BOOR AND PEACE

There seems to have been a bit of conjecture about the behaviour of the crowds at the cricket. On one side are those who like to carry on like idiots, on the other are those who like to watch in peace. There are even some who like a bit of both, but since this is a blog and all issues are black and white, we'll be ignoring the wishy-washy middle-grounders.

Paul Colgan is pro-boor:

Boo to English cricket bosses. And the Aussie ones, too

There’s further evidence today of the growing contempt that modern managers of sporting codes hold for fans of their games, with English cricket managers begging the crowd to be nice to Ricky Ponting when he walks to the middle in the fourth Ashes Test, getting underway at Headingley in a few hours’ time.

Many are anti-boor:

Barmy Army trumpet man Bill Cooper from Ashes Test

ENGLISH cricket officials have copied their Australian counterparts and banned Barmy Army trumpet player Bill Cooper from the Headingley Test.

Barmy Army slams Ricky Ponting booing

ENGLAND have pleaded with drunken supporters to behave themselves and stop the taunting and jeering of Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Are louts a blight on the Ashes?

Security has been tightened for the fourth npower Test at Headingley Carnegie this week as English cricket seeks to halt growing criticism of unruly crowd behaviour during the Ashes series.

The tiresome Barmy Army

Part of me loves their spirit, never more so than in the 1990s when England lost everything. But since following every single ball of England internationals since 2005* I’m now emphatically bored of them.

Terrace Housing

Headingley’s reputation is now, of course, the very opposite, its Western Terrace being regarded as a sinkhole of spectator depravity.

Ponting confirms confrontation with abusive fan

Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he returned fire at an abusive fan at Edgbaston in the latest incident of ugly crowd behaviour in the Ashes series.

The Barmy Army started out as a bit of fun through the nineties, but now they are a monumental pain in the ear. Middle class accountants pretending to be soccer hooligans. It's gotten to the point where I find it almost impossible to listen to the coverage. The incessant drone of songs, chants and taunts. And it goes without saying that since they've become organized, sponsored and official, they are even worse.

Nor is this sour grapes. Our idiots are just as bad. Worse, actually.

The Fanatics. For some reason the media keep going to their leader - I think his name is Warren - for interviews. Put on your most contemptuous Aussie drawl and say it out loud: "fair dinkum imbeciles".

I've only ever been to the "outer" at the MCG for one Test match, the SCG for three, and the WACA for three. If doing the Mexican Wave, being arrested, throwing ice, throwing beach balls, throwing punches and rolling in or stepping around spew is your thing, you will be in your element.

Now it's true: a lot of people like doing this. A lot of people also like Aussie Idol, Big Brother, A Current Affair, Today Tonight, Pink, U2, Pearl Jam, Green Day. You get the picture.

Cricket, despite what the boards, broadcasters, publicity flacks and Joe and Jane Bogan will tell you, is pretty damn good without the pissed-up shenanigans of the new Cricket Hooligan.

What I like about the cricket is the cricket.

Call me a stick-in-the-mud, a fogey, an MCC wanker, a boring old c**t, just a c**t, if you like. Give it your best shot. I don't care. In these circs, it's an insult I will wear with pride.

Comments

[The Don has risen]

I love the barmy army.
The crowds were sensational in 2005 . They are not as good this time round but 2005 was very hard to top.

It surely can't be hard to get rid of unsurly types. If you get thrown our for performing the mexican wave or blowing a trumpet then saying uncouth things when half tanked is pretty easy to spot.

Put these blighters on the public spotlight and show them being thrown out for their behaviour.

Ponting maybe a pratt but he shouldn't be booed.

I agree and I am an boring old fa..t I ove the cricket and just the cricket.
Spectators can enhance that or make it worse
Save that for people such as Symonds or Singh

[Adsy]

I like early 90's Pearl Jam and 80's U2, and don't mind beach balls at the cricket, so I guess I'm half bogan then.

[Hangover Black]

I detest beach balls at the cricket. Beach balls are for the beach. That's why they're named as they are.

But while we're still pre-4th Test, and an off-topic post might be acceptable, this digital radio business has got me thinking. With the ability to pause/rewind/live radio etc as per TV and Foxtel IQ, we should be able to get the delay right on the digital radio such that it matches the TV broadcast. Anyone got a digital radio yet and can confirm?

[Tony]

Delay-wise, Haven't used a didge radio yet. If this can work, it should be possible to finagle the digital signal.

Is the cricket going to be broadcast on didge?

[Hangover Black]

That's what our ABC has been plugging this week. They've been telling people you can listen to either the footy or the cricket. I don't have a digital radio either so it'll be a case of putting up with the usual rubbish, or accepting an out-of-synch picture/audio.

Dunno if it made it over to your side of the country but there was some parochial speculation here that North's recent form (if continued) might make him a challenger for the captaincy once Punter gives up chasing Sachin's runs record.

Very premature (the captaincy talk), but might be a reasonable v.c. appointment once the Huss has gone.

[RT]

The needs to be an Four Corners expose entitled "The Delay". Where is Chris Masters when you need him.

Finagle - underrated word.

[RT]

"The needs to be An Four Corners"?? Need a beer to stabilise the spelling.

[Throbber]

Agree with you completely Tony.
I went to Edgbaston in 2005 and I doubt I've endured a more ignorant and boring crowd at any sporting event.... anywhere.
Given I have been to quite a few Premiership football matches here and a load of Rugby League games in Aus, that is really saying something.
The place to watch cricket is Lords - they won't tolerate any of that rubbish there, the cricket is simply enjoyed for its own sake and with respect. As it should be.

[Yobbo]

I sat next to the Barmy Army in Perth in 07 and they were great.

It's really sad that the trumpeter keeps getting banned, because he's very entertaining.

In Cardiff he played a hilarious set - Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, the Neighbors theme and then to cap it off, Kylie Minogue's "I should be so lucky". It was great entertainment and much more so than the cricket at that stage when Australia were 3/500 or something.

This bloke is my favourite, sat next to him in Perth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQdh-t7gSKM

The people who really spoil the cricket are the overzealous fun nazis who treat streakers like terrorists and kick people out for no reason. They are just rent-a-cops who are extremely sad that they were born 70 years too late to be Hitler Youths.

[Bruce]

The way to stop the crowd getting too narky is to take a stack of wickets in the first session. Haven't heard a peep out of them.

[murph]

I know Warren (or Wazza) personally. Good luck to him for his financial success in sucking dry the wallets of bogans but he is a conceited tool.

[Tony]

You know him? My sympathies, Murph.

[Yobbo]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25904625-401,00.html

oh dear

[murph]

Yeah.
I do.
Unfortunately.

[SaggyGreen]

Fanatics = The Ugly Australians

[RT]

They had "Wozza" on Slater's radio show this morning. He said they owned up to the fire alarm even though it wasn't really them just to gee the locals and media up. Some even wore fire brigade outfits to the ground. Farhahanee stuff Woz.

[Tony]

Jim Maxwell ROSE! in my estimation when he called them "a bunch of wankers." Actually, he called them "self-serving publicity chasers" but wankers fits.

[Big Ramifications]

I was nodding sagely as I read comment number 8, then has a laff to myself when I got to the "Posted by:" bit.

[Tony]

What, you don't think there's much throbbing at Lords?