1446 Durham fail at the Rosebowl

I have experienced several great days of major live sporting disappointment, usually when the anticipation has built up over a period of weeks, months and in a few instances years. The first is a memory which I usually repeat when I meet someone new at cricket. In 1948, I think, I was taken by a cousin on a bus to the Oval cricket ground for England's 5th and final test match against Australia and after queuing for several hours we were allowed into the ground to sit on the grass between the usual boundary fencing and the boundary rope set for the match. This was to be the last Test match played in England of Donald Bradman, later Sir Donald. We all stood up a cheered as he made his way to the wicket and a few seconds later we cheered him all the way back as he was out second ball bowled by Eric Hollis. I thought it was the first. Ray Lindwall, Lindsay Hassett and Keith Miller were other Aussi big guns, of course. Leonard Hutton whose book he autographed for me several years later, Denis Compton and John Edrich with Alec Bedser were British Guns.. FR Brown captain?

It was a few years before I would make my own way to the Oval to watch Surrey play, and Peter May, the Bedser twins, and Locke and Laker but I did watch one day at a Test match at Lords when still at school with Aunty Harriet, my care mother, having acquired a ticket through someone she knew.

Since then I have attended Test Matches at many other grounds Headingley, Trent Bridge, Edgbaston, Old Trafford and the Riverside, but apart from Botham's Test and Petersen and Flintoff in more recent times, the memories are very hazy. I hope I will retain vivid memories of the Rose Bowl until my dying day although there is the major disappointment of Durham failing to perform, of surrendering meekly to the opposition. However it was a glorious day of summer and there were several highlights.

I awoke before the alarm, just as well as it only went off in the evening, something I only confirmed the following evening, continuing for nearly a hour so I assume no one was in the next rooms or the sound proofing is better than usual. I went down and sorted the car around 7.30 buying a bottle of water at the garage opposite and filling one flask, finishing off the bottle. There were two prices for still water in the chill cabinet, 70p and 99p. The assistant said 70p and then after a couple of sentences asking how to get to the A3 for the M 27, I was given only 10p change. I helped myself to the free Newspaper from the tied pile on the step outside in Inn doors with the intention of reading at an outside table in the early morning sunshine but a staff member opened a side door, I had checked that the main entrance door was locked and I therefore enquired if breakfast was available. It was a quarter to eight. And I was advised I could have entered earlier as the staff member had been on duty from 6.30 am. I enjoyed a bowl of grapefruit segments, a fruit juiced, two croissants and a cup of coffee. I wrapped a Danish Pastry in a napkin for later. For the day ahead I had also prepared a flask of coffee and from home, the salad in a sealed container and sandwiches wrapped in foil, a mistake and the a container. The strawberries in the shop carton, large juicy ones but in a firm condition. A weather top for the evening cold and possible rain storm and the small umbrella as I assumed the stadium had been built and I would be sitting under cover, although I nought to have realised the implication that the video was shown under the development section with reference to submitting the plans to the local authority in 2006. I was quickly to discover that it had not been built!

I asked the staff member for the directions and he advised to follow the sign A3 London as it would also show a sign to Portsmouth. AS soon as I was on my way I recognised the same road that I had travelled the previous evening and realised that I gone past the neat the Inn, continuing into Havant and then circling back. Alas I would make the mistake again on the return journey because I did not know that the road would be marked Leigh Park rather than Rowland's Castle. I also forgot to note the name of the junction I needed to take on the return journey Waterlooville, that's my name with recognition given to the Ting Tings, that's my name.
The first surprise was to appreciate the views over the Solent as I reached the junction between the A 3 and the M27. I then had problem reaching junction number 8 and following the signs to Park and ride which led to a large field marked so that vehicles could line up. There was only one line where I was something like car thirty having arrived within half an hour of the centre opening. This was to prove a great significance some thirteen hours later.

I was therefore on the first bus to the ground, a journey of more than the forecast ten minutes, I would say fifteen to twenty but I did not check. At the ground I was given a thorough body check as well as the bag unpacked and every item checked, something which does happen elsewhere. It was reassuring although odd. I then had my surprise as the video of the ground is just that a video ground. A plan of more hope than reality.

The Rose bowl has a fixed inner area of continuous terrace seating and then an upper tier which has been added and with everyone entering the stadium at the second level promenade which as at Sunderland Football club leads to major congestion. There is an attractive Member's Pavilion similar to the new stand at Lords but not as effective and smaller versions for the large hospitality area with first level seating below which remained sparsely filled as many appeared to arrive later or remain at the table serving food and drink. The toilet facilities for the rest of us were diabolical and a scandal for the Test board and English cricket and I will write to Test board accordingly. With a 20000 capacity this is about making money although in fairness I thought the adult ticket of £48 plus £1 booking fee reasonable, especially as children and young people under sixteen could attend for £11, although this would be a very long day for the very young. It was still and occasion for young men drinking excessively and old men wishing they still could but there was a good showing of females and middle aged.

I ought to be used to the prices from the concession with surrounded the perimeter of the ground inside the stadium. £2 for a soft drink £3.50 for a small carton of chips and three fifty for cider four pounds a pint with the drinkers consuming between ten and twenty pints each on the day and with repercussions for a group of Essex supporters behind me. But first the cricket.

The opening semi final between Kent and Essex lived up to expectations except for the absence of sixes. There was a fast outfield and therefore batsmen using the advantage of restricted fielding outside the marked area could reach the boundary with strong and well place shots without the risk of the skied miss hit. The match was a close one with Essex never looking as if they would reach the Kent total after Napier was out early and Shaun Udal and Murali Kartick, spinner restricted scoring in what was a pitch taking spin not usually associated with 20 20 games. This was ominous because Durham lacked world class spin and it was evident that the pacemen could be hit hard at the beginning of the innings and at the end. Early on it was evident that we had a vociferous group of young Essex supporters behind us and as the quantity of alcohol increased their behaviour more loutish. I was befriended by an exiled northerner from Consett who had obtained a social work qualification at Hull after undertaking further education having been a trade union official at the steel works. He had lived in the New Forest area for over two decades working for Probation and Prison Service. His brother a Durham Member had got him the ticket. There was also a young man with whom I had a chat later and who I hope to see at Nottingham. He had come down with a party, perhaps official travel club members staying at a hotel at Heathrow and we had similar views about the ground and merchandising as well as on the Durham Performance.

The less said about the Durham Performance the better in the second semi final. We won the toss and elected to bat such was the confidence and De Venuto was caught early for 0 giving the worse possible start, Mustard quickly followed and although Chandrapaul scored runs with Collingwood and Smith they struggled against the spin that a total of 140 appeared the best possible, inadequate at this level of competition. Pollock did well and Liam Plunkett who came in ahead of Blenkenstein did not have the time to get going. It was a damp squib of a performance, frankly pathetic and it was not surprising that our bowlers were then humiliated. First as after a solid start we were blitzed by. all rounder Tyrone Henderson and Middlesex won the game with ease and Durham departed immediately to their hotel where it would be interesting to learn if they watched the final on TV.

The lighting for the final was the only exceptional aspect of the ground for with six masts compared with the usual four it was possible create a day time effect with ground and crowd brightly illuminated.

Middlesex posted what proved to be a match winning score and although Henderson again scored valuable runs it was Shah to banged away 75 and had he not lost his wicket a score of 200 plus appeared possible, However Kent were not to give up the title easily and hey need three runs of the last ball, but failed. Captain Key produced a solid start with 90 runs on the board before three wickets fell quickly and then there was a stand for 70 which appeared to turn the match.

I felt there was a gulf between Durham and the other three sides but it will have been great experience and hopefully not demoralising as what has happened to Yorkshire.

I must now turn to the issue of drink. On one hand it is up to each adult to drink responsibly and certainly the prices do nothing to encourage excess. The group of young men with one or two young women who were sitting with them or became associated with them for a time as the day progressed drew attention and alienated themselves from the surrounding crowd by the extent of their shouting and the insistence of climbing over seats in order to buy drinks and visit the toilet. There was great delight when Essex lost because it was hoped that the group would depart although I already knew this was not the position because as they had travelled by coach which would only leave at the end of the Final. This took some interest in the second semi final and final, but they passed the time by further drinking. There were notices around the ground which indicated that even the stacking of plastic glasses was an offence. There were three levels of stewarding inside the ground and I only saw a police presence once towards the evening as if t remind that they were there to be called upon if needed. The first level of stewarding had been recruited for the day with the role of helping people to their seats although being new to the ground and possibly to the situation they were given ground charts and appeared to be just as unsure of the situation as the visiting supporters. They were removed from the main circulation level within the stadium when the game commenced to the entrance passages otherwise they would have obscured views. Then there was a second team whose function was clear litter where this was possible. I assume this was to avoid having to do so at the end of the game or the following day but there was also the purpose of preventing the accumulation of material which could be used to throw above and on to the other sections of the crowd. The third group were the green tam designed to watch behaviour and deal with any situation, They functioned as individuals until a situation built up when they acted in number as a organised group, linked with communications including small head level cameras which recorded conversations and actions and which were relayed to the central control point. At what point the young men came under supervision I have no idea but there was a conversation developed about accumulating the plastic glasses to create a stack with a view to be thrown out of the ground. One encouraged another to do this. This talk continued over a period of time but then a male member of the green team approach advised the man collecting the plastic glasses of the regulations, asked him to surrender what he had, warned it could lead to expulsion and when he started to pretend he was no misbehaving and he was given a formal and what was evident to me final warning. When his behaviour continued a senior female member of the team approach and advised more than warned that he had had a good day and not to spoilt the situation for himself and for others. I thought everyone was leaning over backwards to avoid having to act. The final straw came when he left his seat, crossed the main circulation area and collected three or four stacked glasses from under a nearby seat. Shortly afterwards four members of the Green team arrived and asked him to accompany them for a talk outside. It was evident he was quietly being removed, would be taken to a holding area for assessment and possible arrested as being drunk and disorderly. His particulars would be noted and kept by the Test Board his home county and possibly other counties so that if he requested membership or tickets he would refused. His companions who at first considered the whole matter to be amusing then became serious and hostile to officialdom. I had noted that when confronted the young man in question lied about his intentions.

It was evident that leaving the ground and car parks would take several hours unless one left early. Although the outcome of the final was uncertain I decided to leave five overs before the conclusion as I was able to listen to the Sky TV commentary over the radio head set ear piece purchased for £10. I believe these can be used at any ground where Sky is broadcasting a live game, but not otherwise. I was directed the long way round a prepared and market route to where a fleet of buses was waiting bin convoy to take to Park and ride. Another fleet was waiting to take to the other motorway junction site. The vehicle did not leave until it was full which was just as the final over drama was being played. It was the first bus to arrive at the site and there I was in a dark field with several thousand cars. My problem was that although I had been in the first row, other cars had created new rows on both sides and for a moment I had visions of spending hours searching for an unfamiliar vehicle although I the written registration number on a card with me. I decided to back my belief as ton what constituted the first row and went along counting cars and there it was. Getting away to the M27 going East was therefore no problem as well as getting on to the A3 motorway. I decided to come off at the exit after Waterlooville which was the correct thing to do but because there was no sign Havant or Rowlands Castle, I came back over the other side of the motorway and repeated what I had done the previous evening at the Waterlooville junction exit roadways. It was around 11.30 tired but cricket overdosed. Wrapping the sandwiches in tin foil was a mistake and they had to be thrown away but in general I got the food right but should have doubled the water ration at the expense of the coffee.. I had a midnight snack of a soup in a cup with boiling water over the contents of a sachet and then a pot pasta with boiling water over the prepared contents of a small pot, There was also a Danish from reserves.

It had been a great once in a life time experience, not to be repeated unless Durham get to the same position again in my lifetime or my financial position changes and I would try the hospitality route which I would like to do for other sports and events, once. I hope Durham will learn the lessons.

Preparing for 20 20 Finals

After all the excitement of Tuesday evening Wednesday's 40 over game with Somerset was bound to be something of an anti climax. Somerset are an excellent team with former England batsman Marcus Trescothick and they have suffered this season with the injury to Andrew Caddick although he is beginning to play again in the second team. Unsurprisingly the crowd was significantly less although a comparatively good one for an evening night game scheduled to end around 10.45 or so. I quickly realised that the evening was nothing like as warm as the previous day and wondered if the combination of a long sleeve shirt and sleeveless jacket, plus a light wet and wind jacket would be sufficient at we progressed into night.

In the first year as a county I travelled to Darlington on the 2 3 and 4th of June for my first visit to the ground and what became Durham's first home win, having won at Glamorgan previously. The feature of this game was a generous declaration by Somerset when 192 for 6 wickets setting Durham 213 runs in something like 50 overseas which they completed in 39 for the loss of only two wickets with Wayne Larkins scoring 92 and the Australian Dean Jones 79. Young Caddick played in that game and Durham Captain David Graveney became Chairman of the England's selectors. I was at Lords to see Durham well beaten by Middlesex. I travelled with the club travel club to Uxbridge for the one day second round Nat West trophy against Middlesex which we won and then went to Grace Road Leicester where we lost in the next round.
I suspect that I was not alone in think back to previous meetings in a game the club could have done without before Saturday's big day. Nothing prepared any of us for one of the brilliant century knocks of the season by Marcus Trescothick as he hit the ball hard and with great skill. This was not a slog a la Mr Napier but world class batting and it was pleasing to see many in the Durham crowd giving him a standing ovation. Somerset went on to score 286 which in forty overs was a remarkable score and one suspected beyond Durham. As the opening order collapsed to 66 runs for the loss pf six wickets one suspected everyone's mind was concentrated on Saturday, There was however a strong defence by the captain who reached an impressive 50 but when he was out I was no alone in thinking the match was over. We did lose but not before an extraordinary battling once again by Liam Plunkett the bowler who alone with batsman Will Smith are my present choices for man of the season with still half a season to go in the county Championship . He was devastated to be run out as Steve Harmison crashed the ball into the opposite wicket and it went straight to the hand of a fielder who was able to throw down the same wicket with Liam stranded. The determination shown encouraged for Saturday and the loss was not such as bad thing as will make the team more determined and remove any sense of over confidence.

The rest of the day was used to prepare for the weekend. Hampshire has previously been regarded as a typical county with a count ground but over the past decade it has developed its ground in a showpiece cricket stadium which I look forward to seeing as in addition to its contemporary design it features covered standards which is helpful as light rain is forecast on the first day and I have been allocated a seat the upper level of a roofed stand facing the main Pavilion.

There is no Parking available at the club but free park and ride services just off the motorway which passes close to the ground. Everyone will be going to the first of these unless they are staying overnight in the Southampton area. So with the park and ride service operating from 8.30 and staying about 20 mins to half an hour away I would l want to leave no later than 8.15 which just gives time for a fruit juice, bowl of cereal, a croissant and cup of coffee as long as I I have risen early enough, got everything ready including the food and drink for what will be a long day unless play is abandoned because of weather conditions. Should the forecast prove wrong then on Sunday there is the final open day in the dockyard enabling a visit up the Tower adjacent to the Harbour Train station before catching a ferry to the Isle of Wight for a quick reminder tour of the Island visit on holiday as a boy, However the art of good planning and enjoyable travel is flexibility and preparedness for all weathers and circumstances. More of that tomorrow.

The implication of Yorkshire's 20 20 behaviours

The media last night was interestingly cool on Durham's move to placate its Members and supporters over the fiasco of the 20.20 match a week ago. The game, now against Glamorgan will take place next Tuesday and Durham announced on its website that it has decided to donate all proceeds to Charity and to charge adults £5 and for children to go free. Everyone who purchased tickets for the original night is to be reimbursed automatically the full amount or on submission of their ticket if they made a cash purchase. This is an excellent move both in accepting that the situation was badly handled on the day, however much it was the fault of Yorkshire and the English and Welsh Cricket Board and that without such a move it was unlikely the game would attract a good crowd. Although scheduled for 5pm because there are floodlights the game could be played until 10.45 if there is a weather governed difficulty in reaching a result. Neither regional TV evening news programme mentioned these developments although they may decided to leave publicity until the weekend and on Monday.

Meanwhile Yorkshire lost their second division 40 over televised match. Gough appeared in good spirits despite a couple of knocks but the rest of his team were clearly demoralised after being thrashed by Essex again. Essex are already playing Kent in the 50 over final at Lords but either the fall of the toss or the manipulation by the ECB has resulted in the two teams playing each other in the first semi final the following Saturday. This means that Middlesex will play either Durham or Glamorgan at 3pm giving these times more time to travel down, although the with the final not commencing until 7 it will be along days night return homeward, although little different from those who travel away to football games held in the evenings.

A bad day at Durham and for cricket

Reality four and five are of different order. It has been a glorious warm and sunny day and I decided early on that irrespective of how the game progressed in the morning I was visit Durham Cricket Club for the after lunch session. I had a belief that Somerset were the kind of Cricket Club who would declare their second innings at a point where Durham had a good chance to win the game rather than play defensively. I remembered that when Durham first became a First class cricket county they plated Somerset at Darlington and set Durham the task of getting some 250 runs which in fact Durham were able to achieve within the overs remaining. Somerset had been criticised for making the task too easy and this was one of the first wins if not their first win. Today the task set was some 280 runs with 50 overs, a task similar to that which faced Durham in the recent Semi Final of the Friends Provident Trophy and where in fact the same thing happened as it did then and Durham lost two quick wickets. At least this time Durham had no need to face a win or lose position as a draw would keep them in the title race as they continue to have one game in hand on the three teams above them and on Yorkshire who have the same number of points. It was just as well that the weather was fine as you have to be an aficionado to appreciate the defensive game. A good approaching 100 partnership between captain Blenkenstien and opener De Venuto steadied the situation but their quick departure, followed by a fifth wicket opened her possibility of defeat again. Phil Mustard held himself back and with Ben Harmison saw the game through to 5.30 when Somerset agreed to the draw and an early long drive home. Had the umpire accepted their call for an LBW shortly before the half hour I am sure they would have pressed on in an effort to claim the additional ten points for the win and which would have deprived Durham of four of their eight points. Durham were lucky for Somerset appeared to be in control of this game from the start and puts Durham's ambitions of winning the championship title in perspective.

It was only later in the evening on arrival home that the result of the Yorkshire appeal against being ejected from the competition was made known. It was an amusing decision because it was agreed that the Committee had been too harsh in ejecting Yorkshire from the competition and instead they were deducted two points but allowed the result against Nottinghamshire to stand. This consequently also punished Nottinghamshire who had claimed the game just as Durham had asked for a bye. The decision means that Glamorgan one of the third best placed teams in the final league tables go through to meeting Durham at Riverside at a date to be determined. Presumably Nottinghamshire may appeal against this decision. I like this decision though. It is also interesting to read an apology issued by Yorkshire Cricket Club to Durham Members and although this is wholehearted it is about the original mistake and not what happened a week ago. I had written to Yorkshire Chairman Brian Close as well as Durham's Chairman which led to a personal letter from the Club's Chief Executive. Twenty four hours later the date of the revised game has not been publicised. I contacted the Rosebowl and established that all tickets and pre parking has been sold except for the semi finalists. It is going to be a hectic few days if the date of 21st suggested to Glamorgan is correct.

Reality Six. Before returning home I went to Sunderland City Centre to see what was the latest position on replacement spectacles at Specsavers who provided a current pair where one lens has been affected by my fall which I have only recently noticed. Sadly it is a sign of the times that the shop was fully shuttered so I had to find out find out the position through the internet. However the visit provided the opportunity to see some changes to the side of the city centre where there are the offices of solicitors and accountants and such like. I will need to bring my camera on another fine evening to be able to photograph when there are no crowds. I also called in at Morrison's for some fruit but could not resist two packs of Cinnamon Danish pastries originally 79 pence on offer for 39 when you will pay over a £1 when eating in café. A cup of tea and a single scone without cream or jam cost £2.20 at the cricket. It became a day of facing different levels of reality. More about that another time, perhaps.

1427 A Cricket Scandal

What started a good day became an increasingly frustrating day and is a classic example of how organisation take decisions with little or regard for the public which finances their continued existence.

These are the facts known to me and which are significantly at variance at what is being presented to the public, although statements now being made which are at a variance to which were made earlier.

The issue is when Durham Cricket Club which has a duty to care for its Membership, visiting Members and the public in general were first notified by visiting team Yorkshire and the English Cricket Board that the game should not take place until a decision was taken if Yorkshire was to be excluded from the rest of the competition. In an ideal world the Chief Executives or whoever was responsible for what happened to Members and supporters should offer their resignations and these should be accepted. Nothing less will undo the damage to the integrity of the Board and the two Clubs. I am particularly concerned that it is evident that Durham continued to take money at the turnstiles and allow ticket holders into the ground after they were aware that the game should not take place.

I arrived at the ground and was at the ticket car park ticket machine with others at precisely 4pm in order to qualify for the four hour payment period after which car parking was free. There was surface water in one car park and in the adjacent parkland so when a steward outside the ground said it had only just opened because there was a question mark over the game taking place, I assumed this concerned the weather conditions, and this may have been the case.

Because it looked as if it could start to rain again I made my way to the Member's lounge and the covered balcony where a vacant seat was found a short distance away from a Sky TV camera position. I settled down to read an evening paper after buying a non alcoholic drink at the bar wondering if I had made a mistake in bringing sandwiches instead of investing in a large plate of chips of £1.50. I was surprised that although the wicket was uncovered with the stumps ready for play, neither team was out as usual warming up and entertaining supporters. When a slight rain commenced the pitch was quickly covered and a announcement made that play would be delayed because of the weather and more information would be provided. However I quickly learnt that the prolonged but slight shower was not the cause of the delay as the Sky Cameraman while connected to his production staff told at least two Durham Members and one from Durham that Yorkshire had been played an ineligible player in a previous round of the competition and had been told they could be removed from the competition and were therefore refusing to play unless the threat was lifted and they were not even prepared to play an exhibition match. It was further disclosed that Yorkshire had been made aware of the problem last week and that they had expected fine because of the technicalities. However it was subsequently discovered that although the player had a work and stay permit he was not a British subject and Yorkshire already had their quota of overseas players so they would have to end the contract of one to acquire another.

I have great sympathy for the Yorkshire players who after losing in the Friend's Provident semi final last week were seeing their hopes of reaching another final dashed because of the administration failure, but I do not understand why having been advised of the position in the morning the match was immediately called off or postponed before people travelled, incurred parking charges and in some instances paid cash for admittance at the turnstiles. My accusation is that the decided that unless the threat of elimination was withdrawn they were not going to play. It is difficult to also understand why Durham did not stop further admission once they knew there was a major problem and why it was an hour before they announced the game would not take place yesterday or today when weather permitting it could also have been played.

What is also of concern is that the majority in the crowd were oblivious to the situation as they were officially told by club that the delay was due to weather conditions and when about an hour later we were official told the position the rain had stopped for some time and the sun had come out and that the announcer said the decision not to play has just been taken. What an amazing coincidence given that the players had not come out for their warm up either before the rain or as soon as it stopped. While the English board must share major responsibility with Yorkshire Durham Management cannot pretend they were in the hands of others. The could and should have informed their Members and supporters as soon as they became aware that play was unlikely.

I have previously mentioned that four of the five matches in the league part of the competition were delayed and had no result because of rain Those attending had incurred transport coasts and car parking. There were no complaints about the club or conduct of the players. Yesterday everyone was incensed about the situation and I have never experienced such a reaction at a cricket match as was witnessed in the Member's lounge and then on the way to vehicles. The integrity and reputation of both clubs has been severely dented. What then upset me more was the spin that both clubs put on the situation afterwards.

Today after reporting my experience to the clubs and the ECB I went to out to buy the regional daily paper but before calling at the nearest newsagents visited a new convenience store which is about the third attempt to make use of the former local post office an earlier casualty in the closure of such facilities. Although they had copies of daily newspapers they did not have the journal so I made my way out after having a quick look around what was on display but missed that there was a step and went crashing into a display unit hit my nose fiercely against a metal tray and splitting the skin on my nose so that blood flowed profusely. I did not think I had broken anything but agreed that an ambulance b called who first checked that I had not been knock insomnious on hit myself more severely but confirmed that I would need to have the wound glued, was an expression not previously encountered. The ambulance came quickly but the process of being booked in to the District General, seeing a nurse seeing a doctor and seeing a nurse again took over two hours, one suspects because having a head injury they wanted plenty of time to ensure there were other consequences. I was given a card which listed the symptoms which if felt I should return. I had gone out for the paper around 10.30 and it was half past two when I returned by taxi, enjoying telling the tale on the journey.

However I had wasted half a day but thankful that the injury had not be worse. It was washing day, the ordinary washing of clothes for the week, washing the jacket and handkerchiefs separately and then a third wash of a cover of the settee because it is white and required washing through normal usage. I also did a dusting and a tidy planned for the day leaving the vacuuming and floors tomorrow and the bathroom for Thursday morning and then settled down to watching cricket on Sky TV!

1426 Lulu in the Park British Grand Prix and Wimbledon Tennis

Having gone to bed at one am and risen several times, going back to sleep, but not feeling I had done so on waking, and then getting up before six full of asleep and unhappy with myself but without any obvious cause, I knew it was not going to be the good day I hoped for. And for a time this seemed to be so.

I had problems getting online. I messed up at chess and failed to win several games at Hearts. When I did get online I learnt of the death of Clive Normby who played Jack Sugden in Emmerdale for 28 years at the age of 63, six years younger than me. I was pleased that I had rejoiced at being alive despite the uncomfortable night and that I accepted that another day of strong showers meant that that I would miss the concert of Lulu in the park.

I continued to sort and scan photos coming the last few of phase one although the task of converting slides to photos would then be a long process. I turned my attention to the British Grand Prix and the news that in 2010 the contract had been signed for a move to Donnington Park near Derby a better location from the transport viewpoint although multi million expenditure was required in order to create the latest world class racing track and facilities. The weather conditions would make the penultimate Grand Prix at Silverstone an interesting race although I was grateful I was watching from the comfort from home without the long and slow drive here, the likelihood of watching in an open stand to the weather and then the long wait to get out of the car park and the crawl for hours to get away. The team 'mate' of Louis Hamilton was on the grid first and was also first away with a member of the Red Bull Team amazingly second and Louis fourth although in the first rush he passes these to take second place challenging his team mate who refused to give way, but then did so a little later. This was a race where drivers were spinning off as they hit surface laying water, some managing to get back on the track, but several finding themselves stuck in gravel and out of the race. The main question teams and drivers faced was which tyres to use with the intermediate wet which slowed lap times by about ten second or the full wets which cut the loss of time but if the track dried there were gains for the intermediate, and losses for the wet and reverse positions if it rained significantly.

There was one significant moment for Louis as both he and his closest rival entered the pits to change tyres and refuel, but amazingly the Ferrari did not change tyres and with Louis managing to exit half a second before he commenced to move away. He hit one patch of water later on which involved a minor spin but otherwise he drove according to the weather conditions and continued to win his first British Grand Prix, the first time there has been a British winner since 2000 and with his main rivals faltering he now leads the driving championship table with two others and with the second half the series to come. My day had changed.

Although it was still cloudy with the strong possibility of rain I considered going to the Lulu concert after a quick dash to the supermarket for batteries for the slide viewer, some onions for the stir fry and some pears. I had cooked a chicken for lunch with microwaved vegetables.

I could not park below the hill so returned the car to its garage and seizing my new £4 sports umbrella then walked down looking across to the Tynemouth priory and castle and the river piers before walking through North Marine Park and across South Marine still undergoing million pound renovations and into the concert park where there was one of the biggest crows I have experienced given the weather conditions.

Around 1964 I went to the cinema in Oxford and watched a short supporting feature called something like New Faces which featured new musical talent. It ended with a fifteen year old fiery Scottish lass wearing a shimmy dress with a strong accented voice sing Shout. This was Lulu with her backing group the Luvvers. The amazing aspect of her performance to-day at the age of sixty was that has lost none of that energy and was able to persuade the usually seated and sedate family audience to get on its feet and stomp to the beat. She was supported by a strong band and to young male dancers and backing singers. It did start to spit and then drizzle and for a time umbrellas were needed but unlike previous concerts the audience stayed and were attentive. Lulu was joined by local Jarrow singer song writer John Miles who once toured with Tina Turner, and his guitarist son, which was one high spot and then when she finished her hour long performance with Shout, followed by an encore, in sudden and temporary sunshine. She has had an amazing career with a joint winner of the European Song Contest Boom Bang a Bang! After working in America she had her own TV series which ran for seven years and then co hosted Oh Boy when it was revised in the 1980's. She also appeared on the West End Stage in the 1980's with Song and Dance Andrew Lloyd Webber and the National Theatre's production of Guys and Dolls. She sang the title song for the Man with the Golden Arm and continued to appear on radio and to record singles and albums. 23 or is 24 albums have been released and she has appeared in nine films including To Sir with Love I and II. Off stage there was her much publicised marriage to Maurice Gibbs, and they remained friends after it ended. She married again, in 1977 her hairdresser and they remained together until 1991 when they separated and then divorced in 1995. There is one son from the marriage. There was also the publicised romance with David Bowie. She was involved in a major car accident which threatened her singer career but recovered to be able to entertain those of all ages to this day. While never attaining the great heights of popularity and stardom she has remained a shinning example of the Scottish and British Entertainer putting to shame the one hit youngsters who continuously flat across our horizons. She has received the O.B.E and a Honorary Doctorate of Music.

When I returned the Spaniard Rafa Nadal, the humiliating conqueror of Andy Murray in the quarter finals, was two sets up on the five times in row Wimbledon Champion Roger Federer. Then with advantage to Nadal there was a long rain interruption in the third set which went to a tie break win to Roger and as did the fourth so the match was then all square at 2 sets each. There was a further break for rain which meant that there was the prospect of the game not finishing, especially as without a tie break it subsequently continued in the gloom to 7 games each, but then Nadal achieved the break in service to take the match. These brief words do nothing to convey the longest men's final of all time, the most exciting, the most concentrated quality performance in a final there has been. The physical and mental stamina was matched by courage and extraordinary skill which left former champion Boris Becker and would be champion Tim Henman were left speechless in awe. The gulf between the best of British tennis and the world's best is there for all to see.

It had therefore become a great day but with one disappointed. Having praised Catherine Tate for her acting in Dr Who she appeared on the Graham Norton Show, always a mistake suggesting desperation by an actor seeking publicity for their work. She revealed her lack of interest or understanding about the significance of the programme, but also the approach to her work in general which is to give herself wholehearted to her role of the day and then move on oblivious to its impact which was shown by the contrast in the reception she received to the equally well known and liked James Nesbitt of Cold Feet fame and subsequent series and individual performances. Her appearance underlined the myth that all publicity is good publicity but this was only a hiccup in what had become a great day.

1425 Christopher Eccleston is10th Dr Who and more cricket

It has been a poor night. I cannot say it has been a terrible night in that I was ill, I was not in pain, hungry or in distress, I just did not sleep well going to bed about 1 am rising three if not four times before getting up half asleep before five am and then getting myself awake with a cup of coffee and losing at Hearts and winning a few games of chess. I felt ready to finish my writing of last night, putting off making toast, and to further dissatisfaction, discovered I had wiped out the almost ready writing and saved the last few words without reversing the process to save to the point that I had reached, It had been that kind of day.

Although disappointed with the cricket, I still had hopes of going to Lords in mid August through Yorkshire who were playing in the second semi final at Essex anther team which has done well in the one day game and who Durham beat last year at this same stage. However I had forgotten that it is Essex that has Napier, he who scored 156 in the 20 20 game hitting six sixes. We have Mr Morkel who had performed so badly when it mattered most, but this was not to be the situation yesterday. Essex were clever concentrating on building up a solid total without losing early wickets and then allowing their middle order to achieve a good total, scoring 100 runs in the last ten overs with Mr Napier getting sixty of them. Sky would have liked him to have been put on earlier but wiser heads prevailed at Essex, knowing that Yorkshire's strength this year has been its bowling, but as at the Riverside, the way to approach a good playing surface on a warm and sunny day was to sue spin, good spin, which Durham lacked to control the flow of runs, and frustrate the batsman into making inappropriate and wicket losing strokes.

Although the weather was fine in Essex, at Chelmsford, a ground which I am yet to visit, here it changed and became dramatically, overcast for the morning when up to 2000 young people were descending on the beach for a sandcastle competition followed by a small parade to make the official start of the summer festival. It is not a crowd attracting parade other than Saturday shopper's and the families of the younger participants, which in this instances was just as well because it not only rained, but it was a hard rain. Usually at this time we have prolonged period of one form of weather, rain rain rain, or sun sun and more sun but this mixture makes planning days ahead difficult to impossible. Hopefully the weather would revert to that of Friday for the opening show by Lulu in the park on Sunday afternoon, but it did not feel that this would be so. The day had the feel of the two occasions of longer holidays in Scotland and one in Cornwall when it rained at some point almost every day, during the day time and remained overcast at other times and is why the two week holiday in Spain, Greece, the South of France, and Italy is so popular.

The absence of any incentive to go outside my home meant that I was able to work hard sorting and scanning photographs and should finish phase one of this project in terms of the subject matter later today, although creating DVD's may take a few days more.

There was also the second part of the Dr Who series finale which I hoped would prove as good as the first. I will go as far as saying that it should be regarded as the major TV event of the year and perhaps the best piece of non fiction broadcasting for sometime. I have yet to remember anything better constructed, engaging and satisfying in its conclusion.

Dr Who is a British phenomenon although it does has a good fan base in the USA through the science fiction channel and in Australia and Canada and is being shown in a number of other countries. It commenced in 1963 and ran until 1989 without a break, with audiences for new episodes varying between three and ten million, at times second only to the soaps. It was then briefly resurrected in 1996 and the developed of computerised special effects since the Millennium enabling the present series which commenced in 2005 and produced by BBC Wales to be planned as a more contemporary programme, but still aimed at an early evening family entertainment but after the youngest of children have been put to bed. Altogether there have been 751 episodes from the original low budget black and white, many of whose episodes have been wiped or lost without having been replaced such was the previous disregard for the history of the programme, to the present day cinema theatre quality with imaginative cleverly constructed scripts, great actors and expensive special effects.
However the format has remained the same although for the current runs each of the thirteen episodes is self contained with overall links, usually through the special companion or companions of the Doctor. As With the Doctor who has to change physical form from timer to time, the companions cone and go leaving him an essentially lone traveller, bearing the accumulative pain of all that he sees and feels. This does not mean he does not become very attached to his companions but he always as to do the right thing for them and their families as well as the future of the earth planet for which he has a special affection.

There have been ten Doctor Who's with those who watched every series having their favourites although those whose parents watch the series first with them, usually regarded that Doctor as special. My own are John Pertwee1970-1974 better known for his enactment pf the scarecrow Worzel Gummage and the softer performance of Peter Davidson, 1981-1984 but outshining them all is the present Doctor played by David Tennant who is showing a depth of performance even grater than Christopher Eccleston.

Throughout the forty five years of broadcasting the trade mark has remained Time Travelling with the TARDIS a police box on the outside but cavernous inside rather like my car and the outside appearance of my home. For many of not the majority of present day viewers the police box will be a curious concept whereas in my child hood it was a common feature on many a street corner alone with the AA and RAC boxes as dedicated phone line systems in addition to the red telephone boxes that were common on the streets of towns and where every village had at least one. The idea being that the time travel machine could land on any British Street and not provoke attention. A second consistency as been the major alien baddies, the Cybermen and worst of all the Daleks, preposterous as frightening or threatening creatures but always almost successful in enslaving the world. The third consistency has been the theme music devised Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic workshop.

Thirty five actors and actresses have played time travelling companions and one of the significant aspects of the 2008 finale is the bringing together of everyone who has been a companion or assistant together and devising a way in which Rose played by Billy Piper could have a one heart and therefore mortal Doctor look alike to live with in her parallel universe. I have previously commented that at first I thought that Catherine Tate was great in the one off 2007 Christmas special but found it difficult to become the girl next door character which has been a feature of the programme and enables audience identification. As this series progressed I thought Catherine Tate stopped being Catherine Tate and became a believable Donna Noble and last night he scriptwriters brought the two together in a performance which should win her awards, revealing her to be an extraordinary actress as well as a brilliant comedienne. So why the rave review and commendations. It was at this point I went to bed last night, from tiredness rather than lack of an answer the posed question. The story, although complex with its constant twist and turns was credible, fast moving and funny. It was also sad and realistic an where the special effects added to the overall effectives but were never the objective and because it tied everyone and everything thing into the last episode in a show of getting together faced with a common enemy which was also a message to the nation at large.

The previous day I had written about the timely showing of Fallout about the knife murder of a black school boy by at black gang member from the same school and neighbourhood. Yesterday the police announced that the government were requiring them to make the war against street crimes of this kind the number one priority.