Skip to main content

Victory Machine

New South Wales require another 568 runs with 10 wickets remaining. In one day.

I don't think that Tassie can lose from here. With Lambert promoted to, NSW may have an early slog and chase hard. The risk for them (obviously) is losing a few wickets. If this happens Tassie could easily roll their soft middle order. If they do, NSW will officially become our bitch.

Either way, I’m confident that Tasmania will win the Shield for the first time ever. Whatever, worst case scenario and they lose, I’ll just stress that the final is a load of rubbish and Tassie finished on top, and that was enough to win the shield for 75 years so everyone else can get fucked and we’re still the champions. And looking closer at the side only makes me happier.

Michael Di Venuto; Tim Paine; George Bailey; Sean Clingeleffer; Luke Butterworth; Adam Griffith; and Ben Hilfenhaus are all Tasmanians born and bred.

Travis Birt and Damien Wright are from elsewhere, but have only played first class cricket in Australia for the Tigers. Michael Dighton was a highly regard junior in WA, got 11 games for WA, but really has only had a decent run in the Apple Isle. Similar is Dan Marsh, who had 4 First Class games for SA, but has really hit his straps as a captain and batsman in Tasmania. I don't think the rest of the country (and maybe many Tasmanians) really recognise how well he has done here. 5000 runs at nearly 40 for Tassie is not to be sniffed at, given the seamer’s wickets of the 2001–5 period. Chuck in 127 wickets (also at around 40), and you’re looking at a solid set of figures.

Given that the experience of ‘fly-in’ players amounts to just 15 games from 2 players, this is a long way from the foreign legion of other state's second XI players that we've had in the past, and proves the wisdom of the selection panel's persistence with young and talented local players. This was despite some dreadful loses a couple of years back. Honestly, the state should be really, really proud of this team and I hope that they get the recognition that they deserve.

I’m particularly happy with the performance of Clingeleffer. I reckon that he’s the best keeper in Australia, and is a really good contributor with the bat. Yeah, he’s a bit of a nudger in the age of Gilchrist, but an average of 27 (and a 44 and 107 in a Shield final!) demonstrates that he’s no mug and well worth his spot. I hope the selectors get the message and don’t put pressure on Tim Pain and ruin him Wayne Phillips-style.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hold me now, oh hold me now, until this hour has gone around. And I'm gone on the rising tide, to face Van Dieman's Land

Theme Thursday again, and this one is rather easy. I am Tasmanian, you see, and aside from being all around general geniuses - as I have amply described previously - we are also very familiar with the concept of WATER. Tasmania is the ONLY island state of an ISLAND continent. That means, we're surrounded by WATER. That should help explain why I take so many photographs of water . Tasmania was for a long time the place where the British (an island race terrified of water) sent their poor people most vile and horrid criminals. The sort of folk who would face the stark choice of a death sentence , or transportation to the other end of the world. Their catalogue of crimes is horrifying : stealing bread assault stealing gentlemen's handkerchiefs drunken assault being poor affray ladies being overly friendly with gentlemen for money hitting people having a drink and a laugh public drunkenness being Irish Fenian terrorist activities being Catholic religious subversion. ...

Mad as hell

So there I was, arm hooked up to the machine, watching my plasma swirl away into a bag while the morning news dribbled across the screen like a bad fever dream. And what were they showing? A "riot" in Melbourne, allegedly. The sort of riot where the real thugs wear body armour, carry pepper spray and look like they just walked off the set of RoboCop. The people they were beating? A ragtag crew of teenagers and old hippies—probably fresh out of a drum circle, still smelling of patchouli. But sure, let's call it a riot. Now, here's where it really gets good. I mentioned this spectacle to a few people later, thinking maybe they'd share my outrage or, at the very least, give a damn. But no. What did I get instead? A smirk, a chuckle, and—oh, the pièce de résistance—"You should really just let it go." Let it go? Yeah, let me uncork a nice, overpriced cup of coffee, sit back with my legs crossed, and soak in the latest reality TV trash. Why bother caring when ...

Something unpleasant is coming when men are anxious to tell the truth.

This is the moon. Have I mentioned how much I adore the zoom on my camera? It's Theme Thursday you see, and after last week's limp effort, I have been thinking about how I might redeem myself. Then I clicked on the topic and discover that it was BUTTON. We've been hearing a lot about the moon in the past couple of weeks. Apparently some fellas went up there and played golf and what-not forty-odd years ago. The desire to get to the moon, however, was not simply about enhancing opportunities for Meg and Mog titles and skirting local planning by-laws in the construction of new and innovative golf courses. No, all of your Sputniks , "One small steps" and freeze dried ice cream was about one thing , and one thing only : MAD Now, I don't mean mad in terms of "bloke breaks record for number of scorpions he can get up his bum", no I mean MAD as in Mutual assured destruction . When I was a young man you see, there was a lot of talk about the type of m...