For England to draw was far more than a fluke. It halted a run of five heavy defeats in a row. Add a sixth to the list, and losing would no longer have been a habit, but fast becoming an addiction.
They were protesting about Ryanair’s dodgy employment practices. One of their daughters had paid £2500 to be trained up to work for Ryanair, only to be sacked the night before before she started earning. If I were her da’ I’d have been livid, and if I were going to the cricket the next day…
Not even rain can save Australia now. Wake up in Newport under a bright Simpsons’ sky, man of the match award adjudicator Waylon Smithers dithering between giving it to Monty Burns or Montgomery Burns. Maybe Pietersen will catch Smithers’ eye if he reprises Oval 2005.
It could be one of those days. Dull, overcast, rain forcast before lunch, turning to stair-rods with knobs-on at tea. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Girls Write Poetry
“Girls write poetry,
that’s all they’re fit for,
that and shagging,
but probably those who write poetry
aren’t that tasty: slags, bints and whores
to be quite honest with you
I’d rather have a wank
(and to tell you the truth, I often do,
if I can get it up)
“Girls write poetry. Us men,
Us Welshmen, Us Welshmen
from the Valleys who follow [...]
To The Good People at Gates Four and Five
Not the hardest of tasks, perhaps, at first sight
to guide the throng to their appointed places,
scrutineers of belonging and belongings
of pilgrims who close soon their journeys.
An order of friars, orange habits,
forbidden by vows and observance
(with promise of sustenence)
to enjoin and enjoy the pilgrimmage.
Theirs is not the way, [...]
Everyone has a routine going to a cricket match. It usually involves double and treble-checking you’ve already treble-checked – your wallet, keys, mobile, ticket, most of all ticket on your person. This morning I went through this rigmarole so many times you’d have thought I was auditioning for a remake of Rain Man.
four lights, suns beneath the clouds between the skies
four lights, south, north, east, west, encompass the world
Australia 249 for 1 (Katich 104*, Ponting 100*) trail England 435 (Pietersen 69, Collingwood 64, Prior 56, Johnson 3-87, Hauritz 3-95) by 186 runs
Things went better for England then worse. Vice-versa for Australia; the antipodes of expectation, except Australia does rather than qualifies. On the way home I heard a home counties middle-class accent say “It [...]
