The Buzz
Trott run-out scoops photographer global prize
The PA cricket photographer, Gareth Copley, has been announced as the winner of the sports action category in the prestigious World Press Photo contest, after his shot of Jonathan Trott being run out during the 2009 Ashes decider at
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
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The PA cricket photographer, Gareth Copley, has been announced as the winner of the sports action category in the prestigious World Press Photo contest, after his shot of Jonathan Trott being run out during the 2009 Ashes decider at The Oval was deemed the best entry in its category from a field of more than 100,000 photos.
“I knew the results would be announced today, so I looked on the internet, checked my emails and saw this,” a shocked Copley told the British Journal of Photography.
A regular member of the touring England press pack, Copley was named as the SJA British Sports Photographer of the Year back in 2007, but until today his real claim to fame was his jinx-like tendencies on overseas tours. Until their victory at Durban this winter, England had never won an away Test match when Copley had been sat on the boundary.
According to the SJA newsblog, the judges awarded prizes to 63 photographers from 23 countries, after spending two weeks reviewing a record 101,960 photographs by 5,847 photographers, from 128 different nations.
Full postFred Trueman ale
Cricketers have had all sorts of things named after them – grounds, stands, traffic signals, and now ale
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Cricketers have had all sorts of things named after them – grounds, stands, traffic signals, and now ale. The first pint of Trueman Ale was pulled at Skipton’s Copper Dragon brewery by former international umpire Dickie Bird, who said his old pal Fred would have “wholeheartedly approved” of an ale being named after him. The request to have ale named after Trueman was made to the brewery boss by Fred’s wife, Veronica.
“If Fred had been here he’d have enjoyed himself. Fred, my old pal, wherever you are this is for you. Cheers,” Dickie Bird said, before taking his first sip.
Full postLara robbed of cash, jewellery and Beyoncé tickets
Legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara has been robbed of cash, jewellery and several personal belongings – including more than 40 VVIP tickets for the Beyoncé concert to be held later this month at the Queen's Park Savannah – with a combined value
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
Legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara has been robbed of cash, jewellery and several personal belongings – including more than 40 VVIP tickets for the Beyoncé concert to be held later this month at the Queen's Park Savannah – with a combined value of $1 million. The items were in a safe which was removed from Lara’s home. Lara also lost the honorary 'Order of Australia' which was bestowed on him by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Port-of-Spain last year.
Six people have since been arrested for the theft from his Lady Chancellor mansion, with police believing it to have been an inside job. “It has to be people who knew exactly where to go, and they knew what they were looking for...They timed him very well before making their move,” a police source was quoted as saying by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.
The theft was discovered during the early hours of Wednesday morning by Lara. Astonishingly, it appears the safe was stolen while he was asleep in another room in the house. Lara told investigators that at around 8pm, he was watching television when he fell asleep. He said he got up at around 2am and discovered the safe missing from a bedroom. This is not the first time Lara has suffered at the hands of thieves at his home.
Full postIreland cricket team to 'shave or dye'
The Ireland cricket team are lending their support to the 'Shave or Dye' fundraising campaign launched by Today FM earlier this week
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
The Ireland cricket team are lending their support to the 'Shave or Dye' fundraising campaign launched by Today FM earlier this week. Members of both the team and management will be either shaving or dyeing their hair in aid of the campaign for the Irish Cancer Society. The team are currently in Dubai for the World Twenty20 Qualifiers which takes place from February 9-13.
"It really is a fantastic charity, and we're delighted to be able to support such a worthy cause,” explained Trent Johnston. “Obviously it's a bigger sacrifice for some than others losing their hair! I know Niall and Kevin O'Brien have a few different colours in mind, but I suspect green may be the winner. Their sister Ciara is a bit worried though, as there's a family wedding on March 27 and she isn't thrilled by the prospect of having her wedding album ruined!"
Details of the event, and how to donate can be found here.
Full postThe longest game in history
A group of cricketers in New Zealand took the Trans-Tasman rivalry to a new level, participating in the longest cricket game of all time
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
A group of cricketers in New Zealand took the Trans-Tasman rivalry to a new level, participating in the longest cricket game of all time. Even the timeless Test in 1939 failed to measure up to what a determined bunch from the Cornwall Cricket Club, along with a few extras from Greenlane and Ellerslie, achieved; they went past the record of 66 hours and 16 minutes, set by an Australian team, to raise funds for the Starship Foundation, a children’s health initiative. And they're not done yet, for they're aiming for 100 hours.
Twenty-four players took part in the monumental feat, breaking the record at 4.14am on Wednesday. The 100-hour mark will be reached on early Thursday. It’s not the first time Cornwall Cricket Club has undertaken this ardous task. They were the record-holders in 2008, playing for 55 hours, before their neighbours overtook them. “We’ve got unfinished business. The last time we did it for 55 hours and we could have kept on going. We’ve got a bit of an alliance going on. It’s us verses the Aussies,” Mike Butler, a participant from the club, was quoted as saying on New Zealand Cricket website. “It’s a real relief to have reached that 66 hour mark this morning."
How do the teams of 12 cope? They fight the heavens, dirty themselves in the rain, take turns to eat and sleep and use a special ball and light machines to battle it out. “The weather has been friendly to us except for Monday when the heavens opened and flooded the ground! But we were out there between overs trying to clear the water,” Butler said. “We also use a special ball so we can see it at night. We’ve got light machines to help us see at night. It’s no MCG but it does the job!”
All for a noble cause.
Full post785,300 smokes later, Doug Walters declares
The stories of Doug Walters’ smoking habits are almost as legendary as those of his batting
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
The stories of Doug Walters’ smoking habits are almost as legendary as those of his batting. He wouldn’t go out anywhere without four packets of cigarettes on hand, and once on tour had a tailor make him a jacket with four pockets just to carry his load. He sometimes lit up a smoke and left it burning in the ashtray in the change-rooms before he went out to bat, just in case he didn’t last long.
He reckons he’d average 50 cigarettes a day but if he’d got up early, it could have been as many as 70 or 80. It was a habit that began 43 years ago thanks to a combination of working for a cigarette company and getting free rations, and army boot camp. But after an estimated 785,300 smokes since the 1960s, Walters has given cigarettes the flick thanks to laser therapy.
"When I was lying there I thought, gee I can't wait till this is over and I can get downstairs to have a smoke," Walters told the Sunday Telegraph. "Then I got downstairs and didn't really feel like one so I told myself, 'I'll wait till I get up to the bus stop.' (Walters had caught the bus to the city to avoid traffic.) Then I said, 'I'll wait till I get home.' But it never happened; I just never felt like one again."
But the other vices for which Walters is famous – having a drink and a bet on the horses – remain part of his life. "I'm not getting any treatment for beer and I still like a bet,” Walters said, “but now I can afford to put on a few more.”
Full postOnions' legendary bat to be auctioned
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
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Graham Onions’ nickname was changed from ‘Bunny’ to ‘Legend’ after his heroic batting efforts on England’s recent tour of South Africa, and now the 2lb 7oz Woodworm bat that he used to defy South Africa, twice, is going to be auctioned to raise money for the soldiers’ Help For Heroes.
“I’ll miss that bat,” Onions told The Mail on Sunday. “It was the best bat I’ve ever used… an absolute beauty. Probably wasted on me, if truth be told. But I’m very pleased to put it up for auction for Help For Heroes.”
It is the only bat Onions has used in his short Test career, but has already seen some serious combat. He used it to make a career-best 17 not out on his Ashes debut at Lord’s last summer, and this winter it withstood Makhaya Ntini, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn and went through a Test series against South Africa unbeaten, with scores of 4*, 1*,2*, 4* and 0*.
Full postInsulin, supersonic flight and Twenty20
We have all become used to the hyperbole of most press releases, but Cricket Canada's interim president Ranjit Saini raised the bar to a new level with a message to the media surrounding the streaming of a Twenty20 match between Canada and Sri Lanka
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
We have all become used to the hyperbole of most press releases, but Cricket Canada's interim president Ranjit Saini raised the bar to a new level with a message to the media surrounding the streaming of a Twenty20 match between Canada and Sri Lanka A.
"We at Cricket Canada are now getting ready to move forward and take the leap of faith and welcome the entire cricket world to land and help us grow. We have created a complete world in itself. Canada is a global community and each one of you will feel at home."
And from there Saini really warmed to his task.
"We are a humble and confident society. Innovation and determination are our natural traits. We are a noble nation and a perfect society. We made the first supersonic aircraft of the world, invented insulin and are leaders in robotics. A natural resource rich country that leads peace missions around the globe."
Full postThe snappers' take on England touring life
If you’ve ever wondered what cricket journalists get up to on tour, then boil the kettle, set aside 25 minutes, and observe (with wry bemusement) the antics of Fleet Street’s finest on England’s recent tour of South Africa.
Andrew Miller
25-Feb-2013
If you’ve ever wondered what cricket journalists get up to on tour, then boil the kettle, set aside 25 minutes, and observe (with wry bemusement) the antics of Fleet Street’s finest on England’s recent tour of South Africa.
The men responsible for this fly-on-the-wall documentary are the freelance photographer Phil Brown and PA’s staff snapper Gareth Cpoley [sic] – a double-act who were accurately described as “bonkers” by the former England captain, Michael Vaughan, during one of his commentary stints on Test Match Special.
In the photographers’ alternative view, the average cricket tour involves a lot of crazy golf, a bit of shark-diving, a wide selection of chocolate bars and some pretty ordinary attempts at body-boarding. Enlightening.
Full postOh caption my caption
The picture seemed a sure shot for a caption competition but one Bangladesh national daily put their own spin on it to leave the Bangladesh Cricket Board seething
Kanishkaa Balachandran
25-Feb-2013
The picture seemed a sure shot for a caption competition but one Bangladesh national daily put their own spin on it to leave the Bangladesh Cricket Board seething. The picture showed team captain Shakib Al Hasan kneeling while in conversation with BCB president Mustafa Kamal at a function. The paper's caption said the captain was actually apologising in public for his reaction to Kamal’s earlier comments questioning the team’s commitment after a poor start to the year. Kamal’s comment and Shakib’s reaction occurred during a function to felicitate the team for its wins against West Indies and Zimbabwe last year.
The photo was published on successive days, which only peeved the BCB even more and eventually prompted them to issue a statement clarifying what the conversation was actually about. “The caption of the photo has been written based purely on assumption and was a totally false impression of the actual facts.,” the statement read. “The photo was taken during a conversation between the BCB president and the national team captain and was far from what the caption had indicated." The discussion, it said, was very cordial and at no stage was the captain made to apologise.
The statement did not answer one simple question: Couldn't they just find Shakib a chair?
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