July 2008 Archives

So Robbie Keane has made the northwards journey to his childhood favourite football team Liverpool for a credit crunch-busting £20.8 million, and at first I was dumbstruck by this piece of business.

Don't get me wrong. Having watched the Irishman ply his trade at our arch-rival Spurs for the last six seasons (I support the mighty Arsenal, of course!) there can be no doubt he has talent.

And I was surprised to hear during this time he has managed 107 goals in 254 appearances, which by any standards isn't bad, especially when you consider he has had to fight for his first team place, and he is also only about 3 feet high.

My biggest shock was probably at the price they paid.

At 28, Keane is not getting any younger, and with the fresh new talent that is out there, I felt that Benitez might have misplaced his decimal point when he signed the cheque.

But now, having had time to mull it over, I think this could be a stunning bit of business for the Reds.

When you think about it, they have one of the best out and out strikers in the world with Torres, and the biggest piece of the puzzle they have been missing is a decent support striker who can not only make chances, but bang them away, as well as being able to make the unexpected happen.

Gerrard filled this role towards the end of last season, but think how much more influence he can have on a game in centre midfield with Keane and Torres' movement ahead, and the Irishman's eye for a pass!

I reckon I can see why Rafa dug so deep into his wallet to get his man.

Keane is a proven Premiership player, and has bags of ability. It will be interesting if Benitez can make this front two click, because if he can, Liverpool might finally have a strike partnership to take them to the title.

Twenty Twenty Finals day came around on Saturday, and with teams looking to not only win the tournament at the Rose Bowl, but to qualify for the plethora of Champions League, Stanford Cup, and other prestigious tournament places that were up for grabs, there was that little extra bite.

I might be wrong, but I am pretty sure the winning two teams get to go play the Royal Family at Windsor in a one-off day/night game or garden party with £500 billion going to the team that looks most like Ian Botham.

OK, that might be a little off, but I'm sure I am not alone in being so confused with all these new tournaments springing out of nowhere, and who gets to play what.

Now have the ICL, the IPL, and the EPL, and you can't play in the IPL if you have played in the ICL, and they won't let you in the Champions league if one of your players has ever been to Wales.

And quite right, too.

With all of that confusion out of the way, when the games actually started, it was one of the great days for showcasing cricket.

Both semi-finals had plenty of drama, and with the final itself going to the last ball and with perfect weather all day, you couldn't have asked for more.

Well, apart from the phone numbers of those boundary girls (the skimpily dressed blondes who dance like inebriated hamsters every time someone hits a 4!

Congrats must go to Middlesex for pulling off the win, and especially to Tyrone Henderson, their South African all-rounder whose batting was more destructive than the Hulk, and his ability to keep calm and bowl at the death spectacular, especially when it came down to the last two balls.

Sticking with cricket, the Mighty Harborne Sunday 2's recorded another win this weekend against Moseley to make it six in a row!

I was especially keen to beat our local rivals as the away fixture was the only game I have played in and lost this season, and after that narrow defeat, there was certainly a bit of edge in the return fixture.

Well, until about five overs in when we already had 60 on the board.

Honestly, as an opening bowler, there is nothing better than the oppo winning the toss and putting you in to bat when it's 30 degrees, especially when your batsmen effectively take the game away from them in the first 10 overs.

I have not seen batting as classy and as demoralising for the opposition as I saw on Sunday for years.

Special mention to our opener Emir who smashed 161 off about 70 balls, and he was supported ably by all the other batsmen, including Andy and Raj who put on 100 in the last ten overs to post a whopping total of 386-6 off 45 overs.

With a score like that to chase, the oppo were always in trouble, and it was great to grab a couple of wickets in my spell early as we reduced them to 42-6 off the first 16 overs!

As you can guess, we managed to wrap up the big W, eventually winning by 295 runs, which was the perfect revenge for the loss earlier in the season.

Only two more games to go in the league, and two wins out of two would put us in amongst the leaders, so I'm off to go work on my run up. If I get that sorted, who knows, I might even bowl a straight one!

Hang on Peter, I'll get my kit!

I'm sorry the blog is a little bit late this week, but that was because I, along with every other club cricketer in the country, have been awaiting a certain phone call from England coach Peter Moores, telling me that I have been picked to play the Saffers at Edgbaston next week.

I even bought some new cricket trousers with a few less holes in just in case the England selectors decided to play another game of bowler Bingo, where they pick a complete random player out of a hat to have his chance on the big stage.

It's a game they must be playing to keep themselves entertained. Let's be honest, being an England selector can't be that much fun, as I can't fathom any other reason why Pattinson got called up.

Not to have a go at him, but he was as surprised as the next person.

He tried his best, and if he had blown away the South Africans and taken 10 wickets in the match, we would have all called it a master stroke, but he didn't.

He looked about as likely to take a wicket as my mum after a few sherries on a Sunday afternoon in the park.

They should have picked me, on the basis that I am a few months younger, I also used to work on a building site, I bowl a bit quicker and have taken more wickets this season, albeit for the mighty Harborne Sunday 2's.

Besides, I almost scored with Michelle Pfeiffer ...

Well, I waited a day to write this as I was anticipating an incredibly exciting end to the 1st Test between England and South Africa at Lords.

How wrong was I? I'm gutted. I missed out on spending an afternoon watching paint dry instead.

Take nothing away from South Africa - they performed brilliantly in the second innings, with Smith and McKenzie leading from the front, and Amla showing why he has scored so many runs already in his fledgling career.

And the England bowlers didn't do anything wrong. They tore in all day and put the ball in the right areas, but with little or no swing available, they just couldn't do enough on a pitch that was as flat as a 5 day-old beer.

Now I love my test cricket but for it to have a bright future, especially with the rise of 20/20, I think groundsmen should be looking to at least give the players a pitch that will allow a result.

Let's be honest, playing any sport for five days only to get a draw isn't exactly going to get kids around the country queuing up to play, is it?

Music-wise, this week sees the release of two great albums for all you rock lovers.

There's The Subways' return with All Or Nothing, the follow-up to 2005's amazing debut Young for Eternity.

So what have they been playing at for three years?

Well, the lead singer had to recover from career-threatening surgery to remove nodules on his vocal chords, there were also band and relationship issues, but thankfully all of them have been resolved, and to see them happy and making amazing rock music is awesome.

These guys and gals played a Live @ Kerrang gig during the week, and blew me away.

They have always had the ability to combine dirty riffs and scuzzy bass with complicated harmonies, but with this album they take it to new levels, and it gets a big Luke thumbs up.

If this wasn't enough, the track Turnaround is one of the best things I have heard for ages, and even on first listen had me prancing around like a kangaroo on a trampoline.

They also signed my motorbike (kindly donated by those excellent folk at Streetbike), which we are getting loads of bands to sign and then we will auction off for The Teenage Cancer Trust later in the year.

I pretended that Charlotte, the rather attractive bass player, actually put a kiss on the fuel tank for me but I think she was just being friendly. If only I had more chloroform! Check it out!

Another album worth checking out is the eagerly anticipated return of the Electro/rock/pop legend that is Beck with Modern Guilt.

Produced by Dangermouse (the genius behind Gnarls Barkley and many more!), this album is slightly more eclectic, but with added beats and electric noises adding to Beck's already impressive soundscape.

It's one that you can mellow out to but also play at a party and people will get up and dance on their hands!

The British Grand Prix was an amazing spectacle on Sunday.

With pressure mounting on his title credentials, and with people saying that last season might have been a fluke, and questions arising over his temperament, Lewis Hamilton gave a master class in motor racing.

Honestly, in those conditions, to perform as well as he did, and to lap everyone apart from his fellow podium finishers, was truly amazing. There were times when I thought Lewis was driving a different track to everyone else!

What a talent! And more importantly, what a person. His relationship with his dad and his self-confidence has given him the belief he can do anything - and good on him for it!

Some people call Hamilton arrogant, and yes he is, but you need to be to perform as a world-class athlete.

I remember Sir Ian Botham responding to the comment "My God man, you're arrogant!".

He replied: "Of course I am. If I wasn't supremely confident in my ability to do these things, I would never pull them off!"

Never a truer word spoken and a mantle nicely taken up by Kevin "I can hit you left-handed" Pietersen.

When you get to the elite level of sport (I can talk from experience being the reigning World Champion at Thumb Wars), you need a certain arrogance and confidence to do the things that others wouldn't think of, and this is even more crucial when driving at 200mph, with a bit of plastic between you and a concrete wall a la Hamilton.

So the Formula 1 title race is back on, although I must admit I am slightly disappointed.

My housemate spent the weekend at Silverstone watching the Grand Prix, and failed to do the one thing I asked, which was to bring me home a Pit Girl.

I wouldn't mind, but I gave him the vial of chloroform, and even a handy carry bag to bring one home in.

But never mind, at least I got my revenge on him when he returned, destroying his self-confidence with a 8-2 thrashing on Pro Evo (the footy game we use as a yardstick for our manliness), including over 40 shots on goal for me compared to his two.

He couldn't face playing me again. Ah, the joys of computer gaming!

On a final note, no cricket this week, as the great British summer has decided to arrive.

Let's hope that that yellow ball in the sky returns this weekend so I can get my fix once more.

I've started a new training regime with the guy who owns the gym I go to.

Here's a tip for you - try to avoid training with someone who owns a gym.

They're normally pretty fit, damn it!

IT'S a question that has bugged philosophers, mathematicians, physicians and rock DJs for millennia, what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?

Well, I can tell you that within the limits of our space-time continuum and physical world, this can never happen because these objects can never exist apart from in our minds.

Unless, of course, you were watching Wimbledon on Sunday for the men's singles final, where we got to see the outcome played out between our very eyes!

Federer is in every way the perfect model for an immovable object. For years I've watched him reach a level of perfection that the other tennis players can only aspire to.

Well, apart from one - the irresistible force that is Rafael Nadal. Each day that passes Nadal has been getting closer and closer to the standard that the Swiss tennis God was setting.

And finally, after years of knocking on the door, and proving himself much the better on clay, he managed to beat Federer on what has become his home court.

Let's not forget that before the final, Federer had not lost a game on grass for 65 matches, and had won his last 41 consecutive matches at Wimbledon, only dropping seven sets in the process!

Finally, it was time for Nadal to step out of the shadows of Federer, and wow did he do it in style!

I think it would have been all over at 4pm if the rain had not come. Nadal was on fire, and handling everything Federer could throw at him - but after the rain break the true champion in Federer emerged on court and threatened to ruin Nadal's day.

Only after five sets, and one of the greatest matches SW19 has ever seen, did Nadal emerge victorious - and what a reward for all of his hard work, dedication and talent!

I think this is where the key to both of these players' success lies. Obviously they were gifted with an amazing level of natural ability, but this is not what makes them head and shoulders above everyone else.

It's their work ethic, their ability to drive themselves harder in training than anyone, and of course just sheer hard graft.

While other tennis players take a rest month, say in September, Nadal always uses this time to work on new shots, and of his fitness levels are incredible. Meanwhile, no-one works on the technical aspects of his game half as hard as Federer does.

There does come a point in sport where natural ability will get you only so far, and the rest is down to hard work and dedication, or so I have been told!

Sport is cyclical. Look at any discipline from darts to rugby, from football to the Olympics.

It often takes an exceptional player to come along and raise the stakes, someone who is willing to push themselves harder than the others, and rewrite the training guidelines and dedication needed, to take a sport to the next level.

Then the other players find themselves in a situation where they will need to raise their game if they want to stay in the elite. Think of Phil Taylor (darts), The All Blacks (rugby) and Michael Johnson (athletics). This is how sport evolves and pushes itself forwards.

What we must be grateful for is that in tennis at the moment, we have two of these exceptional athletes, and I look forward to seeing their rivalry grow, especially as they are obviously such different people.

As an avid sports player, you have moments when you know you are on top of your game, and that you are performing at a level higher than anyone else. These are moments to cherish.

Unfortunately, my last moment like this was when I was 16 playing for my school's under 14 team at rugby. How I enjoyed having longer legs than everyone else, facial hair and a motorbike.

I scored all 22 points for my team and was having a stormer (funny that, being 3 years older and about 4 stone heavier than most of the opposition!) but it only lasted until I annoyed a rather aggressive 13 year old and he decided to rearrange my nose.

Oh, and on a personal note, I wanted Nadal to win. I admire Federer for his sheer class, but it was good to see him beaten, and taken out of his comfort zone. It will be very interesting to see how he responds.

Will he go quietly into the dark night? I doubt it!

Welcome to my new weekly blog here on The Sunday Mercury website.

I'll be taking an irreverent look at the world of sport each week, combining it with some incoherent ramblings about nonsense, and sprinkling on top a smattering of local sporting action.

Firstly I should say hi, my name is Luke, and I have the best job in the world.

I am paid on a Saturday afternoon to play rock music and talk about sport on the mighty Kerrang Radio!

The show is called Offside, and it's on between 2pm and 6pm, not that I am plugging it at all here in a bid to keep the boss happy. No, not at all.

The rest of the time I am either playing rugby, cricket, hitting the gym, going to gigs, hanging around at Kerrang trying to be cool, growing my moustache, or coming up with madcap schemes to take over the world!

I first came into contact with sport, when a javelin went through my frontal lobe at the age of 4, and somehow miraculously it did not only not kill me, but somehow managed to stimulate the part of the brain that controls competitive levels and sport addiction.

Ever since, apart from having to walk round with a javelin sticking out of my head (well until the great javelin removal of 1986), I have found myself completely addicted to sport and, more important, the competitiveness involved in it!

I can't tell you how much pleasure sport has brought me down the years, whether playing, watching or imagining it in my head, and I am looking forward to keeping you posted on all the big things that rock my world!

On a playing level, I have been lucky enough to play a pretty high standard of rugby, cricket, and - believe it or not - rowing (It's a long story, but I got into it at University).

I am currently playing cricket at Harborne CC, and I love my new club having moved to Birmingham in January. It's a top standard, and a great crack, so expect to hear about what we get up to at the club, especially if I do well!

I also play rugby up here for Selly Oak RFC, and previously have been fortunate to play for Oxford, Portsmouth, Old Wimbledonians and Sutton & Epsom.

I love my rugger and cricket but, as previously mentioned, I am keen on anything that has the slightest element of competitiveness in it.

I have even been known the terrorise the crown green bowls clubs of the West Midlands to get my sport fix. Okay, maybe not, but you get the idea.

Apart from sport my world revolves around music, and all the goodness that it can bring, so expect me to harp on about new albums and gigs I've been to, as well as getting you pictures of me and my motorbike with some cool bands.

So that's me, and this is my blog, I will update it every week, and check the Mercury each Sunday for my Offside column as well.

I'm truly looking forward to sharing my passion for sport with you.

Well, that and talking you through ball by ball my innings each week for Harborne.

Don't worry I'm joking (or am I?).