100% Weekend

The firsts travelled to Blackwood through the driving rain to be greeted with a wicket that held more of a resemblance to a swamp than a cricket pitch. With rain in the air, the start was delayed and a 33 over match scheduled to start at 3 o clock. Sam Docherty won the toss and predictably decided to have a bowl at Blackwood. Penarth’s openers bowled poorly on a seamer-friendly wicket and Blackwood found themselves 50 for no wicket after 9 overs. Spin was introduced in the form of Richard Skone and Mike Provis which started the landslide. Only opener Simon Davies made any runs of note with an aggressive 34 as the home team slumped to 102 all out. The wickets were shared around between Richard Skone and the best left arm bowlers in the league in Mike Provis and leading wicket taker Mark Thomas.

Penarth made very light work of the target with an opening stand of 74 before Matt Thomas was out for 37 having batted majestically. Mike Provis carried his bat for a very fine 54 while Nick Morgan finished proceedings as he registered 12 not out. Penarth won by 9 wickets.

The seconds meanwhile had an even easier time of it at The Athletic Field as the first team witnessed Blackwood’s second team arriving back with their tails between their legs at 17:30! On another wet wicket, Blackwood won the toss and decided to have a bat, which surprised skipper Dave Stevens so much that he felt the need to ask his opposite number why. His repost, “we don’t fancy chasing 300”. Unsurprisingly, Blackwood were bowled out for 88 with Matt Birch doing most of the damage with 10 overs 4 for 20 showing once again that he’s too good to be playing 4^th team cricket.

The second half of the contest was just as one-sided with the home team knocking the runs off comfortably. The only wicket to fall was that of Rob Jones for 16 while leading run scorer James Erasmus and the deadly Andrew Sims both finished 37 not out. Penarth replicating the first team with a 9 wicket victory.

The 3^rd team played host to Radyr at The Athletic Field which now boasts a fully white pavilion thanks to the able hands of James Davies. Stand-in skipper Steve Newman lost the toss and his team were put in to bat. Amassing 238 was a superb effort thanks mainly to the reliable Conrad Adams who fell for 84. He was supported by the in-form Tom Cole (30) and the newly wed Richard Bromiley (22*) who made his maiden appearance for the Bears this season.

In reply, Radyr looked to be well in control of the game until the irresistible Steve Newman rolled back the years with an imperious spell of bowling which saw him finish with figures of 6 for 38. Zeeshan did the rest with 2 for 34 and Radyr could only manage 216-9 off their allotted overs despite fine performances by Duncan Miller and Phil Haines who scored 75 and 57 respectively. The celebrations went well on into the night at the club with the cocktail and casino night proving to be a success, Tom Sidford and Morgan Humphreys the sharks on the evening, let’s hope they both can transform their form on the roulette table to the cricket field!

There was a feast of cricket Sunday as the Second XI hosted Pentyrch in a league fixture and the elite of the club were professionally representing the club at the St Fagans sixes tournament. At the Athletic field, Dave Stevens maintained his 100% weekend record of losing the toss and more conventionally, the visitors decided to bowl. Penarth finished the innings on 211-9 with Matt Thomas looking good again for his 75, James Erasmus with a watchful 45 and Andrew Sims with a murderous 32.

Pentyrch were the victims of some very useful bowling and never really looked like threatening the required target. The eventually reached 180-9 from their 50 overs with Peter Ingram producing a magnificent spell of 10 overs 4 for 20, Robert Crimp took 3-33 after shaking off the cosmopolitan’s and the very promising Ryan Todd taking 2 for 15, proving that Andy Jones’ youth section is producing the goods for the senior set-up.

Meanwhile, in the land of the goat, Tom Sidford gathered his merry men and were eventually beaten by a very aggressive Pontypridd (who had called upon the services of a celebrity in the form of Alan from The Hangover) in the semi-final. The day started brilliantly with the Bears beating Tondu in swashbuckling fashion. Batting first, Penarth registered 109 from their 5 overs and then bowled out the opposition for a measly 23. Regulation wins against Dinas Powys and St Fagans saw the Bears top the group and were being dubbed as heavy favourites to win the tournament by the neutral spectators. The semi-final draw saw Penarth draw Pontypridd on the first team pitch whilst Tondu and Bridgend caught a taxi to the far pitch to commence battle. Tom Sidford familiarly failed on the big stage with a 2^nd ball duck and Penarth could only muster 52. Penarth made a solid start with Gareth Davies’ first over going for just 5, but Andrew Collins took a liking to the bowling and began to pepper Van Os’ famous shed and the damage was done. A great day had by all and evidence that alcohol can have an adverse effect on performance was proven by St Fagans’ profit made from Thatchers Gold.

All the best to the touring party who ascend on Bournemouth this week on what we’re sure will be a quiet couple of days by the seaside.

Test of Time

This time, two years ago, England were preparing for an eagerly anticipated home Ashes test series. Cardiff was controversially chosen as the venue for the 1st test ahead of the traditional scene for the opening match, the home of cricket, Lords. There was much debate surrounding the decision, with many ex-players, current players and officials voicing their displeasure of The Swalec Stadium being awarded its first test match. Legendary Aussie spinner Shane Warne claimed that the decision to play the opener at Sophia Gardens was a ‘disgrace’ and the venue wouldn’t generate excitement. Sir Ian Botham and Nasser Hussain, too, questioned the credibility of the decision to bestow Wales with their first ever test match experience. The reason the England and Wales Cricket Board chose to make this high profile decision is known only to those who made it. It could well have been to try give England a winning start to the series given the Australians’ poor record at Sophia Gardens having lost to Bangladesh there in 2005. That, coupled with England’s awful track record against the old enemy at Lords. Before 2009, England hadn’t beaten Australia for 75 years which may have added to the reasons to hold the inaugural match of the series.

All these questions and queries, however, were completely blown out of the water when Cardiff hosted one of the great survivals in cricketing history. Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar played centre stage on the sold out fifth day, holding on for 40 minutes to force a draw when an Australian victory seemed imminent. The match was an undoubted success and Cardiff had held its own as a venue despite the sceptics’ constant chuntering. Sophia Gardens was hailed as a 1st class test venue and all the doubters had been silenced.

Two years on, and the doubters and sceptics seem to have been proved right. Cardiff’s second test was always going to be a tough follow up to the Goliath-proportioned 2009 package. The comparatively David-proportioned Sri Lankan match proved to be just that, somewhat insignificant. Whereas David prospered in the fable, this time he fought rather pathetically for 5 days punching and kicking at Goliath’s ankle until he eventually collapsed into a damp, lifeless heap and rolled into the Taff.

The sad thing is, the fifth and final day against the Sri Lankans provided the audience with one of the best days of cricket in living memory. Andrew Strauss declared with England’s first innings score on 496-5 and the Sri Lankans slumped to 82 all out in their second innings to hand England the most unlikely of victories. The reason that it was such a sorry day for Welsh cricket in particular was that these phenomenal, once-in-a-lifetime scenes were only witnessed by 922 people inside the 15,000+ stadium.

The first test match at the Swalec Stadium saw Glamorgan make a healthy 7-figure profit when England played out a draw against the Australians. Their most recent venture into the world of test cricket was a considerably tamer affair. The Welsh county are still paying back the £2.5m to the ECB that they bid in order to host the game. Unsurprisingly, the county recorded a sizeable loss during the 5 days of over £1m due to their hapless ability to sell the test to the Welsh public. This has added to their inability to pay their way and has cost them the right to host the 2012 test match against the West Indies.

There are many factors as to why the stadium was packed so sparsely throughout the test. The weather was typically atrocious, the Sri Lankans aren’t deemed as an attractive side to go and watch (and the majority of their batsmen’s strike rates justified that) and those that had been to the Ashes test match greeted this one with the mentality of ‘been there, done that’. Truthfully, the underlying factor is that Glamorgan as a county is so poorly followed that they don’t have a regular stream of bodies coming through the turnstiles. These home fans would usually make up the majority of the numbers at international matches, but there aren’t any. Somerset fill their ground at Taunton on every occasion. 8,000 packed into the modest arena which creates an atmosphere that would drag people back and this is even at £25 a ticket. Glamorgan are lucky to get a thousand in their ground, and with an ocean of empty blue seats making up the rest of the audience, the sight is nothing short of embarrassing.

In a strange way, it’s a good thing that the test match has been stripped from the county. Why? Because it will force the county to look at their own team and fixtures to generate revenue. In recent years, Glamorgan’s pedigree has been seriously questioned and with every justification. Their Cardiff City-esque finish to last season’s county championship season meant another season playing against Gloucestershire and Derbyshire (their fellow slagheap teams). Glamorgan’s one-day game is laughable achieving absolutely nothing and playing some dreadful cricket along the way.

Charging £20 to see a t20 game at Sophia Gardens is nothing short of insulting. The team haven’t come close to the quarter finals of the t20 competition since reaching finals day in 2004 and that year was their last one-day success under Robert Croft. Everybody knows that success breeds followers and whereas there will always be a small minority that will follow a team through thick and thin, in order to drag the fence-sitters in, they need to be successful.

During the off-season, the decision makers at the Swalec made intrepid and gallant changes to the setup which saw both Maynard’s and skipper Jamie Dalrymple leave South Wales. Under Matthew Mott and new skipper Alviro Petersen, not much has changed. They are mid-table in the county championship and are typically way off the pace in the shorter form of the game.

It’s impossible to change things now, but they must look to the 2012 season and they must breed some success. Glamorgan should identify where they are likely to be able to be successful, target and concentrate on it. Additionally, the recruitment team will have to work overdrive to bring in at least one big name. This will help on the field bringing some much needed quality to a dithering team as well as putting some bums on seats.

Although Wales have invested heavily in order to host test matches, it’s vital that these events don’t provide the money that balances the books. They should be an added bonus. The bread and butter of the county game should be the home Glamorgan matches and hopefully this forced shift of impetus will see an improvement in the cricket played in Wales which in turn will produce some company in the stands for the hardened fans that brave the elements to watch the Dragons.

Off-Field Issues

In the light of recent misbehaving by yet another international rugby player, it seems that we have an epidemic of unruly behaviour in the world of rugby union and the problem is visibly magnified in Wales. Mike Phillips was suspended indefinitely by the Welsh Rugby Union following an incident outside a fast food restaurant in Cardiff city centre in the early hours. Although the former Osprey was on an agreed holiday period, he was asked not to report to training with the national squad due to a clear breach of the standards Warren Gatland’s men have set.

With anyone else, it could be argued that it’s a one-off. However, anyone who has seen the 6’3” scrum half out in Cardiff on a night out knows that he’s no angel. He recently dropped the charges for an assault made on him back in October which left him knocked unconscious outside a Mill Lane bar. We’re in no position to say for sure how he gets himself into these positions, but the line “do you know who I am?” is one that the Camarthen-born star has made a bit of a trademark for himself.

The worrying thing is, Phillips is not unique in finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Andy Powell’s most recent antics ended up with the ex Wasps man losing almost two pints of blood following an altercation with Queens Park Rangers fans on a night out in London. This added to the back-rower’s feeble track record that includes the infamous trip he took up the M4 in a buggy following a dramatic victory over Scotland in the 2009 Six Nations Tournament.

Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to write anything about Welsh rugby without mentioning the name that sends a shockwave of fury and excitement from Blackwood to the Beacons of Brecon, not Haldane Luscombe but Gavin Henson. Since taking his sabbatical from rugby 21 months ago, he’s been nothing short of a desperate cry for attention. When he closed the rugby door following his departure from the Ospreys he found himself opening a door to a room full of like-minded individuals. Such creatures go by the names of Jodie Marsh, Kerry Katona, Paris Hilton and Chantelle from big brother but to name a few. Luckily for everyone involved in rugby it looked as if he’d finally decided to concentrate on the one thing that he was put on earth to do (because let’s be honest, there’s not much prospect for him as an academic). Saracens had offered him a reprieve and a chance to play rugby and be a father at the same time. A month after his debut, he was in the South of France allegedly beating up his team-mates on nights out. Needless to say he wasn’t offered a full time contract and he’s now, once again, looking for someone who is willing to work with his given his wretched history of being a nob.

Of course, these players aren’t alone in getting themselves into trouble off the pitch. There are plenty of non-Welsh examples of disciplinary problems. Danny Cipriani, Matt Stevens and the Bath drug trio Alex Crocket, Michael Lipman and Andrew Higgins are just a few recent examples of this. It’s very rare, though, that you hear of Dan Carter, Quade Cooper, Richie McCaw and co involved in a booze-fuelled fracas, so why is it becoming a regular occurrence in the home nations?

The media in this country doesn’t help by scrutinizing players’ off-field antics, but the players are their own worst enemies the majority of the time. The players know that the goldfish-bowl environment they find themselves in requires them to act whiter than white on and off the field. It was argued that the South Wales goldfish-bowl was the reason for the rebellious nature of the players’ actions. However, it took one career move of notorious wild-boy Andy Powell to prove that this is just not the case.

Gone are the days that international rugby stars socialize with supporters following games. The pre-professional era allowed this. Players weren’t contracted to behave in a certain manner, they were just rugby players that fought hard for club or country for 80 minutes, showered up and had a beer, much like the rest of us. The game has changed infinitely since 1995, which has led to the elite being very isolated. In bygone years, bumping into an international rugby superstar in the local pub was nothing out of the ordinary. Nowadays, spotting a famous face in a social environment triggers a frenzy of camera phones and a bombardment of praise or abuse. With the amount of rugby played in a season, these social outings are limited for the elite level sportsmen. Perhaps this is half the problem in that if they do go out, they go out all guns blazing because they don’t know when their next drink is going to be.

Of course, this isn’t a defence for the minority of players that do go over the top and end up with their face in a Queen Street/Fat Bouncer sandwich. There is a licence for us to go out and do as we please, these people are being paid to play rugby and with that comes a responsibility off the field.

Rugby is becoming increasingly professional with every season, but it’s vitally important that the sport doesn’t forget its roots. In order for the game to move forward, it must look back. Coaches, physiotherapists, analysts and the rest of the laptop crew are developing their skills year on year which is being passed onto their playing staff. Unfortunately in doing so, the rich history and tradition of the game is being left further and further behind. Socially, a lot could be learned from the past players and the way that they go about their business when they step off the field.

One of the great claims rugby union has is that it is constantly compared to other sports, and in many facets, it comes top of the class. Ground atmosphere, respect for officials, respect for opposition for example are areas that we, as rugby fans, can hold our heads high. For socializing, we used to be right up there too, but over the last few years rugby has started to slide down the pecking order. It’s by no means a crisis, but if something isn’t done to nip it in the bud, it’s a matter of time until a rugby player turns up at the training ground and shoots a work experience student with an air rifle.

Hook, Line and Sinker

So this week confirmed the final details of Wales’ biggest export. James Hook had previously stated that he’d be leaving The Liberty Stadium at the end of the 2010/11 season, but his final destination had yet to be established. He had originally been linked with the Cardiff Blues in the summer after their outside-half berth had been left vacant when Sam Norton-Knight(mare) moved from the club having (extremely) unsuccessfully deputised after the departure of Nicky Robinson in 2009. When talks amounted to nothing within Wales, clubs outside of the land of the leek showed their interest. Leicester, Harlequins, Toulouse, Biarritz and Toulon all expressed their want for him, but the likely winners were always going to be Perpignan. With Nicholas Laharrague, Thomas Bosc and Manny Edmonds sharing the number 10 shirt in the South of France, Hook has been promised regular rugby at outside-half, a position he has publicly spoken of his desire to play at the Ospreys.

The mule-like stubbornness of the Ospreys coaching staff has essentially cost them their most skilful and all-round footballer. Sean Holley and Scott Johnson have reiterated their beliefs that Hook is better suited to the 12 or 13 shirt, which has riled many rugby fans in Wales and further a field. The constant selection of Dan Biggar at 10 is somewhat similar to a fire alarm singing its tune when you’re trying to butter your slightly browned toast. The Ospreys academy product is an undoubted talent for a 19 year-old, but nevertheless, he is still a teenager. Hook had barely turned 24 when the Ospreys management began looking for a fresh-faced number 10 to replace him. It’s a mystery to many why he hasn’t been employed at 10 more often for region or country. Of his 44 Welsh caps, only 13 of them have been at fly-half and the ratio is even less compared with this season’s statistics with his region.

The fact that James Hook isn’t playing regular rugby at 10 has sparked comment from a number of past and present players. Phil Bennett stated:

“James has had to move with Wales and the Ospreys into the centre or sometimes to full-back and has become a bit of a utility player. I think he needs to be the star man. When you look at the recent great international teams, who are their star men? For New Zealand it's Dan Carter and Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper for Australia (playing at outside-half).”

This lack of game-time at fly-half is made all the more staggering by the fact that he was the 1^st choice 10 when Wales won the grand slam in the 2008 Six Nations Championship. Scoring 44 points along the way and only missing with one kick, the then 22-year-old was already being hailed as the latest product of the ‘Welsh Outside-Half Factory’. Staggeringly barring Marty Holah, Justin Marshall and Filo Tiatia the remaining 13 Ospreys took the field in the opening game of the tournament against England at Twickenham. At this time, he was starring for the Ospreys at fly-half having made a big impression playing for in the Principality Premiership with Neath RFC. Since then, the boy from Baglan has found himself out wider at 12, 13, 15 and sometimes in the distant, bitter 21 and 22 shirts. His versatility has probably cost him at times, but his class cannot be argued and is the first name on the team sheets of Messer’s Gatland and Johnson the only decision to me made is where to play.

In recent years, French rugby clubs have developed themselves into real driving forces in the European game, reflected in the fact that 4 of the 8 Heineken cup qualifiers ply their trade in the French Top 14 Championship. These powerhouses of club rugby boast squads jam-packed with internationals and produce some truly thrilling rugby. However, this doesn’t come cheap. The wage bills of Welsh regions compared with their French counterparts are miniscule and in reality, if a French club wants a player, they’ll get that player. It’s a reality that rugby fans have to deal with that careers are short and players can’t make the fortune that footballers can make in the same time. The Ospreys have had their wicked way with every player they wanted from within Wales, but now, players are being attracted elsewhere to gain more money and experience rugby outside of the goldfish bowl that is South Wales a la Andy Powell, Gavin Henson, Nicky Robinson and Stephen Jones.

For those that will argue “well look what it did for Stephen Jones’ career”, here’s a short summary of why you are wrong. Stephen Jones went to France and developed his skills tenfold. James Hook is the most skilful ball-player in Wales and his skills will remain at the level they are regardless of where in the world he plays rugby. Stephen Jones came back galvanised and had added a running game and unnerved kicking to is armory, both of which James Hook has in abundance. The thing that James Hook needs is regular rugby at outside-half to develop him as an outside-half (ground-breaking stuff isn’t it?) again regardless of where in the world he does it.

Fundamentally, the move will do him a world of good as a stand-off, for the simple reason that that is the position he will be selected. From an Ospreys point of view, it’s a dark day, but for all other Welshmen, it’s a great day. Why? Because finally, the likes of Barry John, Phil Bennett and Jonathan Davies have a chance of being joined by another great Welsh fly-half as opposed to a great Welsh utility back.

Law Variation is Huge Success

Finally, the new law interpretation introduced by the bigwigs of the International Rugby Board has had a positive effect on the game of rugby, almost making up for their recent failings to do so. As such, the law hasn't been changed, but re-enforced by the IRB in order to speed up the play of the ball at the ruck. Rule 15.4(a) reads:

“When a player tackles an opponent and they both go to ground, the tackler must immediately release the tackled player. Sanction: Penalty kick”

Last season, the tackler was given free reign to compete for the ball, whether he'd released the player or not. Anyone who has played any rugby this season will have noticed how much the referees have been ordered to keep an eagle eye on this particular area. Formally, law changes or experimental law variations have been met with grumblings from the players, coaches and spectators, but this time, it seems to have been a breath of fresh air for everyone. What the board committee members have done, cleverly, is eradicate to the best of their ability the grey area in the breakdown. Whereas before, it was a battle of interpretation, one team might see the law as one thing, their opponents another and crucially, the officials had a completely different stance on it. Everyone involved in a tackle is now aware of exactly what is expected of them. If you are in any way involved in the tackle as a tackler, you must return to your feet and make it clear that the tackled player has been released before competing for the ball. The tackled player, once released, has no excuse but to place the ball, thus releasing it from his possession. This has given the attacking team a greater opportunity to retain possession from the breakdown and therefore the rewards are much greater for keeping the ball in hand as opposed to kicking possession away to gain territory.

This has resulted in a much more enjoyable spectacle, with considerably more running rugby and substantially less kicking. The aerial ping-pong that dominated the game post ELV's was something the viewing public had become accustomed to because of the perceived fear of losing the ball in the ruck. At that time, Scrum V pundit and BBC commentator Jonathan Davies made an extremely valid point of saying that no team is forced to kick the ball, if both teams want to go out and play rugby they will, similarly, if they want to go out and kick the ball for 80 minutes, they'll do that too. Whether it's the law variation or just teams consciously going out to throw the ball around remains to be seen, but the evidence is that the IRB have at long last found the right balance.

If we take the most recent English domestic game, that of London Irish versus Gloucester, as an example, the statistics make for pleasant reading:

London Irish			Gloucester Rugby
2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11
Kick : 37	Kick : 28	Kick : 18	Kick : 36	Kick : 23	Kick : 18
Pass : 77	Pass: 109	Pass : 152	Pass : 113	Pass : 88	Pass : 136
Run : 71	Run : 68	Run : 108	Run : 86	Run : 53	Run : 85

It's clear to see the changes that are evident from as little as 12 months, the corresponding fixture from last year saw 15 more open play kicks, 91 fewer passes and 72 fewer runs with the ball. A further 12 months previous again, there were a staggering 73 kicks in open play. Bearing in mind the ball is in play for roughly 44% of the 80 minutes (35mins 12secs), staggeringly that means that in the 2008/09 season, the ball was being kicked over 2 times every minute. These changes aren't only evident domestically. The recent Tri-Nations competition was rugby in it's purest form, a fluent, fast and beautiful game. The matches left spectators In awe of some truly electrifying skill and physicality. Again, taking the penultimate game from the tournament, Australia against the All Blacks, the changes are equally visible:

Australia			New Zealand
2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11
Kick : 38	Kick : 33	Kick : 20	Kick : 27	Kick : 32	Kick : 22
Pass : 69	Pass: 118	Pass : 119	Pass : 103	Pass : 101	Pass : 117
Run : 70	Run : 55	Run : 94	Run : 74	Run : 113	Run : 106

From these statistics and just by watching rugby in general, it's plain to see that there is less kicking, more running and passing and therefore a much more enjoyable experience. The breakdown is a vital part of the game, but the chances of the ball coming back on the attacking side has been increased significantly by the emphasis of the laws by the officials. There are of course exceptions to the rules, players such as David Pocock is a master craftsman at the ruck, and his technical and physical capability shouldn't be outlawed. His ability to turn ball over almost at will is a phenomenal sight within the game, with the odds stacked up against him he achieved some incredible feats during the Tri-Nations. That said, rugby is better for these feats being achieved less frequently.

However, coaches aren't idiots (apart from Martin Johnson that is), and the fear is that some coaches will completely neglect the breakdown and commit no numbers to it. That will mean 15 players defending the width of the field leaving virtually no space for attacking teams to penetrate, leaving little option but to kick. Hopefully though, this won't be the case and all teams will buy into the current brand of pure rugby, possibly even the men who wear the red rose.

Corruption and Conspiracy

The ugly face of corruption in sport has shown itself once again in the world of cricket and it’s been greeted with anger and frustration by all the sports’ supporters, players and officials. During the 4^th and final test between England and Pakistan at Lords the News of the World published a front-page story on Sunday including intimate details of spot betting involving four of the Pakistani players. Immediately there was an arrest made by the metropolitan police believed to be the middleman in the scandal. He was allegedly paid £150,000 to guarantee that no balls would be bowled at specific times during the England innings. The video and audio released by the national newspaper prove almost inconclusively that the allegations made are completely true. The balls that were highlighted and guaranteed by the 35 year old middleman were indeed no balls on the day and were probably the most obvious over-stepping you will ever see in a test match in your lives, especially the deliveries bowled by Mohammad Amir, who released the ball from a healthy foot over the popping crease (pictured) and was noticed at the time by the sky commentators as unusual.

These are indeed only allegations at the moment, but the evidence available for all to see does not bode well for the players in question; Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif & Kamran Akmal. The former has been omitted from the investigations but the other three will have to pluck some information out of thin air to clear their names such is the potency of the proof supplied by the News of the World. Alarmingly, the middle man boasted that he has been involved in this sort of thing before, recently throwing the test match against Australia gaining a profit of $1.3m and there were plans in place to defraud the bookmakers once more during the upcoming one day international series against England. You only have to look at the Pakistani Cricket Board’s track record to make your mind up on whether or not there is a conspiracy, and unfortunately for them, it’s not a good one.

Their history in recent years has been nothing short of embarrassing. In 2006, The Oval test match was forfeited by Pakistan following ball tampering witnessed by on-field umpires Darrel Hair and Billy Doctrove. Then-captain Inzamam Ul-Haq refused to take the field after the tea break which effectively ruled them out of the test match and the game was ended there and then. Earlier in 2005, Shahid Afridi was banned for a test match for pitch tampering when he was caught by cameras pirouetting on the Faislabad wicket and even more bizarrely, he was banned for two twenty20 internationals for ball tampering in a match against Australia where he bit the match ball in order to gain an unfair advantage. In March 2010, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were banned indefinitely from international cricket for fighting within the squad and causing rifts within the playing and coaching staff and Rana Naved and Shoaib Malik were handed one-year bans and huge financial fines for similar offences. These bans were laughably thrown out of the window as soon as the Pakistan middle order came under scrutiny and Mohammad Yousuf’s ban was lifted and he was recalled to the squad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is nothing short of a disgrace and their handling of players and staff is a stepping-stone to the situation it finds itself in currently. In recent years, they have single-handedly brought the game of cricket into disrepute with one ridiculous story after the next and frankly, there is only so much the viewing public can take.

Let’s forget that players are innocent until proven guilty, these players are as guilty as a fat girl at an empty buffet table. How they can justify their actions is beyond everyone, none less so than 18 year old Mohammad Amir, who won Pakistan’s player of the series and is a bowler who should have been challenging the great Wasim Akram after becoming the youngest player on the Lord’s honours board and the youngest player to 50 wickets in test cricket. That record is likely to be all he achieves in the game when he is banned (hopefully for life) by the ICC along with his counterparts in the spot-fixing scandal when proven guilty by the police report.

For a nation in turmoil, Pakistan hold one thing dear to their heart and that is cricket, but even the most passionate of supporters surely cannot cheer in the same vein as they once did following the conspiracy. The matter of a no ball on the face of it is an extra run and an extra ball, but if on the said ball the bowler happens to take the wicket of someone, what is that telling the people that have paid in excess of £45 to support someone wearing their nation’s emblem?

For the time being, Pakistan should be banned by the ICC and the MCC from competing at any level and the players wages to be frozen by the PCB. If the appropriate powers that be don’t take action, then it should be up to the individual authorities such as the England and Wales Cricket Board to refuse to play in a series against such a corrupt establishment. It’s hard to see how the Pakistan team can regain the trust of anyone, because of the sheer number of players involved and in the loop of what is happening. They have tarnished the game for far too long now, and it’s time that the game of cricket stood up against the cheats in the sport in order to salvage its integrity, otherwise it’s going to be very difficult to decipher whether the action being watched is real or whether it’s a money-spinning furore by the greedy fraudulent black sheep of the game.

Another Day, Another Football Story

Is there a day of the year that football doesn't have a 'groundbreaking' story to sell to the world? Probably not. This year in particular has been as droning and monotonous as the sound heard at the world cup, the voice of Adrian Chiles. All year round there have been footballers plastered on the front pages of tabloid newspapers under the headlines "poor footballers' wives" and "crash bang wallop" in reference to adultery and car accidents. Unfortunately, the nation has become celebrity-obsessed with 7 out of 10 people wanting to become famous 'by any means necessary' and this has leaked into the world of sport. Football is a worldwide phenomenon and one of the most powerful marketing tools on the planet, but does it really matter in Phil Neville has been texting his neighbor (understandably a bit farfetched that there would ever be two women interested in him at any one time) or that Jermaine Jenas has crashed his kitted up Saxo in an ASDA car park? Again, probably not.

The culmination of the world cup (and a terrible one at that) should have resulted in some respite for the general public and a chance to moan about the weather and don the classic t-shirt suntan look. Predictably however, this was not the case as we turned to channel 405 only to find the latest score of Grimsby's pre-season friendly against third-tier Bulgarian opposition. Ironically enough, the 74 people across the globe who actually cared about the game were inside the stadium, so what's the point of telling us? It's only now that the echoes of "we wuz robbed" have started to subside into a murmur, but for the past two months it's been a painful ordeal even for the neutrals of Britain. To sum up the English season, no English teams qualified for the Champions League semi-finals and this was deemed a disaster. Every Englishman and woman became a Fulham supporter for the day, until they lost, then they were a disgrace. The English Premier League avoided a Welsh intruder (which is still a bitter pill to swallow) and invited humble Blackpool into their hierarchy. Fabio Capello named Emile Heskey in his world cup squad. England were average in their world cup warm up fixtures and continued on a downward spiral to their eventual tournament exit to a hammering by old rivals Germany. Every Englishman and woman became a Howard Webb supporter for a few weeks, who refereed as badly as England played, then he was also a disgrace. Everyone in English football retreated to the Caribbean somewhat embarrassed leaving the public and the media to turn every one's lives into hell on earth.

The endless football phone-in's on talk radio stations were completely taking over the usual slots of discussing how best to clean the insects from your windscreen and which biscuits are the best accompaniment for afternoon tea, which in itself is an outrage. Instead, English fans up and down the country were once again proving the common stereotype of a football fan to be an accurate one, that of a brainless, trilby-wearing lager lout. The issues raised were vast and varied, but on the whole ridiculous:

• Wayne Rooney didn’t ‘want it enough’.
• Theo Walcott should have been there.
• The ball was too round.
• England would have won if Frank Lampard’s goal had been allowed.
• Rob Green cost England the world cup.

These are just very few of the topics discussed, at length, during prime-time talk radio hours where the general listening public would usually be treated to a debate on ways to utilise the elastic band to its true and magnificent potential.

From the neutrals point of view, the world cup was very predictable. Every advert on television would somehow be related to football and Terry Venables, John Barnes, Graham Taylor and other such has-beens would be reeled out to re-invent the spirit of 1966. Once the actual playing began, it was obvious, England would struggle through the group stages, then crash out in the knockout stages. Why is this obvious? Because any side boasting such talents as Emile Heskey were never realistically going to achieve a thing.

Some things to come out of the world cup from an English perspective?

• Don’t play Steven Gerrard on the left.
• Don’t play 4-4-2.
• Gareth Barry probably isn’t the answer to all your problems.
• Matthew Upson isn’t very good.
• Don’t leave it until 2 hours before kick off to select an already nervous team.
• If you need goals, don’t send on Emile Heskey.

Now all that is done, it should return to the blissful calm of a cricketing summer, British Open Golf, Tour de France, Wimbledon and their summer sporting counterparts. Yet, already the countdown has begun to another football season which is somehow a mere matter of hours away once more. Every football fan worth his salt will be keeping a keen eye on transfer news, upcoming fixtures and injuries at their respected clubs and rightly so. Lower league supporters will undoubtedly be looking forward to seeing their boys compete again after a few months under the radar. But for the premier league and internationals, has there really been a summer break? From August 2009 to now, it’s been a cacophony of football and the game is threatening to become as tired and limp as Harry Redknapp’s face. But once the rain sets in come late September and away days to Rochdale and Scunthorpe begin to materialise, the world will once again firmly be in football mode minus the phone-in congestion with any luck. Maybe one day there will be a football-free summer, but for now, it’s time to keep dreaming. H’away the Bluebirds!