Monday, November 27, 2006

England's Ashes Heroes

To remind us that there are/were some decent English cricketers...

Ian Botham (1955-)

Somerset, Worcestershire, Durham, Queensland and England

The Ashes series of 1981 is known as ‘Botham’s Ashes’, a testament to the all-rounder’s heroics in that series. A character whose personality, charisma and talent would ensure his name would appear on the front pages as well as the back, Botham raised his game in particular against the old enemy Australia.

For instance in his 1977 debut the 21 year-old caught the first wicket to fall before claiming five victims with the ball, the first of which was Australian captain Greg Chappell. His right-arm fast bowling proved a constant thorn in the sides of successive Australian skippers, as he dismissed both Kim Hughes and Allan Border a dozen times.

Botham’s batting, which was equally as talismanic, was epitomized at Headingley 1981. After stepping-down as England captain having recorded a pair of ducks at Lord’s, Botham’s swashbuckling batting (50 and 149*) turned the tide of the Headingley Test and, consequently, the whole series. As a slip fielder Botham caught 57 of his 120 Test catches versus Australia.

Ashes record 1977-1989

Batting Matches: 36 Innings: 59 Runs: 1673 Highest score: 149* Centuries: 4 Average: 29.35
Bowling Overs: 1360.1 Maidens: 297 Runs: 4093 Wickets: 148 Best bowling: 6-78 Average: 27.65
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William Gilbert (WG) Grace (1848-1915)

Gloucestershire and England

Considering he played his cricket in an era of poor pitches and limited preparation, Grace, a doctor by trade, was a cricketing phenomenon. Making his Test match debut at the age of 32, Grace found the step up in class no sweat against Australia, scoring 152.

Grace was also the first English captain to surrender the urn when England lost in 1891/92, which was his only overseas series.

Ashes record 1882-1899

Batting Matches: 20 Innings: 32 Runs: 901 Highest score: 170 Centuries: 1 Average: 29.06
Bowling Overs: 116.5 Maidens: 55 Runs: 168 Wickets: 6 Best bowling: 2-12 Average: 28.00
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Sir Jack Hobbs (1882-1963)

Surrey and England

Jack Hobbs was England's best batsman for nearly 30 years following his Test debut in 1905. Along with Herbert Sutcliffe Hobbs formed what is widely regarded as the best opening partnership in the game.

Hobbs scored more runs than any other Englishman in Ashes matches. Also he is the most successful foreign batsman at both Melbourne and Adelaide, and three of his eight centuries in the 1911/12 golden tour, were scored at these grounds. The scores, including his highest Test score of 187, came in successive matches, a feat he equalled in 1924/25.

Ashes record 1908-1930

Batting Matches: 41 Innings: 71 Runs: 3636 Highest score: 187 Centuries: 12 Average: 54.26
Bowling Overs: 19 Maidens: 5 Runs: 53 Wickets: 0 Best bowling: 0-11 Average: N/A
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Jim Laker (1922-1986)

Surrey, Auckland, Essex and England

Jim Laker, one of the finest off-spinners in the history of cricket, first played for England on tour to the West Indies in 1948, taking nine wickets on his debut.

Despite the initial success it took Laker some time to claim a regular Test place, in particular after being heavily punished by the Australians in the summer of 1948.

Laker's greatest achievement came eight years later in 1956 when he claimed 46 Australian Test wickets averaging 9.60, an Ashes record. Laker’s series included another memorable record that seems unlikely to be broken - he took 19 wickets for 90 at Old Trafford, including all 10 in the second innings.

Ashes record 1948-1959

Batting Matches: 15 Innings: 23 Runs: 277 Highest score: 63 Centuries: 0 Average: 14.58
Bowling Overs: 625.4 Maidens: 204 Runs: 1444 Wickets: 79 Best bowling: 10-53 Average: 18.28
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Harold Larwood (1904-1995)

Nottinghamshire and England
Having made his Test debut in 1926, taking six wickets against Australia, fast-bowler Harold Larwood would go on to become one of the leading proponents of the 1932 ‘Bodyline’ tour. Captain Douglas Jardine saw in Larwood the perfect intimidatory weapon as he ordered him to bowl fast and leg-sided against Australia.

Larwood, although taking 33 wickets during this series, inflamed the Australian public and authorities alike by injuring Bill Woodfull and Bertie Oldfield from short-pitched deliveries in Adelaide.

On his return to England, Larwood was told to sign a letter of apology. The scapegoat refused and never played another Test.

Ashes record 1926-1933

Batting Matches: 15 Innings: 22 Runs: 386 Highest score: 98 Centuries: 0 Average: 19.30
Bowling Overs: 675.3 Maidens: 120 Runs: 1912 Wickets: 64 Best bowling: 6-32 Average: 29.88
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Ashes – Greatest England victories

Something to chew over - and make all Englishmen feel a tad better after England's poor showing in the first Test in Brisbane, which ended in Australia winning by 277 runs. Ouch!

December 11-17 1903
Sydney, 1st Test

England won by five wickets

RE Foster made a world record score of 287 on his debut and helped England to 577 all out, then the highest total in Test cricket. In the process he became the first man to share three century partnerships in one innings, the last of which - the 10th wicket with Wilfred Rhodes - remains an English record to this day. _____________________________________________________________________________________

February 9-13 1912
Melbourne, 4th Test

England won by an innings and 225 runs

Having won the toss, England bowlers Sydney Barnes and Frank Foster tore into the Aussies, sharing nine wickets between them. England's opening batsmen, Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes, took the match beyond their hosts with a near faultless first-wicket partnership of 323 - then a world record. After posting a mammoth total of 589 it was a matter of if, rather than when, Australia would subside. England regained the Ashes with a highly convincing performance.
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January 13-19 1933
Adelaide, 3rd Test

England won by 338 runs

The third Test of the ‘Bodyline’ series saw Douglas Jardine’s England being branded as ‘a disgrace to cricket’ by Wisden. Quick bowler Harold Larwood injured Aussie captain Bill Woodfull (chest) and Bertie Oldfield (cracked skull), and with Australian morale at a low ebb, England took control.
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February 12- 17 1971
Sydney, 7th Test

England won by 62 runs

Having had the third match rained off the only seventh Test in Ashes history was played to decide the series. After a contentious bouncer by England quick bowler John Snow cut Terry Jenner’s head the game was nearly abandoned. Much to the disgust of Captain Ray Illingworth, Snow was warned by the umpire, only to be manhandled on the boundary by a disgruntled drunken spectator. With beer cans being thrown onto the ground, Illingworth marched his team from the field only to be warned by the umpires that victory would be forfeited to the hosts if England did not return. On the resumption, England set Australia a testing target and the match was delicately poised with Australia requiring 100 runs with five wickets remaining when Illingworth had Greg Chappell stumped. Australia's tail collapsed and Illingworth, having led his team off three days earlier, was chaired off in triumph having regained the Ashes.
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16-21 July 1981
Headingley, 3rd Test

England won by 18 runs

England’s unbelievable, Ian Botham inspired, victory after following-on was one of the most exciting cricket matches ever. Against odds of 500/1, with Australia leading the series after two Tests, England were forced to follow-on 227 runs behind. England, reduced to 135 for 7 wickets, produced a second innings of 356, with Botham smashing an unbeaten 149. Chasing 130, Australia were dismissed for 111, with a devastating spell of 8–43 by Bob Willis giving England a miraculous victory.
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Sunday, November 12, 2006

Leeds Wise up as Blake sparkles

Championship

Leeds 3 Colchester 0

Blake 36, 52 (pen)
Cresswell 48

Elland Road

11/11/06

The Uniteds of Leeds and Colchester met in the league on Saturday for the first time in their history, such has been the ascent of little Colchester and the decline of the once so mighty Leeds. Their recent reversal in fortunes had many Colchester fans dreaming of a repeat of the 1971 FA Cup shock, when they slew Don Revie’s giants 3-2. However, despite the crisis talk at Elland Road, Dennis Wise’s Leeds - placed second from bottom before kick-off - ensured that traditional order was retained, if only for one match, by winning 3-0 at Elland Road.

It has been four games now since the Leeds Chairman, Ken Bates, brought in his former Chelsea players Wise and Gustavo Poyet to manage and help right his plummeting club. Crowds at home have been down - only 17,687 turned up yesterday, less than half of the 42,000 capacity - morale has been rock bottom, and relegation to English football's third tier for the first time in the proud club's history is a very real possibility.

When Wise arrived last month, he instructed his players to be “a bit like the Leeds of before, who were horrible.” At home, at least, it’s starting to work. After stamping his authority, and ringing the changes, Wise’s team played with determination and pride.

It took 36 minutes for Leeds to make the most of their superior possession. Robbie Blake had wasted good chances earlier in a scrappy first half, yet it was the roaming right-midfielder who latched onto a through-ball by captain Shaun Derry and slalomed through a slow Colchester midfield before drilling his left-foot shot from the outside of the area into the bottom right-hand corner, passed Aidan Davison’s groping hand.

One nil at halftime was turned into three nil within seven minutes of the second half. At the far post Richard Cresswell could not help but nod in his first of the season following Eddie Lewis’s inviting cross from the left. In spite of the driving rain, the Leeds fans were beginning to glow.

Cresswell was then adjudging to have been fouled in the area by John White according to referee Mike Jones. Up stepped Blake, and he coolly chipped the ball into the centre of the goal as Davison dived to his right.

The finish was the gloss on a very confident Leeds performance, and knocked the stuffing out of Colchester. “It does blow you out of the water when we say ‘let’s look for a positive start to the second half’ and you concede two goals,” admitted manager Geraint Williams.

Conversely Wise was pleased with his team’s performance. “I think they played well and played with confidence and they looked solid,” he said, saving special praise for Blake. “Since I’ve come here, Robbie’s been our little gem,” Wise gushed. “He gets in those positions where he can hurt people.”

And hurt the unlucky Colchester he did. Aside from the questionable penalty decision, they hit the post late on through substitute Jamie Guy, and even had a Jamie Cureton goal disallowed. Referee Jones held his hands up apologetically as he pulled Colchester back for an attacking free kick.

However Williams did not feel hard done by. “That’s our worse performance of the season,” he suggested. “We weren’t quite at the races and didn’t perform.”

Of the two Uniteds, it was Leeds who were more cohesive on the day. Two wins out of two at home for Dennis Wise’s team might tempt the crowds back to Elland Road, but it’s away from home where the fight against relegation will be won or lost.

Match rating: 7 out of 10

Attendance:
17,678

Teams:

Leeds:


Stack; Foxe, Kilgallon, Heath, Crainey; Blake (booked 57), Derry © (booked 29), Douglas, Lewis (Westlake 76); Creswell (Beckford 90), Horsfield (Moore 62)
Unused substitutes: Warner, Johnson

Colchester:

Davison; White (Jones 60), Brown, Baldwin, Barker; Duguid © (booked 32), Jackson, Izzet (booked 24), McLeod; Cureton, Iwelumo (Guy 70)
Unused substitutes: Gerken, Elokobi, Richards

Referee:M Jones (Cheshire)

Man of the match: Robbie Blake

The 30-year-old forward doubled his season goal tally with his brace. His chipped penalty oozed a confidence which spread through his team.

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

The Guardian Unlimited: sports report
Chelsea hand veteran 'keeper Magnus Hedman trial spell. Click HERE.

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The Guardian Unlimited: sport report
Michael Campbell, Padraig Harrington and Marc Warren ride high in Shanghai, while distracted Tiger Woods languishes. Click HERE to view.

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The Guardian Unlimited: sports report
FA to investigate betting allegations. Click HERE to view.

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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

The Guardian Unlimited: The Knowledge, 8 November 2006.

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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

The Guardian Unlimited: sports report
UEFA charge Aaron Hunt over allegations of racism. Click HERE to view.

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Friday, November 03, 2006

The Guardian Unlimited: sports report
Selwyn Bennett resigns as chairman of the NZRL after 'granny gate'. Click HERE to see the report.

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Thursday, November 02, 2006

The Guardian Unilimited, sports report:
Jose Antonio Reyes doesn't want to return to the Premiership. Click HERE to view.

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Wednesday, November 01, 2006

The Guardian Unlimited Sports team's Knowledge: Rubbish goalkeepers subbed before half-time: Click HERE to view.

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Guardian Unimited, sports reports 1 November 2006:

- Milan Mandaric bids for Leicester City. Click HERE to view the article.

- UEFA reject Nikola Mijailovic's appeal. Click HERE.

- Australia power into ICC final, beating New Zealand by 34 runs. Click HERE.

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