Yes, it's the Champions League Semi-Finals in review! The following piece will be short and as sweet as the current media views on Jose. Will it last?
Firstly, thank you Europe for keeping the English out of the semi-finals for the first time since 2003. I have no problem with having English teams progress to this stage, but I for one was certainly sick of the cagey, all-English affairs that seemed to be inevitable. Not because they were bad games, but purely because I'm a traditionalist in that I actually remember that there are other good teams outside of England or the Nou Camp. I appreciate the flavour that each continental league gives the tournament. It is called the European Cup after all (Editorial. The Beyond the Cliche legal team has since advised me that it is actually called the UEFA Champions League, brought to you be executive partners McDonalds, Carlsburg, and other exciting brands. Otherwise Sepp Blatter will come over and force me to watch the Swiss League until it kills me).
Firstly, to Milano, and the San Siro witnessed a stunning event completely unknown to the world: a home win. The media wank-fest over Barcelona would have led you to believe that Inter would simply be passed off the park by the only team in Europe capable of winning the Cup. Sarcasm aside, considering that this game proved to be only Pep Guardiola's third loss in this competition, Barcelona did come into the game looking formidable.
What we witnessed, most importantly, was an exciting game. Barcelona in general won the possession battle but failed to capitalise on it; Inter proved dangerous every time they attacked, and were the more efficient of the two teams at moving the ball into the final third. On the whole, the home side were upbeat and up for the challenge. How the Sky Sports commentators managed to justify slipping in a reference to the 'traditional Italian negative defensive mentality' I have no idea.
Inter, unlike Arsenal in the round beforehand, combined a strong defensive showing throughout the full 90 minutes with an ability to trouble the Barca defense on a regular basis. And when troubled on a regular basis, the Barca defense proved shakier than at any time this season, and subsequently shipped some goals.
Barcelona struggled to move the ball past Inter's well marshalled defensive banks of 4, and Javier Zanetti was able to contain Messi on his ownsome for the most part, allowing Motta and Cambiasso to close Iniesta and Xavi down quickly. Barca's most meaningful attacks therefore had to come from the less heralded attackers on the team, and Maxwell and in particular Dani Alves could not rise to the occasion.
Sergio Busquets again proved to be ineffective and spent most of the day flopping on the ground. Surely Yaya Toure would have better contained the impressive Wesley Sneijder, who was able to run Inter's show with relative impunity.
Obviously, Mourinho drilled the appropriate tactics into his team well, and deserves the credit that he is currently receiving. The tactics Inter used to foil Barca are well known to other teams, but at the end of the day it took one of Europe's top four teams to be able to pull them off for the full game. So, we've learned that one Semi finalist and domestic champion is able to beat another. Surprising eh?
Bayern verus Lyon was dull. It ended in the way that many predicted; a narrow home victory. The means to the end, with Bayern recovering from Frank Ribery's red card (perhaps he did it deliberately to visit a red light.....too soon?) to deservedly go ahead. Lyon proved negative and short-sighted when possessing a man advantage, and justice prevailed. They failed to score, and when Toulalan received his own marching orders, taking l'OL down to 10 also, they hadn't a hope of getting anything out of the game. At least this leaves the second leg nicely poised.
After all that, I'm definately looking forward to the second legs. If you're not, then you're probably a Man U or Liverpool fan (Enjoy Madrid, a couple of weeks before you hoped you'd be there!).
GM
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Dead pitch makes donkeys of Unicorns
I feel like a bit of a personal diary of the university cricket season is in order. The current hangover with which I am battling pretty much indicates that it's now in full swing after yesterday's league opener for Edinburgh 2nd XI against Stirling 1s. We played these boys last year and they bowled us out cheaply before knocking off the runs in stuttering fashion. I recognised a couple of characters - the slightly unhinged opening bowler, the wee Irish captain and the tubby spinner who found the edge of my bat last year and ended up getting an lbw appeal in his favour. Prick.
The sun shone and the cookies were baking in the nearby factory at Peffermill, so when we walked out to inspect the pitch there was a sense of optimism to go with the usual air of homoeroticism. The pitch looked hard and true, right up until we threw a ball onto it and it just died. No carry on this pitch - everything needing played off the front foot, something most of our "capable" batsmen seemed to forget. So win the toss and bowl which skipper Willmott promptly did - lad! Bowling is our strong suit, especially with a big lad from the 1s opening up - as usual Wardy appeared untroubled by anything and bowled a tidy if unspectacular opening spell with a fresher known as Love Shack keeping it tight at the other end. I was busy chatting about the Stirling batsmen's questionable techniques from mid-on, a subject I have no right to be discussing! The breakthroughs began to trickle in when changes were made - Bagpuss and Rhino (we all have shite nicknames, it's banter) in particular excelling with 7 wickets between them, mostly from slower deliveries. I chipped in with 1-16, figures not helped by some pretty village fielding but then you always feel hard done by as a spinner. I chucked in a little Monty Panesar celebration to go with the general image created by my fielding and batting! 163 all out and some cracking ham and cheese sandwiches courtesy of Josh and we felt pretty pleased with ourselves, not least Rhino who posted uni best figures in his 7th year!
Then came the batting - oh dear! Just poor shot selection coupled with accurate bowling - very simple stuff. The unhinged left-armer gave our boys a couple of send-offs, which was a bit uncalled for but he was a bit of a twat I guess! I gave one of the easiest lbws of all time as Bagpuss played down a line in a different county to the delivery. The highlight had to be Wardy's massive six down the ground accompanied by a nonchalent murmur of "Boom!" but in truth this was only because their spinner was bloody awful. Still. I nudged my first delivery off my pads for a single and was part of a brave last-wicket stand with our Stuart Broad lookalike (although our man pitched the ball up when bowling) before being cleaned up by a cracking yorker from Lefty. 80 all out will never be acceptable, in spite of the pitch. It was like a sponge underneath the hard crumbling top surface (which led to our spinners actually turning the ball for a change) which doesn't make for great play - someone needs a word with the groundsman!
The drinking afterwards was far more successful. With our usual man stranded in South Africa (he hates Iceland apparently) it was up to me to co-ordinate the fines in the pub - which I feel I did very successfully, although I don't think the freshers are feeling all too pretty today! Dropped catches, misfields and ducks were particularly harshly dealt with, with our stand-in wicket keeper James seeming to have a vendetta against Rhino. Chinese food and a nightclub completed the frivolities!
Away to Glasgow on Sunday - I'm sure you all can't wait to hear the news!
RM
The sun shone and the cookies were baking in the nearby factory at Peffermill, so when we walked out to inspect the pitch there was a sense of optimism to go with the usual air of homoeroticism. The pitch looked hard and true, right up until we threw a ball onto it and it just died. No carry on this pitch - everything needing played off the front foot, something most of our "capable" batsmen seemed to forget. So win the toss and bowl which skipper Willmott promptly did - lad! Bowling is our strong suit, especially with a big lad from the 1s opening up - as usual Wardy appeared untroubled by anything and bowled a tidy if unspectacular opening spell with a fresher known as Love Shack keeping it tight at the other end. I was busy chatting about the Stirling batsmen's questionable techniques from mid-on, a subject I have no right to be discussing! The breakthroughs began to trickle in when changes were made - Bagpuss and Rhino (we all have shite nicknames, it's banter) in particular excelling with 7 wickets between them, mostly from slower deliveries. I chipped in with 1-16, figures not helped by some pretty village fielding but then you always feel hard done by as a spinner. I chucked in a little Monty Panesar celebration to go with the general image created by my fielding and batting! 163 all out and some cracking ham and cheese sandwiches courtesy of Josh and we felt pretty pleased with ourselves, not least Rhino who posted uni best figures in his 7th year!
Then came the batting - oh dear! Just poor shot selection coupled with accurate bowling - very simple stuff. The unhinged left-armer gave our boys a couple of send-offs, which was a bit uncalled for but he was a bit of a twat I guess! I gave one of the easiest lbws of all time as Bagpuss played down a line in a different county to the delivery. The highlight had to be Wardy's massive six down the ground accompanied by a nonchalent murmur of "Boom!" but in truth this was only because their spinner was bloody awful. Still. I nudged my first delivery off my pads for a single and was part of a brave last-wicket stand with our Stuart Broad lookalike (although our man pitched the ball up when bowling) before being cleaned up by a cracking yorker from Lefty. 80 all out will never be acceptable, in spite of the pitch. It was like a sponge underneath the hard crumbling top surface (which led to our spinners actually turning the ball for a change) which doesn't make for great play - someone needs a word with the groundsman!
The drinking afterwards was far more successful. With our usual man stranded in South Africa (he hates Iceland apparently) it was up to me to co-ordinate the fines in the pub - which I feel I did very successfully, although I don't think the freshers are feeling all too pretty today! Dropped catches, misfields and ducks were particularly harshly dealt with, with our stand-in wicket keeper James seeming to have a vendetta against Rhino. Chinese food and a nightclub completed the frivolities!
Away to Glasgow on Sunday - I'm sure you all can't wait to hear the news!
RM
Monday, 19 April 2010
The County Scene - Week 4: Foster makes runs, England ignore him. Again
A lot to get through this week, so we'll start with the Victoria Sponge Lad of the Week Award:
Rob White (Northants) - 23 wickets fell on the first day against Gloucestershire at Bristol, indications t
hat a pitch had been underprepared. However, the ever-fastidious ECB inspectors blamed the tirade of dismissals on "shot selection". Believe me, variable bounce and seam movement galore is not indicative of poor shot selection! Only 3 50s were recorded in the match, one for Northants tail-ender Jack Brooks (53) and another for Steve Snell (52), looking much more fluent having been relieved of keeping duties. However, the star turn was that of White, making 95 on the first day out of his team's total of 186. 5 sixes were hit, mostly pulled over the short square-leg boundary at Bristol. The importance of his innings was highlighted as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 86, David Lucas excelling with 4-21. Batting got easier as the game wore on, but the big first innings lead established by White paid dividends as his side eased to a 94 run victory within 3 days, in spite of Gemaal Hussain's 9-98 in the match for the opponents.
White stormed to stardom early in his career, making 277* in only his fifth match, still the highest maiden century in English first-class history. In the 8 years proceeding this, he hasn't really shown much promise, with an average of 35. However, after a lean few years, this knock may be a return to form.
James Foster (Essex) - The first draw of the Championship was played out at Chester-le-Street, mainly due to the poor weather in Durham on the last day, something I can vouch for having had to endure a train journey that passed through "The North" yesterday. Let's face it though, the reigning champions were on the rack from the off and only some spirited batting after following on, where four batsmen passed 50, saved them. The platform was set for Essex by a record fourth wicket stand of 339 between Jaik Mickleburgh (174 - his maiden ton) and Foster (169). The Durham bowling attack, shorn of Onions and Harmison, looked bereft of ideas, although Liam Plunkett eventually recovered his form to claim 4-112. Essex then ran through the champions' batting for 198, with only Kyle Coetzer (55) resisting. Chris Wright, Ryan ten Doeschate and Tim Phillips all claimed 3 wickets.
I could quite easily nominate Mickleburgh for this prestigious award, but for my money, Foster's knock was the more fluent and he has been ignored far too many times by England in the past. To ignore him here would be an insult too far! He is comfortably the best wicket keeper in the country but has been cast asunder by England after 7 tests, due to a perceived lack of batting ability, compared to the likes of Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter. He did get a call-up to last years Twenty20 World Cup, but the emergence of Kieswetter has nipped this resurgence in the bud. It's a shame - on the evidence of this week he still retains some batting talent but that is unlikely to make the selectors take note while he plays properly, in deference to hitting sixes like his peers.
Glen Chapple (Lancashire) - There would be arguments for nominating Steven Croft for similar work, or Simon Kerrigan for the 5-43 on debut which spun his team to victory, but the Lancashire captain gets the nod for crucia
l wickets and two unbeaten 50s when better batsmen stuttered around him. The Red Rose County found themselves 14-4 on day 1 before Croft and Ashwell Prince hit 50s to ease the pressure. However, they both fell to rash shots at 168-6, leaving Chapple to hit 54* to guide the team to 253. Warwickshire reduced the game to a one innings affair hitting back with 254 - Chapple taking 2-50 with two of the most beautiful outswingers you will ever see - far too good for Ian Westwood and Naqaash Tahir. The Lancashire batsmen were tied in knots again at 113-6, but Croft (56), Chapple (53*) and last man Sajid Mahmood (52 off 41) lifted the total to 319, in spite of Neil Carter's 5-79. Chapple took the first wicket of the run chase, trapping Varun Chopra in front for 6 and from there Kerrigan took over as Warwickshire folded for 197, consigning them to a 121 run defeat. Credit must go to Warwickshire captain Westwood, who carried his bat for 82*.
Chapple is a veteran of the county scene, with over 1000 wickets in all forms at an average of around 28, proving his consistent wicket-taking ability over 18 years. He is also a handy batsman with 6 first-class hundreds. A tough character and a strong leader, he made his ODI debut for England against Ireland in 2006 but picked up an injury and hasn't been picked since.
The winner - Rob White - For keeping his head and playing an aggressive innings on a tough pitch, making all the difference in leading his team to victory. LAD
In other news: A trade off of centuries between skippers at Headingley, but Andrew Gale's (101) Yorkshire saw off Marcus Trescothick's (117) Somerset by 6 wickets. Both of these sides have deep batting line-ups but on this occasion, Yorkskire applied themselves a bit more and came away with the victory, thanks to lower order performances from Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid. Notts smashed Kent by an innings and 32 runs, helped by a Hashim Amla hundred and 7 wickets in the match by Kiwi Andre Adams.
In Divison 2, Robin Martin-Jenkins again showed his all-round capabilities as Sussex beat Surrey by 10 wickets, a match notable for Arun Harinath's 62 off 290 as the paint dried on the fences at Hove. Matthew Hoggard's Leicestershire continued their resurgence against Derbyshire as Wayne White hit 101* against his former team in a 203 run success. Finally, Glamorgan conquered Middlesex at Lord's by 78 runs, in spite of Dawid Malan's excellent 115, showing some spine to a flaky batting side. David Harrison (5-62 in 1st innings) and Huw Waters (4-39 in 2nd innings) made use of helpful seam conditions.
The uni games were the usual affair. Neil McKenzie and Michael Carberry racked up the runs for Hampshire in a draw against Oxford Uni. Worcestershire struggled with the bat, but had too much for Leeds/Bradford with the ball as James Shantry ran through them with 12 wickets in a 250 run win
This week sees the start of the new ECB 40-over competition. Now I'm a big fan of 40 over cricket but not in favour of 50 overs, as this competition is. In an attempt to reduce the cricketing calendar, the ECB has scrapped a limited overs competition and expanded another. The result is two extra days of cricket in the calendar. Well done guys! Their logic in having 40 overs is that it is shorter and more entertaining for the crowds. However, it does not reflect the ODI format of 50 overs, the rationale being that "South Africa are one of the top sides in the world and they only play 40 overs domestically". Now remind me, when did South Africa win anything serious? Didn't think you could tell me. As for the cricket, look out for Somerset and Nottinghamshire as potential winners. To celebrate its launch, next week's Victoria Sponge Lad of the Week Award will be selected specifically from Sunday's fixtures. Championship scores will also be provided.
See you then!
RM
Rob White (Northants) - 23 wickets fell on the first day against Gloucestershire at Bristol, indications t
hat a pitch had been underprepared. However, the ever-fastidious ECB inspectors blamed the tirade of dismissals on "shot selection". Believe me, variable bounce and seam movement galore is not indicative of poor shot selection! Only 3 50s were recorded in the match, one for Northants tail-ender Jack Brooks (53) and another for Steve Snell (52), looking much more fluent having been relieved of keeping duties. However, the star turn was that of White, making 95 on the first day out of his team's total of 186. 5 sixes were hit, mostly pulled over the short square-leg boundary at Bristol. The importance of his innings was highlighted as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 86, David Lucas excelling with 4-21. Batting got easier as the game wore on, but the big first innings lead established by White paid dividends as his side eased to a 94 run victory within 3 days, in spite of Gemaal Hussain's 9-98 in the match for the opponents.White stormed to stardom early in his career, making 277* in only his fifth match, still the highest maiden century in English first-class history. In the 8 years proceeding this, he hasn't really shown much promise, with an average of 35. However, after a lean few years, this knock may be a return to form.
James Foster (Essex) - The first draw of the Championship was played out at Chester-le-Street, mainly due to the poor weather in Durham on the last day, something I can vouch for having had to endure a train journey that passed through "The North" yesterday. Let's face it though, the reigning champions were on the rack from the off and only some spirited batting after following on, where four batsmen passed 50, saved them. The platform was set for Essex by a record fourth wicket stand of 339 between Jaik Mickleburgh (174 - his maiden ton) and Foster (169). The Durham bowling attack, shorn of Onions and Harmison, looked bereft of ideas, although Liam Plunkett eventually recovered his form to claim 4-112. Essex then ran through the champions' batting for 198, with only Kyle Coetzer (55) resisting. Chris Wright, Ryan ten Doeschate and Tim Phillips all claimed 3 wickets.
I could quite easily nominate Mickleburgh for this prestigious award, but for my money, Foster's knock was the more fluent and he has been ignored far too many times by England in the past. To ignore him here would be an insult too far! He is comfortably the best wicket keeper in the country but has been cast asunder by England after 7 tests, due to a perceived lack of batting ability, compared to the likes of Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter. He did get a call-up to last years Twenty20 World Cup, but the emergence of Kieswetter has nipped this resurgence in the bud. It's a shame - on the evidence of this week he still retains some batting talent but that is unlikely to make the selectors take note while he plays properly, in deference to hitting sixes like his peers.
Glen Chapple (Lancashire) - There would be arguments for nominating Steven Croft for similar work, or Simon Kerrigan for the 5-43 on debut which spun his team to victory, but the Lancashire captain gets the nod for crucia
l wickets and two unbeaten 50s when better batsmen stuttered around him. The Red Rose County found themselves 14-4 on day 1 before Croft and Ashwell Prince hit 50s to ease the pressure. However, they both fell to rash shots at 168-6, leaving Chapple to hit 54* to guide the team to 253. Warwickshire reduced the game to a one innings affair hitting back with 254 - Chapple taking 2-50 with two of the most beautiful outswingers you will ever see - far too good for Ian Westwood and Naqaash Tahir. The Lancashire batsmen were tied in knots again at 113-6, but Croft (56), Chapple (53*) and last man Sajid Mahmood (52 off 41) lifted the total to 319, in spite of Neil Carter's 5-79. Chapple took the first wicket of the run chase, trapping Varun Chopra in front for 6 and from there Kerrigan took over as Warwickshire folded for 197, consigning them to a 121 run defeat. Credit must go to Warwickshire captain Westwood, who carried his bat for 82*.Chapple is a veteran of the county scene, with over 1000 wickets in all forms at an average of around 28, proving his consistent wicket-taking ability over 18 years. He is also a handy batsman with 6 first-class hundreds. A tough character and a strong leader, he made his ODI debut for England against Ireland in 2006 but picked up an injury and hasn't been picked since.
The winner - Rob White - For keeping his head and playing an aggressive innings on a tough pitch, making all the difference in leading his team to victory. LAD
In other news: A trade off of centuries between skippers at Headingley, but Andrew Gale's (101) Yorkshire saw off Marcus Trescothick's (117) Somerset by 6 wickets. Both of these sides have deep batting line-ups but on this occasion, Yorkskire applied themselves a bit more and came away with the victory, thanks to lower order performances from Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid. Notts smashed Kent by an innings and 32 runs, helped by a Hashim Amla hundred and 7 wickets in the match by Kiwi Andre Adams.
In Divison 2, Robin Martin-Jenkins again showed his all-round capabilities as Sussex beat Surrey by 10 wickets, a match notable for Arun Harinath's 62 off 290 as the paint dried on the fences at Hove. Matthew Hoggard's Leicestershire continued their resurgence against Derbyshire as Wayne White hit 101* against his former team in a 203 run success. Finally, Glamorgan conquered Middlesex at Lord's by 78 runs, in spite of Dawid Malan's excellent 115, showing some spine to a flaky batting side. David Harrison (5-62 in 1st innings) and Huw Waters (4-39 in 2nd innings) made use of helpful seam conditions.
The uni games were the usual affair. Neil McKenzie and Michael Carberry racked up the runs for Hampshire in a draw against Oxford Uni. Worcestershire struggled with the bat, but had too much for Leeds/Bradford with the ball as James Shantry ran through them with 12 wickets in a 250 run win
This week sees the start of the new ECB 40-over competition. Now I'm a big fan of 40 over cricket but not in favour of 50 overs, as this competition is. In an attempt to reduce the cricketing calendar, the ECB has scrapped a limited overs competition and expanded another. The result is two extra days of cricket in the calendar. Well done guys! Their logic in having 40 overs is that it is shorter and more entertaining for the crowds. However, it does not reflect the ODI format of 50 overs, the rationale being that "South Africa are one of the top sides in the world and they only play 40 overs domestically". Now remind me, when did South Africa win anything serious? Didn't think you could tell me. As for the cricket, look out for Somerset and Nottinghamshire as potential winners. To celebrate its launch, next week's Victoria Sponge Lad of the Week Award will be selected specifically from Sunday's fixtures. Championship scores will also be provided.
See you then!
RM
Saturday, 17 April 2010
The Roethlisberger Conundrum
As the draft draws ever closer, further talk of a star QB being traded has sprung up. Despite the decision of a Georgia District Attorney not to press charges of sexual assault against the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, his team are said to be mad as hell with Big Ben and have not ruled out trading him as a result of his behaviour. They set a precedent last week when releasing WR Santonio Holmes, as a result of repeated offences, generally relating to domestic violence and substance abuse. Given what Graeme said about "10,000 hours" in yesterday's blog, it doesn't take a genius to work out a little about Holmes' background! It was just over a year ago that he caught the winning pass and was named MVP in the Superbowl against the Cardinals. Yet now, he has been traded to the Jets for nothing more than a fifth-round draft pick and has been suspended by the NFL for 4 games as a result of his behaviour. The Steelers would appear to take a tough line with troublemakers and not make too much of a fuss over reputation.This is not the first time that Roethlisberger has screwed up. This is the second time in less than a year that a woman has accused him of sexual assault. Admittedly, the first one was a bit bonkers, but you still have to go some way to getting allegations made against you in the first place - they aren't just fabricated from thin air. However, I can allay the fears of all you worried Steelers fans and say that Big Ben will not be traded!
The reason is very simple - he has achieved too much in his 6 seasons with the Steelers. Two Superbowl rings speak for themselves. Despite being in a strong class of QBs in 2004, Big Ben has trumped them all - Eli Manning may have a ring with the Giants from 2007, but he is far from an elite QB and no-one but Deion Sanders seems to believe in him. Phil Rivers puts up impressive numbers but has achieved nothing of substance as yet with the Chargers. Matt Schaub is only now beginning to establish himself as a great QB with the Texans, but needs more than Andre Johnson around him if they're to go anywhere fast. Ben Roethlisberger is, to my mind, the only one of these 4 players who can make it to the Hall of Fame. The Steelers know this and won't throw him away for nothing as they did Holmes. There was talk of them trading up in the draft from 18 to 1, so that they can pick up Sam Bradford, a move that the Cleveland Browns are also said to be considering. If they are going to trade him, this must be their only option, given his star quality and the fact that the Rams could match Roethlisberger's relatively modest contract. However, the Steelers have said that all decisions about this issue will be made after the draft, so Bradford will not be a Pittsburgh player next season.
In all probablity, he will sit out a game or two at the start of the season - Mike Tomlin has great faith in back-up Dennis Dixon and this affair will give him a chance to show what he can do. All that Big Ben can do is keep his head down, play good football when he returns and keep his hands to himself for a little while, so that he can win back the fans in Pittsburgh.
RM
Friday, 16 April 2010
Jamaican Champs Teaches UK Athletics a Harsh Life Lesson
It is an event that dominates the entire island of Jamaica; the National Schools Athletics Championships, or 'Champs'. It provides further evidence, if needed, that Jamaicans truly are obsessed by athletics.
This years event, which finished last month, attracted 30,000 plus spectators and featured high school athletes from around the length and breadth of the country. Virtually every Jamaican athelete competing at the highest level on the world atheltics stage also excelled at Champs level. Indeed, Asafa Powell was deemed skittish and too nervous following his one and only Champs appearance. Some things evidently don't change.
The marquee event, the 100 metres, was won this year by Juilian Forte with a time of 10:45s. The winner in 2008, Jazeel Murphy, set the current Jamaican schools record at age 15: 10:42s. Mark Lewis-Francis, at the same age, set the current British schools record of 10:93s. No-one has come within .1 of a second of that record since. In an event of millimetres, Jamaica have clear daylight separating their athletics standards from the UK.
A typical 'Champs' scene
Scotstounhill: Finally, some good facilities!
This years event, which finished last month, attracted 30,000 plus spectators and featured high school athletes from around the length and breadth of the country. Virtually every Jamaican athelete competing at the highest level on the world atheltics stage also excelled at Champs level. Indeed, Asafa Powell was deemed skittish and too nervous following his one and only Champs appearance. Some things evidently don't change.
The marquee event, the 100 metres, was won this year by Juilian Forte with a time of 10:45s. The winner in 2008, Jazeel Murphy, set the current Jamaican schools record at age 15: 10:42s. Mark Lewis-Francis, at the same age, set the current British schools record of 10:93s. No-one has come within .1 of a second of that record since. In an event of millimetres, Jamaica have clear daylight separating their athletics standards from the UK.
A typical 'Champs' scene
Clear daylight also exists in the setup of the Jamaican athletics scene. In spite of the obvious inferiority of its education system, Jamaica still finds the money to pay for a trained athletics coach for every primary and high school. It does this without having to cut back on the rest of its curriculum.
The school athletics scene in the UK is at nowhere near this level. Our national championships attract less than 4000 spectators, and have a cloudy future beyond the next four years when a sponsorship deal with Aviva expires.
Too many schools pay little to no attention to raising athletics standards, or even bothering to raise participation levels, which are at their lowest levels for 15 years. While the idea that schools don't offer competitive athletics because 'somebody loses and everyone should be a winner' is nonsense (like much of the 'PC gone mad' stories we hear), it is certainly true that events such as sports days, once the staple of school athletics, have in many cases become little more than gimics.
While county and regional events still exist, their profile is non-existant. There is no mention of them at many schools, and no preparation for them, or setting targets to pupils to compete in them.
From personal experience, another problem is a lack of recognition and support for talented athletes within the school system. I went to a probably below-average state school in the west of Scotland. I was a talented athlete, particularly as a sprinter (100 and 200 metres) and as a high jumper. Without blowing my own trumpet, I was light years ahead of anyone else at my school, I broke easily the current school record in 6 events, and the fact that I had some talent was thus bloody obvious.
And yet, I recieved no real coaching or advice. The P.E. teachers were simply either uninformed about athletics or just uninterested. There seemed to be a culture that's mantra was 'You're pretty good already. Well, keep at it'.
Talented youngsters, unless they go to a school with an athletics focused teacher, live next to a strong local athletics club or fall through the front door of a 'National Centre for Excellence' simply do not recieve adequate coaching to improve their abilities. A side point here is that the facilities available for athletics vary drastically throughout the country, as does the level of national level support and funding.
Scotstounhill: Finally, some good facilities!
Ultimately, youngsters at a young age are just not encouraged to participate in athletics. There is a scientifically quantifiable hypothesis called the 'Rule of 10,000', which says that to be truly excellent at a particular skill, whether it be touch typing, writing fiction, or athletics, you need to put 10,000 hours into practising and refining your skill at it. It is when these 10,000 hours are achieved at a young age that greatness comes. There is a reason that so many of the best footballers come from poor areas of the world, why so many star Boxers, American footballers and NBA basketball players come from 'the Projects'. It is because there is little else to do other than spend hours practicing their chosen sport.
Undisputed champ Riddick Bowe (l), the 12th of 13 children, was brought up in a Brooklyn slum. All Star Carmelo Anthony (r) played basketball in the streets of a Baltimore Project from the age of 8.
Obviously, I am not suggesting that poverty is in some way of benefit to youngsters growing up (it is also true that poorer children, on the whole, simply do not grow as tall and become as strong as they should for example). However, it is certainly evidence in favour of the 'Rule of 10,000'. If we can get those 10,000 hours of practice spread over a child's schooling, then we can maximise their development athletically. Those with talent that does not immediately show itself would have a chance to develop it, and those already exhibiting good ability could refine it and take it to the next level.
With London 2012 not so far away, a change in emphasis is certainly needed so that Britain can be competitive with the rest of the world in the athletics events of our Olympics. Perhaps Seb Coe et al should visit Kingston next year and learn something from the real Champs.
GM
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Headline Acts: Episode 1
Wishful thinking is a common indulgence at Beyond the Cliche Towers (ok, so it's a third floor flat). Sadly, the ground has not yet opened up and swallowed Phil Godman but we can still dream. So now we bring you a new feature, taking some of the main sporting issues of the last week or so and spinning them to create the stories we wished we'd read:
- "Wembley pitch to be used in 2022 Olympics" - 2022 is not a typo. Following James Milner's astonishingly accurate impersonation of Robin Cousins in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final, Lord Coe has hatched a plan to bring the 2022 Winter Olympics to London, "Imagine 80,000 people packing into Wembley to see the pairs free programme" he said, "When you add in the indoor ski slopes in Milton Keynes I reckon we've got it cracked!"
- "Mickelson to use Masters winnings to pay for wife's boob job" - "They're just not up to scratch right now" said Phil after his victory at Augusta
- "Kroenke to relocate Rams to Alaska" - The worst fears of fans of the St. Louis Rams have been realised in the wake of Missouri billionaire Stan Kroenke's attempted takeover. Although it was rumoured that they would be heading back to LA, Kroenke has another more radical theory, "By creating the Anchorage Rams, our players would gain a great homefield advantage as a result of all the cold weather training. This way we could go at least 8-8 every season." Prospective QB Sam Bradford was later seen boarding a plane heading to Seattle.
- "Ade Adepitan in shock Davis Cup call-up" - "He's pretty much British No.2 right now" said new British captain Leon Smith of the former wheelchair basketball star, "the way he glides around the court is a pleasure to watch. And, win or lose, he is guaranteed to keep up team morale with that smile of his".
- "When Fabio's in Row Z and the ball hits his head..." - Bobby Zamora reverts to type in Liverpool stalemate. His newfound confidence saw this particular effort hit with power, but the accuracy was lacking on this occasion. The England boss, impressed with Zamora's Europa League exploits, was kept in University Hospital overnight for observation with suspected concussion as he tried to explain to nearby fans the merits of playing Titus Bramble at sweeper.
Finally, one unlikely headline that did actually happen:
- "Lucas Leiva scores" - No really, he actually got beyond the halfway line for once.
Feel free to add your own suggestions. As you can see from the above examples, political correctness is not essential. The winner will receive 50p off their next shop at Scotmid.
RM
- "Wembley pitch to be used in 2022 Olympics" - 2022 is not a typo. Following James Milner's astonishingly accurate impersonation of Robin Cousins in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final, Lord Coe has hatched a plan to bring the 2022 Winter Olympics to London, "Imagine 80,000 people packing into Wembley to see the pairs free programme" he said, "When you add in the indoor ski slopes in Milton Keynes I reckon we've got it cracked!"
- "Mickelson to use Masters winnings to pay for wife's boob job" - "They're just not up to scratch right now" said Phil after his victory at Augusta
- "Kroenke to relocate Rams to Alaska" - The worst fears of fans of the St. Louis Rams have been realised in the wake of Missouri billionaire Stan Kroenke's attempted takeover. Although it was rumoured that they would be heading back to LA, Kroenke has another more radical theory, "By creating the Anchorage Rams, our players would gain a great homefield advantage as a result of all the cold weather training. This way we could go at least 8-8 every season." Prospective QB Sam Bradford was later seen boarding a plane heading to Seattle.
- "Ade Adepitan in shock Davis Cup call-up" - "He's pretty much British No.2 right now" said new British captain Leon Smith of the former wheelchair basketball star, "the way he glides around the court is a pleasure to watch. And, win or lose, he is guaranteed to keep up team morale with that smile of his".
- "When Fabio's in Row Z and the ball hits his head..." - Bobby Zamora reverts to type in Liverpool stalemate. His newfound confidence saw this particular effort hit with power, but the accuracy was lacking on this occasion. The England boss, impressed with Zamora's Europa League exploits, was kept in University Hospital overnight for observation with suspected concussion as he tried to explain to nearby fans the merits of playing Titus Bramble at sweeper.
Finally, one unlikely headline that did actually happen:
- "Lucas Leiva scores" - No really, he actually got beyond the halfway line for once.
Feel free to add your own suggestions. As you can see from the above examples, political correctness is not essential. The winner will receive 50p off their next shop at Scotmid.
RM
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