25 June 2022 - WHEN CRICKET'S T20 WAS BORN

 

WHEN CRICKET'S 

T20 WAS BORN

G'day folks,

Faced with dwindling crowd support and falling sponsorship, in 2003 the England Cricket Board were looking around almost desperately for something to reverse their fortunes. 

In response, their marketing manager, Stuart Robertson, proposed a new fast-paced form of the game in which each team would be restricted to 20 overs. The chairmen of the county cricket clubs were sceptical, but voted 11-7 in favour of the idea.

English county teams played the first official Twenty20 matches on 13th June that year, with one of them, Hampshire v Sussex, being shown live on television at 5pm.

An unconvinced Daily Mail commented: “Whoever chose the traditionally unlucky Friday the 13th to launch this bold format had better hope there is nothing to the superstition.

For cricket cannot afford to fail with a new tournament that the authorities hope will tonight attract a whole new audience and revitalise the game.

At just 20 overs apiece, this breakneck, knock-out game is all done in three hours. What on earth would W. G. Grace have thought?

We will never know how the legendary Mr Grace would have reacted, but the rest of the cricketing world enthusiastically embraced the new format, complete with its American-style cheerleaders, flame-throwers and wild celebrations.

It all led in 2007 to the first T20 World Cup (officially the ICC World Twenty20), a fast and furious knock-out contest between 16 international teams.

Many of the wildly enthusiastic supporters might agree with playwright Harold Pinter who once said: “I tend to think that cricket is the greatest thing that God ever created on Earth – certainly greater than sex, although sex isn’t too bad either.”

 

 

22 September 2018 - EVER PLAYED MOTOR BALL?

EVER PLAYED

 MOTOR BALL?

G'day folks,

We've just had the World Cup, but here's something similar that used to be very popular.

Not to rag on the World Cup or anything, but why run after a football when you can just drive towards it on a motorbike? Well that’s the spirit of Motor-ball, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. All you need to play is 1) a huge inflatable ball, 2) a bike of some kind, and 3) the need for speed… and maybe 4) a death wish.

The jury’s out on how it started. Some trace it to 1930s France, where they call it Moto-ball others say it was started by the Worcester Motor-ball Club in 1934. Regardless, at its peak in the mid-century there were teams all across Europe and even Russia. The sport’s still out there today, but remains rather niche.

“You can dribble or kick with either foot, but you’ve got to keep your eyes peeled,” reported British Pathé at a British game in 1964, “The veterans [have] 250cc racing bikes,” and each team has two players on stand-bye because, well, getting punted in the face is not uncommon (hence the helmets). You can also spot a Motor-Baller by his or her knee-high boots, which protect from chaffing and high-speed contact as they try to nestle the 40 cm wide ball in front of their foot.

Clancy's comment: I'd sure give it a go. Would you?

I'm ...

21 April 2018 - DEATH DIVING IN NORWAY

 DEATH DIVING

 IN NORWAY

G'day folks,

 When jumping off a diving board, a belly flop is not the outcome most people are looking for, but for those competing in the crazy Norwegian sport of Dødsing, hitting the water belly first is a risk that comes with the territory.

Dødsing, or “Death Diving”, is a Norwegian extreme sport that has daredevils jumping from a 10-meter-high board with their arms and legs spread out in an x-formation. The goal is to keep the pose for as long as possible and curl your body slightly right before hitting the water to prevent injuries. At the World Dødsing Championship, a wacky competition held every summer since 2008, the diver who manages to remain flat the longest during their jump is pronounced the winner.

But there are plenty of fearless dødsing divers at the world championship, so in order to determine the winner, judges also take into account other factors, such as the speed, height and power of the jump, the originality of the jumping style and the spray produced when hitting the water.

The painful-looking sport is believed to have been invented during the 1960’s, at the famous Frognerbadet pool complex in Oslo, probably by a bunch of kids trying to show off in front of their friends. The first ever dødsing championship was a small affair, with just six divers and about a dozen spectators, but after the founding of Det internasjonale dødseforbundet (The International Dødsing Association) in 2011, its popularity grew exponentially. These days, the World Dødsing Championship held at Frognerbadet is a big event, featuring close to 100 divers and thousands of spectators.

It’s no surprise that the popularity of has begun spreading across Europe in recent years. It is, after all, a fun sport to watch, as confirmed by the thousands of spectators gathering every year to see who can make the biggest splash. It’s fun for the divers as well, although they admit that coming out of the pool with a few bruises is to be expected, as well.

Clancy's comment: I might try it. Are you ready? Here I go ...

I'm ...