The Googly

The Googly - slip, sliding away...

After a good couple of years today is the day that we reach the end of our road (for now).  I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of putting my own thoughts onto this blog and reading the many musings by the learned other writers and those of your good selves in the comments.

I hope that this is not the end - there are some noises of awakening the beast from cryosleep in the future - but for now you can still browse the archives and perhaps enjoy some of my personal favourites from our time here.  Like:

Mimitig's outstanding coverage of many young English cricketers, including one that the BBC picked up on and nicked!

Nesta Quin, our man downunder, and his brilliant analysis of why Aussie coaches are so popular.

Carrie Dunn's fabulously vitriolic rant about everybody's favourite fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar, and the robust comments that followed

The Tooting Trumpet's analysis of just how instrumental leg-byes can be to a result, and his questioning of the orthodox thinking that boundaries win one-day matches.

And what of my musings?  Well, it's hard to comment on your own work, but reading back I did like the pieces about Steve Harmison's retirement,  the lament of the West Indies on their tour of England, and the 10 rules of cricket we all wish are real.  Maybe you could leave a link to your favourites in the comments. 

Hope to see you all soon; it's been emotional...

Lee

Sreesanth weeps like a prom queen with a ripped dress whose boyfriend has done one with the class slapper

Cricket Snapshot: The next big thing?

Billy Godleman flicks into the leg side (wearing a very silly jumper)

Thunder Downunder: Last Hurrah

Obviously the crew at the Shed aren't the only souls upset at the closing of The Googly on the eve of the northern international summer. Sreesanth's pink Punjabi pyjamas has caused his feminine side to shine and upon hearing of the council decision to condemn, demolish and redevelop the dungeon he couldn't hold back the tears when his boyfriend told him the sad but inevitable news.

I propose a last ditch caption contest for this photograph. Give us your best shot and celebrate what has been one of the funniest blogs in the English blogging pavilion.

At the Shed, we will be soldiering on at 99.94 with regular contributions from The Tooting Trumpet and if we win the lottery and hide his drumsticks, perhaps the esteemed editor of this publication too.

It's been a fun ride. I'm sure we'll all cross paths again. And anything that makes Sreesanth sook, in my book, can't be all bad!

[Nesta Quin]

Grass roots cricket is the place to be

This is my farewell piece here for the Googly and it's hard to know where to begin or what to write.  With only one piece left, I wondered whether to continue with the off-stage antics of Shane Warne - thinking the tram-crash fest in Melbourne last week - or whether to write about something closer to home.

I've chosen home because I'm sure you all know about the other thing! So last weekend I went to our season opener. A triangualar tournament of Twenty/20s between Lossie, Elgin and Fochabers. What a day to open the cricket season. Minus about 10, no-one there but me and the prettiest ground in the north-east looking dreadful because all the trees are still in full winter mode.

A ground that delights in being situated beside the Spey and lined on all sides by lovely trees was left looking like a 12 year-old's football playground at the side of the A96!

It didn't matter - my team hammered the opposition to win their matches and to my surprise, enchanted with some damn fine cricket. The match I'd been to before this had been Australia v India at the MCG. Sitting in the sun there, I had been entranced at the sight of Ishant Sharma befooling the Aussies with his magnificant bowling, and equally been impressed by Gilchrist walking when palpably not out. Last weekend, everyone out walked before the umpires even gave them out. It was cricket as I know it.

There could be no greater contrast between freezing to death at Fochabers, and having to leave the MCG because it was too hot. Amateurs playing for nothing but the love of the game - professionals earning their livings, but there was something that made these two experiences the same. I was the fan at both matches. I cared. In fact I probably applauded my mate Dave with more enthusiasm when he got a wicket than I did Ishant.

This may be the end of The Googly, but it won't be the end of fans wanting to have a voice.

It's been great fun being part of this and I hope all readers will find their way to other sites. Here at The Googly we have directed readers to check out many up and coming England cricketers - so follow our stars. Last year Toots and I brought you all the news of the County Cricket and hopefully you enjoyed that. Keep the faith. County Cricket is not dead. Outside the Counties, not just here in Scotland, cricket is a fine place to be. See this little song from someone in Oxford:

If you go down to the Parks tomorrow, you’re sure of a big surprise,

If you go down to the Parks tomorrow, you’d better go down in whites,

For ev’ry fan that ever there was, will gather there for certain, because

Tomorrow’s the day the Oxford UCCE play Nottinghamshire

Ev’ry cricket fan who’s been good, Is sure to see 3

England

players,

Including a leading wicket taker, and lots of runs beside

Beneath the spires where nobody works, they’ll bat and field as long as they please,

Cos that the way the cricketers have their innings.

All the best to my readers. Follow the links and you'll find me elsewhere.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig}

The Googly: the final countdown...

As you may have picked up from some previous posts by mimi and The Tooting Trumpet things here at The Googly are winding down as the blog heads into a state of temporary retirement at the end of April.

As editor, I would like to thank everybody that has contributed to this site in any way; as writer, reader, visitor, in the comments and some of you who have emailed me directly.  It has been a great ride and I have enjoyed every second of it.

We will be continuing to post until the end of the month, and will feature some of our favourites from times gone by.  It will be a lovely last week: a bit like the last episode of Friends, only not as cloyingly sentimental and a lot less shit.

Lee

Allen Stanford: "Twenty20 could be bigger that football"

Allen Stanford is a very clever man, or at least I assume he is, as you don't become a multi-billionnaire if you have the brains of a Kookaburra bat.  However, he has said some things today that make me question his intelligence, if not his sanity.

Take this one, for example, "I'm hugely impressed by their [ECB] organisational capacity." He said that without laughing, by the way.  He then followed it with this purler: "Twenty20 has the potential to be the most popular team sport in the whole world in maybe less than 10 years."  Eh?

Far be it from me to question a man as successful as he is, but is he serious?  Twenty20 is still cricket, no matter how you commercialise it, and given that only a handful of ex-British Empire countries are really in any way interested in it I find his prediction doubtful.  And by doubtful, I mean bordering on bonkers.  But he's a visionary is Allen, and he may very well prove me wrong.  Do you think he will?

Best wishes to Googlyers

Following Mimi yesterday, The Trumpet bids his readers a fond farewell on this St Georges Day. I owe great thanks to fellow scribblers, Mimi and Nestaquin, and, especially, our editor Lee Calvert, who gave me this opportunity in return for an exotic cocktail . Of course, I am particularly grateful to those readers who troubled to comment on my pieces, some of whom I am now proud to call friends.

Cricket stands in an extraordinary place in April 2008 - the future is unclear, but it's been that way before. I hope to write about that future in other places (sometimes as MouthoftheMersey) and I hope to meet some of you there.

Thanks to you all and to the wonderful players of this Greatest of Games.

Peace be with you.

[The Tooting Trumpet]

Cricket Snapshot: The glorious British Spring..

Really cheers you up, does it not?

IPL: Sehwag tonks 4 6 4 6 4 6 off Symonds