AGB Cricket

PEEPS SHOW

You've got until Friday the 13th, tomorrow actually, so you better get cracking:

I thought I'd let you and readers of AGB know that we're running a comp for Aussie cricket fans giving peeps a chance to win a money-can't-buy trip around the globe. If you want to enter, you’ve got until Friday 13th to submit an entry for your chance to go on an epic 80 day cricket tour around the world - from Australia to Lord’s - with Johnnie Walker picking up the tab.

Simply upload a video clip or an image which clearly shows how you’d create a cricket match with anyone, anywhere. It could be a game you once played on your travels, or one that you’ve recently set up in a park, work-place or back-yard!

We’re looking for entries that tell a story, capture our imagination and demonstrate why you'd make the best ambassador to spread the word about one of the world’s great sports. Check out the following video for an example of how simple your entry can be.

Good luck! Please submit entries at localtolords. Love your blog, by the way!

BETTER BELATE THAN NEVER

The Old Bastman (a quite excellent blog, by the way) links to Gideon Haigh's belated but not dated tribute to Matthew Hayden:

Haigh and mighty

Gideon Haigh's farewell to Matthew Hayden in today's Guardian was a couple of weeks late, but to mangle a cliche, if it's good enough who cares how old it is?

Also mentioned is a sledge Hayden is reported to have given Zaheer Khan during the 2003 World Cup final:

"Smell that, Z?" he smirked. "That's your house in India burning down."

No doubt about it: gold. During the Strayan tour of India the commentators (can't remember which ones) were talking about the sledge in a way that suggested it was common knowledge. But upon googling it, there were only three mentions. Why does it not have greater prominence? Or it is another "You just dropped the World Cup, Hersh" moment?

And since when did Mike Atherton lose the plot?

GRUMPY GRAVY

Boom! Fvcken! Tish!

THE LONG LEGBYE

Would you like to read a crime and cricket novel in blog form? Of course you would:

The Curly Situation
An online novel

What is this?...
It's a blog novel (or "blovel" if you must blestroy the blingo). It's also an experiment. I write, you read, and we all get a laugh along the way. The story centres on Curly Gibson, an Aussie cricketer whose talent for accidental sporting success is surpassed only by his talent for getting shot at.

IT AIN'T HALF BAKED MUM

Planning a cricket holiday? You might as well make a project of it:

In 2004 an unknown cricket team went to India in search of one last glorious innings. They made history in the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Like so many kids, they once dreamt they'd be famous cricketers, representing their country. But funnily enough, things didn't work out that way.

So 20 years later, on the cusp of sporting oblivion, they return to the game they loved as boys and form The Guild Cricket Club - former backyard heroes assembled on the strength of their collective imagination.

Building to an historic showdown in the Kingdom of Bhutan, Beyond The Backyard is the story of a bold quest for a little sporting glory.

If you happen to be looking for something to watch on your electric television box next Thursday night at 9:30, you could do worse than tune in to Beyond The Backyard on Your ABC.

Made by Josh Moore and Duncan Imberger, Beyond The Backyard is about Melbourne's The Guild Cricket Club; a well balanced squad of sixteen all-rounders, one wicket-keeping all-rounder and one big all-rounder (modelled on Sorth Efrica, no doubt) who toured India and Bhutan.

An end of season piss-up in Surfers, it's not.

On a long and winding rail from Mysore to Thimphu, the Baggy Reds were bounced by Javagal Srinath. Got chucked at in a street. Failed to "respect the local cuisine." Visited the holy cesspit of Varanasi. Wrapped their tongues around Changlinithang. And "turned the corner" against The Goat Herders.

BTB is worth a look for one thing in particular: 10 year old Davinder Singh. Watch him and you will see why Bangalore Sunsets Coward is always going on about the potential of Indian cricket.

Warning: contains glove-touching.

LEFT-ARM UNORTHODOX WISDOM

The Athiest thinks Strayans are bastards, but scoot on over to his excellent Are you a left-arm Chinaman?, anyway.

"The philosophy of cricket. That means I say controversial things that attempts to challenge the dominant paradigms in current cricket thinking. Yes. The paradigms."

He also says nice things about spinners. And he's a Pom. Not that there's anything wrong with that; some of my best friends are nice to spinners.

BALLS!

Guess who:

"Cricket blogs were better in my day."

As if you didn't know.

HIS STORY OF CRICKET

Stroll on over to Stuart's excellent cricket blog:

Eleven – There are eleven players on a cricket team. Why? Who knows. But it is not a coincidence that 42 is exactly 3.81 repeater times 11.