident of a 2005 repeat, especially with the way Phil Hughes is flaying county attacks all over the park.
But at least there looks like the beginnings of something to work with. It's going to be a fascinating Ashes series.

Is Formula One actually interesting again?

2009-03-29T11:28:27Z

YOU can tell summer's coming - the clocks go forward, the sun comes out and Formula One starts again.
Even the old tune is back after the hapless ITV lost the only sport they actually managed to cover well.
But one thing might be different this year - I might not spend most of the race snoozing on the sofa.

Is it just me, or have F1 bosses actually managed to make the sport interesting with their latest round of rule changes?
God only knows what went on over the winter, but apparently it's something to do with diffusers and downforce or summat. The sort of terms only a man who spends a Sunday afternoon covered with oil would actually understand.
But whatever they mean, it's left the big boys at Maclaren and Ferrari struggling to get round the track.
And then we have the Formula One fairytale to start the new season.
When the Honda team went bust in November it seemed the first sports casualty of the credit crunch.
Then F1 genius Ross Brawn stepped into the breach and, hey presto, magicked up a team capable of winning its first Grand Prix just weeks after he took over.
And, lo and behold, Jenson Button in the Brawn GP car now looks as if he might be able to live up to the hype - just as the rest of Britain had forgotten he even existed.
Once touted as the David Beckham of F1, in recent seasons he was beginning to resemble Beckham's youth team colleague Robbie Savage instead - all the trappings, but none of the success.
I am sure he would have had enough pennies in the back to survive his redundancy with the collapse of his Honda team, but it seemed a little unfair nonetheless.

Now he is back in the big time and surely dreaming of an F1 crown in a few months time.
The success of Button and Brawn might also herald a vintage driving season. Because there is one thing we can be sure of, Maclaren and Ferrari won't take being second best for long.
Into the heady brew come other previously unheralded teams like Red Bull, Sauber and Toyota. The duel for second and third between Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel that ended in a double crash may well yet be repeated at the head of the field come the end of the season.
And all that is without mentioning the supreme talent of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.
It's been a long time since I tuned into the Grand Prix on a Sunday with anything but the expectation of a bore fest. This season might just change all that.

What's the best (and worst) sports national anthem?

2009-03-16T16:52:26Z

IT WAS a case of Gallic flair against Anglo-Saxon drudgery.
But while the onfield antics of the old enemies failed to live up to national stereotypes, there is one place the French will always come out on top.
The sound of La Marseillaise ringing around any sports stadium is always a stirring one, which makes it as far removed from our dirge as possible.

A good national anthem is difficult to find. A rousing chorus is good and a bit of history behind the tune doesn't hurt. I always find the smaller nations with something to prove tend to bellow the song out with a bit more heart too.
Here's my top of the pops - and pick of the snots.

POPS

Land of My Fathers - anyone who can listen to the Taffs below out Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau at the Millennium without the hairs going up on the back of their neck hasn't got a soul. So evocative of the hills and history of the the ancient land, it's at it's best at the double Gwlad! moment in the chorus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9fbh0d__NU&feature=related

La Marseillaise - a tune with a bit of history behind it. With Paris in the grip of revolution, the sailors and fishermen set off walking from the Medierranean. And as they arrived on the streets of the capital to give their aid, they sang the Marseillaise as they marched. Now beat that for patriotism.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBunJcr1DP8&feature=related

The Ode to Joy - obviously ridiculous for the European Union to have an anthem, what with it not being a country and all. But that Beethoven knew how to pen a bit of a tune. Only ever heard in a sporting context at the Ryder Cup. I doubt Seve was word perfect on Schiller's lyrics, but still a belting ditty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-WF0PVi2FA&feature=PlayList&p=3DAA2D17B4427534&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31

Il Canto Degli Italiano - bonkers, preposterous and over the top - the perfect song for Italy. And you can't help humming along as it goes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX7iiYjQ1ko&feature=related

Bubbling under
Brasil for more Latin nonsense and association with some top togger action.
The memorable, bleak and magnificent old Soviet anthem.
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika - the politcial significance of singing this before the Sprinboks play shouldn't be unerestimated

SNOTS
God Save The Queen - so many things annoy me about it, but I'll stick to three 1) It's a tuneless dirge; 2) It's a national anthem that says nothing about the nation; 3) It's not England's national anthem, has nobody ever heard of Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory?

Advance Australia Fair - the Aussies had a choice over their national anthem, yet they chose this over Waltzing Matilda. Why? And what the hell does "girt" mean?

God Defend New Zealand - everyone knows the Haka is the real national anthem of New Zealand. Which is a good job, considering this load of old pap.

Ashes blowing in the Windies?

2009-03-11T10:34:24Z

A TEST series desreves to be contested in its own right.
But let's be honest, players, fans and hacks alike had one eye on the Ashes before the team even flew to the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, as Enlgand were losing to a very average side, the Aussies were unexpectedly giving the South Africans a good thumping in their own back yard.

It was certainly a disappointing show in the West Indies, but I think it would be unwise to jump to too many hasty conclusions.
England were three wickets away from winning the series and any team would have struggled to bowl their opposition out twice on some of the featherbed pitches prepared.
Barbados, in particular, was little better than a farce. You could have played for two weeks on that surface without getting a result.
Having said that, England will return home with more questions than answers ahead of the Ashes.

Among them will be:
1) Who the hell is going to bat at number three?
2) Will Andrew Flintoff ever be fit enough to reach the heights of 2005?
3) Is Matt Prior good enough to bat at six in the long term?
4) Are Ryan Sidebottom and Steve Harmison finished in test cricket?
5) Who on earth thought Amjad Khan was a test match cricketer?
Meanwhile, the Aussies have been answering some of their own questions after losing their first home series in yonks.
Their bowling attack still looks a long way from the glories of recent years and they have no spinner, but Mitchell Johnson has firmed-up his reputation as the world's best young fast bowlers.
And the selectors maye have unearthed the next stellar talent off the Aussie batting supply line.

After only a handful of first class games and a nervy first innings duck, 20-year-old Phil Hughes has reeled off scores of 75, 115 and 160.
He has an unusual style, which can look ungainly, but watching him straight drive Dale Steyn for four left me in little doubt that here is one for the future.
It's certainly going to be an interesting summer and don't count England out despite the recent disappointments.
Here are my ratings out of 10 for the main players:

Andrew Strauss - 7
Would be 10 for batting and deserves credit for bringing the side together in the wake of the Pietersen debacle, but over-caution in Antigua and Trinidad may have cost us the series.
Alistair Cook - 6
Nice to finally get a ton on the board. But now is the time to take a step forward if he is to become the world-class opener we all hope for.
Owais Shah - 3
Ill-used by selector who left him waiting for a long-overdue chance, then shoved him into the wrong position. Skittish and unorthodox at the best of times, I fear he will never fill the crucial number three slot adequately.
Kevin Pietersen - 7
Brilliant at times, less so at others. Also deserves credit for getting on with things after this captaincy humiliation, but we'll never know if his arrogant slog for a century in the first test cost us.
Paul Collingwood - 9
Keeps on defying his critics - especially me. Never a stylist, but always pugnacious and committed. In the form of his life.
Matt Prior - 7
Picked on his batting, which has produced. Not helped in the extras column by wayward bowling in the final test.
Stuart Broad - 6
Has all the raw ingredients and his batting is a bonus. But yet to fully convince he has what it takes to bowl teams out.
Graeme Swann - 8
Lacks the crowd-pleasing qualities of Monty and probably doesn't turn it as much, but makes up for it with guile and variety. One of the successes of the tour.
Jimmy Anderson - 7
Bowled some beautiful spells, but lacking in luck. As ever.

An Adil time for Rashid?

2009-03-05T20:36:05Z

ENGLAND fans approached the West Indies tour with thoughts of an easy victory in mind.
And it seems like the players did too.
The humiliating collapse in the first test and short-sighted captaincy decisions in Antigua leave Andrew Strauss facing a must-win game in Trinidad.
So maybe it is time to shake things up a bit - and that could leave a gap for the exciting young Adil Rashid.

It's going to be a tricky decision picking the team. The absence of the talismanic Andrew Flintoff leaves the side lacking balance.
But while Strauss and Andy Flower were criticised for going into the Barbados test with only four bowlers, the strip at the Queens Park Oval is unlikely to be such a featherbed. In fact, it's a rarity for sides to top 350 in the first innings there.

Common wisdom would have it that with England struggling to take 20 wickets so far they need to go in with an extra bowler.
But that won't be much good if they are skittled for 150 before they even start bowling.
One way around the quandry might be to play Rashid and bat him at seven. At under-19 level he was a genuine all-rounder and could offer the batting talent to make runs at test level.
That selection would mean playing the rejuvenated Matt Prior at six. Then with Stuart Broad coming in at eight it should mean the tail is not too exposed.
Picking Rashid would also freshen up a bowling attack which has so far failed to fire.

Sidebottom is patently unfit and it looks like his surprising elevation to test level has come to an end; Anderson continues to frustrate and Broad is still learning his trade. Only Graeme Swann has enhanced his reputation.
For what it's worth, it would give the young Yorkshire leg break bowler his debut at the expense of the unlucky Ravi Bopara, whose time will come. I would also recall the mecurial Steve Harmison to at least give the pace attack some bite.
Yes, it's a gamble, but we may as well lose by two going for the draw. And it would give an early idea of whether Rashid might be up to the Ashes challenge this Summer.

Can the Lions survive another beating?

2009-03-01T16:04:49Z

THERE was one big winner from this weekend's Six Nations - and they weren't even playing.
The South Africans must have been laughing their heads off watching the paucity of rugby talent on show from the home nations.
It's becoming harder to win a test match with a scratch team in these days of the pro game - as the Lions so effectively proved in New Zealand.
But to approach the second hardest tour in world rugby with the players currently on offer is a duanting challenge.
And the question must be asked, can the much-loved institution that is the Lions survive another pounding?

I was lucky enough to be in Australia for the 2001 tour and it was brilliant. The atmosphere and camaraderie were awesome, even if the other home nations did spend too much time whinging about the English contingent.
But the cash hungry unions - especially, one thinks, the RFU - could surely do without a fallow summer every four years when their national teams could be raking in the cash from lucrative matches against the southern hempisphere teams.
The fans are still well behind the Lions, but I fear another debacle on the scale of what heppend in 2005 could restrict even their appetite.
And after watching Scotland, England and Ireland this weekend, I fear it could be on the cards.
Wales are still a decent side, despite being outplayed by an experimental French team, but they can't do it on their own.
The question is, where is the help coming from?

Ian McGeechan might nip back to his native Scotland from time to time. If not, he can spare his carbon footprint and give Murrayfield a miss.
Even Mike Blair - at one point tipped to give Mike Phillips and Dwayne Peel a run at scrum half - looks out of sorts. The two Evans brothers might get on the plane alongside Jason White and Scott Taylor, but probably more for political than playing reasons.
England are putting out their worst side for 20 years. I think James Haskell might get a look in, while Delon Armitage and Paul Sackey are worth a place in the squad, but who else is worth bothering with?
And that leaves us with Wales and an Ireland team that would surely be the worst ever Grand Slam champions should they complete an unlikely clean-sweep.

I have big worries in three crucial positions.
At hooker, Matthew Rees and Jerry Flannery are no more than decent.
Andy Powell has been exposed as massively overrated at Number Eight, while Jamies Heaslip is unrpoven at the top level.
And most worringly of all, who the hell is going to play fly half? Ronan O'Gara put in an awful performance on Saturday evening, while the admirable, but limited, Stephen Jones is unlikely to have the Springboks quaking in their boots. Oh for a spectacular return to pre-injury form by Danny Cipriani.
Paul O'Connell has been tipped as a likely captain, but given the stellar form of Alun Wynn-Jones and Ian Gough, I'm not sure he even makes the first 15.
I would give Ryan Jones the armband and the Number Eight spot he occupied during last year's Grand Slam. He could line up alognside the ageless Martyn Williams and dyamic Haskell in the back row.
Elsewhere, Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll has a pleasing look in midfield and Lee Byrne is turning into a cracking full back. We also have strength in depth at scrum half, with Phillips and Peel offering either chalk or cheese to the team.
But there are many more reasons for worry than cheer. And if Geechs can turn his squad into winners it will be the greatest achievement of a magnificent career.

DeGale Blows

2009-03-01T16:04:49Z

THREE boxing Olympians made their professional debuts - alongside one who was too tubby to compete.
Bearing in mind their opposition, it was not a surprise that all the quartet emerged easy winners.
Only Frankie fun-time Gavin emerged with any evidence he had been in a bout, with blood pumping from a deep cut on his nose inflicted by a nicely aimed head butt from his opponent.
But it was Beijing golden boy James DeGale who was licking his wounds after being roundly booed by a Birmingham crowd pumped up by impressive pro debuts from Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders.
Why was anyone surprised though?

Any of DeGale's Olympic bouts provided ample evidence he was a long way from the finished article in professional terms.
I'm not knocking his success - a gold medal is a gold medal. But the way amateur boxing is scored these days means his achievement cannot be compared to those of greats like Cassius Clay or Sugar Ray Leonard.
DeGale slapped, poked and prodded his way to the top of the podium, taking full advantage of the scoring system.
And those same techniques were a major part of his 'armoury' on Saturday night.
One particularly amateurish routine saw him land what looked a series of pats on the top of his opponent's head as he covered up on the ropes. I don't know if he was trying to show fast hand speed, but I'm fairly sure my mum could have handled those blows.
I'm sure Frank Warren knows his business in signing the gold medal winner, but that could well constitute making a bit of cash quick before the golden lustre dims a la Audley Harrison.
Warren may well be contemplating a much healthier boost to his bank balance from his other debutants.

Both were very impressive, although it would be nice to see them up against opposition in the same weight category. I don't care what the scales say, the height, reach and power advantage enjoyed by Saunders and Gavin were a bit silly.
Saunders was first into the ring and impressed with the power of his shots. The ref could have stepped in at any time, but stopped the outclassed Attila Molnar in the second.
Gavin also unloaded a string of heavy blows to body and head. But he looked distracted by the attention of a big home town crowd.
I think the welterweight will look better against higher class opposition that allows his to display his silky counter-punching style. He could well turn out to be the best of the three.

With less hype, Sunderland's Tony Jeffries also made his pro debut this weekend, with a first round stoppage on Friday night.
He has obviously been working hard in training. In a similar way to DeGale, I thought his valiant Olympic efforts might still see him short of class for the pro ranks.
But he displayed a surprising range and power of shots against a similarly outclassed opponent.
Whatever the strength of opponent put in front of our former amateur stars, the future looks bright.
Just don't go lumping your life savings on a DeGale world title.

Was Beijing the best ever Olympics?

2008-08-25T09:08:59Z

IT'S NOT been a bad old Olympics has it?
Although you could forgive Michael Phelps for being somewhat annoyed. You win eight Olympic golds and break eight world recrods in the process and no bugger is talking about you.
Ok, so he got a fair bit of publicity in the opening 10 days, but then Usain Bolt ambled onto the track.

His performances were truly staggering. The kind of sporting exploit that makes you stare slack-jawed at the screen while you wonder whether you actually just witnessed it.
Or, in my case, confidently predicting to office colleagues he would not run sub-19.5 for the 200m final, then shouting swear words that would have got HR officers quite giddy if they weren't on a different floor.
His 100m was even more stunning. How is it possible for someone to run 9.69 without even trying? God knows how quick he can go when he runs through the tape.
And then of course there was the team of perennial plucky losers from GB failing to live up to national stereotypes. It is so glorious to watch British athletes producing world class performances on such a massive stage.

The cycling team actually makes me feel quite weird. Has a British team ever been so dominant in a world sport? There has certainly not been anything like it in my lifetime and it is difficult to imagine it ever being quite this good again.
Other exceptional moments saw Jamaica dominate the sprint events, Kenenisa Bikele doing the 5k, 10k double, China being a denied a clean sweep of diving medals by a spectacular performance from the Aussie and countless others I can't recall at this moment.
But was it the best Olympics ever? I would say not.
The venues were spectacular, the organisation spot-on and the pyrotechnics of the opening and closing ceremonies stunning. But where was the soul?
Many seats were empty at some of the less popular sports and some of the Chinese fans left venues when their star performer has bummed out.
Obviously, I have not been in Beijing, but reports suggest there was often a lack of feeling among the city and that the checking and re-checking of documents was tiresome and over the top.
And then there is the human rights thing to think of. Not really the place of a sports blog to delve into the depths of Chinese humanitarianism, but it is enough to make you feel uncomfortable.
Personally, I would put it at third place - a million times better than the shambles of Atlanta and superior to Seoul, where the modern Olympic movement was reborn after terrorism and boycotts had threatened to tear it apart.

In my view, it sits behind Barcelona and Sydney.
The Australians embraced the Olympics with the vigour and enthusiasm only a truly great sporting nation can. They packed out every venue and cheered every winner - you could even forgive them the moronic Aussie, Aussie, Aussie chant as the green and gold reigned.
They also had the advantage of the setting. Sydneysiders were keen for their beautiful city to look the part on the world stage. They weren't disappointed.
But Barcelona is my favourite Olympics of all time. It is a city of immense style and the games it produced matched up. It also coincided with my school holidays and all the event timings were perfect.
Spending 14 hours a day glued to the TV during that two-and-a-bit weeks was where my love affair with the games really began and it will remain in my memory as one of the finest sporting spectacles I have ever seen.
And here are 10 favourite memories from other games to remind you there was sporting life before Beijing:

1. The whole of the Barcelona games.
See above - the theme tune still makes the hairs go up on the back of my neck. My favourite individual memory was probably watching Sally Gunnell being cheered to glory by a bunch of rough Mackems in a Sunderland pub.

2. Steve Redgrave's fifth gold.
Can't say I've stayed up past midnight for rowing too many times. But what a race and what an achievement.

3. Michael Johnson's 200m world record.
Remember Michael Johnson? People used to think he was quite good until Usain Bolt came along. Another early hours of the morning viewing session to see him destroy Pietro Menea's long-standing record.

4. Derek Redmond.
I defy you to watch this clip without welling up.

5. Winning the hockey gold in 1988.
Notable for one of the all-time great moments of commentary. Barry Davies: "Where were the Germans? But frankly, who cares?"

6. The Coe vs Ovett rivallry
The first installment in 1980 is one of my earliest sporting memories. As a loyal Sheffielder, I was supporting Coe. I wasn't old enough to know what a tosser he was. But what a beautifully elegant runner.

7. Mixed doubles badminton in 2000.
When else would you even think about watching badminton on telly? Getting stuck watching this made me late for work. After running the whole three miles in I found everyone clustered around the TV in the corner. Brilliant.

8. Cathy Freeman.
Has there ever been so much pressure on an athlete? I was cheering Katherine Merry down the home straight, but who could begrudge her victory?

9. Daley Thompson whistling the national anthem.
What a legend. Possibly the best athlete Britian has ever produced and entertaining as well.

10. Eric the Eel.
Possibly the worst swimmer ever to enter the Olympics, but summed up the joy of the Games.

Let's all laugh at the Aussies - then thank em

2008-08-21T11:00:41Z

DAME Edna Everage, Dame Nellie Melba, Paul Hogan, Steve Waugh, Skippy the Kangaroo, Paul Keating, Captain Cook, Rolf Harries, Germaine Greer, can you hear me?
Can you hear me Kylie Minogue, Elle Macpherson, Ian Thorpe, Sir Donald Bradman, David Campese, the Sydney Opera House, koala bears? Your boys took a helluva beating.
Oh it's so sweet, looking down on the Aussies from our unbelievable perch in third spot. Especially for those of us who heard the radio interview with the Austrlian journalist confidently predicting Michael Phelps would beat us all on his own.

And doesn't the whinging just make it all the more enjoyable? the country's leading tabloid, Syndey's Daily Telegraph, accused us of "robbing" our medals because we have a couple of Aussie coaches.
But of course it's those colonial chaps we have to thank for our success in coming back from the almost apocalyptic failure in Atlanta 12 years ago.
Remember those dark days? We won just 15 medals, with only Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent standing atop the podium. Above us in the table were such luminaries as Kazakhstan, Algeria and Belgium.
The Aussies, by contrast, notched up 41 medals with just a third of our population.
But twas not ever thus. Lifelong Australian success in sport is a bit of a myth built around the supposed competitiveness of the Cobber mentality.
Only five medals came their way in Montreal in 1976, with no golds and only one gong from the pool. A bout of national soul-searching followed, which prompted the construction of the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
And the rest, as they say, is history. The squad had an eight-year hiatus to reap the benefits with the boycot of Moscow. Then in 2000 and 2004 Green and Gold athletes scooped a total of 33 medals.
They also set the template for Olympic success, which, to their great chagrin, the Poms have now followed.

Following the Atlanta nightmare, the toffs who run British sport finally realised you can't win medals just by enduring cold showers and the odd thrashing by Teacher at Eton. You have to train a bit. And maybe buy some equipment.
Then good old John Major, possibly the worst Prime Minister Britain has ever had, actually did something good - he introduced Lottery funding for elite athletes.
I remember wondering if 11 golds in Sydney were a bit of a fluke. But then nine more followed in Athens after a sticky start. Now the path is well and truly set fair for London 2012.

The English Institue of Sport in Sheffield is starting to bear fruit, while the use of a top class velodrome in Manchester has helped propel the cyclists to the top of the world.
Even swimming and athletics are coming to the party.
So all I can say is "Good on ya Aussies" and "Strewth mate, how much are we going to batter you in 2012?"

Is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian?

2008-08-13T14:43:24Z

SUPERHUMAN Michael Phelps today smashed two more world records in the pool.
The Baltimore Bullet is targeting eight gold medals, but is surely already the greatest swimmer the world has ever seen.
But where does he stand in the Olympian annals? How do you compare Phelps' achievements to, for example, the discus medals of Al Oerta, the epic track achievements of flying Finn Paavo Nurmi and sprinter Carl Lewis, or the five gold medals won by our own Steve Redgrave?

Comparing success in different sports is always tricky, but one thing is certain - winning multiple medals in the pool is more achievable than in any other Olympic discipline.
Phelps' distance range is just 100m to 200m but, bizarrely, that qualifies him to compete in eight different events. Usain Bolt, by contrast, will compete in just three on the track.
It is the different strokes that give swimming its medal table advantage - Phelps will cover two lengths of the pool in all four of them at some stage this week.
Surely that would be the equivalent of athletes doing the 100m running backwards, hopping and skipping as well as the normal sprint.
But is that too simplistic an approach? Are people in danger of merely brushing aside Phelps' phenomenal achievements purely because he is a swimmer and there are a lot of medals available in the pool?
I guess the first place to start by answering those questions is by posing another one: how many other people in the 112-year history of the Olympics have managed eight gold medals? Answer: none.
That would suggest it's quite tricky then.
To exercise the sort of mastery of each of the four swimming strokes Phelps achieves is also well out of the ordinary - he holds world records in freestyle, crawl and medley relay disciplines.

And to put that in context, just think of the man previously identified as the world's greatest swimmer. Ian Thorpe was a freestyler pure and simple and his meagre five Olmpic gold medals came with only two individual disciplines - the 200 and 400 free. The rest were with help from relay chums.
Then there is a third aspect to consider, which was eloquently described by Duncan Goodhew when discussing this very issue this morning.
The world of the swimmer is an other-worldy one, requiring a different level of commitment to virtually any other sport.
To succeed, you must essentially condemn yourself to six hours a day in the water. That is six hours of acute physical pain, endured with very little human contact - simply ploughing up and down the pool.
As an on-off keen swimmer myself, I know there are times when the rythmic and repetitive churn of a long swim can be an absolute joy and almost hypnotic. At other times, it is the most God-awful, tedious chore. And that is just for an hour of swimming.

I know training for all elite sports pushes the body and spirit of its participants right to the very limit. But at least those powerful pictures of Steve Redgrave falling from a rowing machine in agony as he prepared for Sydney 2000 also showed his teammates in the background.
So how does Phelps compare then? The men he overtook today demonstrated similarly Herculanean feats.
Paavo Nurmi won the 5,000m gold in 1924 just 26 minutes after breaking the tape in the 1,500m. He also held word records at every distance from a mile to 20km.
But there is a curious parallel between his achievements and those of Phelps. The Olympic years in which he succeeded featured many more running events than their modern equivalents.
He was able to compete cross-country and well as on the track and won team golds at long distance in both. That would not be possible now.

Carl Lewis's superlative feats made him not only the fastest man in the world, but also the best long jumper. Yet he too relied on relays to bump up his haul and now has stains over his character than seem reluctant to shift.
And then we have Steve Redgrave. Winner of only five golds (and the one bronze many forget), but in an event where generally only one medal was up for grabs. He is the only Olympian to win a gold in five successive games in an endurance event - a supreme achievement.
I think the only conclusion is that it is nigh on impossible to compare feats in different sports. And that if Phelps is not the greatest ever Olympian, he's pretty bloody close.

Why the Olympics are better than the World Cup

2008-08-06T12:12:18Z

IT'S the drugs cheats against the divers.
The world of pampered football prima donnas versus the corporate enterprise of the year.
But while everything is not perfect in the World Cup and the Olympics, they are the world's greatest sporting events and I, for one, can ignore their imperfections to marvel at the sheer endeavour of human achievement.

Friday's opening ceremony marks the start of 17 days of athletic greatness (although the event actually got underway today with the women's football).
The 2006 World Cup in Germany stretched over a whole joyous month.
But all men know length is not the only thing that matters. And even though the football offers nearly two weeks more entertainment, I would take the Olympics any time.
Anybody who has nothing better to do than read my blog will know I am a bit of a misty-eyed idealist when it comes to sport, not to say hopelessly naive.
And the Olympics fits nicely into my overly romantic views.
Ok, so the days of noble amateurs striving for nothing more than glory and the laurel wreath have long since gone. In some ways, of course, that is a good thing because it means us working class chaps can have a go as well as the Chariots of Fire chums.
In other ways, the Olympics has become a sickening jamboree of corporate exccess. The decision to move the swimming finals to satisfy NBC's desire to show Michael Phelps stroking his way into history is a particularly nauseating example.

But I would urge you to look beyond the fast food and beer logos and concentrate on what makes the Olympics the most magical sporting event in the world.
I can't imagine there were many people who took the field in the World Cup final two years ago who were not multi-millionaires. No criticism of them there, they are simply paid what the market will bear.
Outside the big stars of the track and the pool and the misplaced stars of tennis, basketball and football, it will be a very different story in Beijing.
I would challenge you not to marvel at the level of dedication required to become, for example, the gold medallist in the 20km racewalk or the 500m double kayak.

The dedication required to compete in gruelling events like these is no less than the footballers who star on the football stage, but for the Olympians the motivation comes simply from their love of the sport.
No squad of physios, nutritionists and masseurs at your beck and call, no Aston Martin to drive home from training in, no 50,000 crowd to ooh and aah at your efforts every week.
Instead, simply hour after hour after repetitive training and, very often, a full-time job besides. Oh, and the slim promise of standing atop the rostrum with you national anthem playing, clutching world sport's greatest prize to your chest.
I love football and have nothing against young working class lads earning a lot of money from it, even if it does make me feel slightly queasy at times.
But I have an awful lot more respect for people who can devote themselves to a sport with so little glory attached.
And that is the true magic of the Olympics. Sitting up into the early hours glued to the quarter finals of the table tennis mixed doubles, or watching in awe as the rowers seemingly defy the laws of physical exertion. Or watching countless other sports you would never dream of tuning into normally.
So watch and enjoy. Leave the cynicism behind and cheer as Britain racks up a record gold medal total from a variety of sports you have never previously heard off.
Still the greatest show on Earth.

England to face South Africa firepower

2008-07-09T13:12:04Z

ENGLAND will face up to the fastest pace attack to visit these shore since the West Indies went rubbish.
Ok, Pakistan had Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib and Mohammed Sami. But not all at the same time.
South Africa will take the field on Thursday with three bowlers who regularly top 90mph - and two of them are seriously quick.

Many of you won't have seen Morne Morkel yet, but he looks a top prospect. Not only is he fast, he is also very tall and generates steepling bounce.
Andrew Strauss compared him to Steve Harmison when he faced him last week. I can see what he means, but Morkel normally hits the square.

Dale Steyn will probably open the bowling with him. He is just as rapid, but much shorter, giving him a skiddy delivery.
His start to test cricket has been stunning - 120 wickets in 23 matches at an average of just over 21.
And there is the enduring and ever-annoying Makhaya Ntini. Arguably the worst chatterer in world cricket, he became the team's most experienced bowler on Sean Pollock's retirement.

I'm not Ntini's biggest fan - he doesn't do enough with the ball for my liking - but the trio of quicks will be a stern test for England's inconsistent top order.
But having said all that, I don't think Vaughan and co will be completely blown away. In fact, I think it will be a close-fought encounter from the off.
The skipper will be crucial, England will need him at his top class best. While Pietersen needs to fire against his countrymen - they will certainly be firing at him.
Collingwood must score runs straight away, or faces being dropped from the team.
Where there is encouragement for the home fans is the lack of a decent spinner in the side. No change there, then.
I think there is also reason to be cheerful in the South Africans' notoriously fragil temperament. Ok, so it may be something of a stereotype, but the Proteas have done more than their fair share of choking.
The batting line up is prolific when on form, but can be brittle under pressure. Hashim Amla and A.B. de Villiers are both supremely talented, but prone to lapses.

Graeme Smith is perhaps not quite the same player who bludgeoned 277 against England in 2003, but is formidable when on form.
And Jacques Kallis is Jacques Kallis. There's a reason he averages nearly 60 in test cricket, but don't expect entertainment.
All in all, it should be a good encounter and if England have got some of the inconsistency out of their system against New Zealand, they will push them all the way.
But I take South Africa to edge the series 2-1. If it ever stops bloody raining.