a gloaming misty sea fog

Bleachermen,

Wandered aimlessly into the cricket ground yesterday morning just in time to see a couple of overs before they went off for a brief shower of rain, and then took an early lunch.
You could have cut the humidity with a knife
After the covers were lifted, NSW quickly mopped up the TAS tail, with without doubt the ball of the day coming from Doug “Champers” Bollinger.
Krejza decided not to offer a shot to a vicious inswinger that cut back a mile in the air, which not only made an ugly mess of his off stump, but his middle stump as well!
With TAS in deep doggy do on the first innings, Katich had no other option but go for the jugular and enforce the follow on.
And then a most extraordinary thing happened.
Champers very first ball of the 2nd innings did some weird and crazy stuff, both off the pitch and in the air at pace, and Dighton had absolutely no idea – the ball just pegged him, neatly removing the leg stump!
TAS 1/0
Matthew “one test wonder” Nicholson then bowled a maiden.
Third ball of Champers second over he had Di Venuto offered a simple chance to the keeper, next ball trapped Marsh in front, missed the hat trick, and then with the last ball of the over, Bailey hit it straight to gully!
Three wickets in four balls – I’m pretty sure that that feat has its own section in the record books -- being the next best thing after the hat trick.
TAS 4/11.
Just a pity there were only 23 punters in the lower deck of the MA Noble Stand [yes, I counted them] to witness such a thing.
The man and his dog were out the back having a smoke at the time.
Never rated Bollinger as much more than a perfectly serviceable first class bowler in the past, but he appears to have found a yard of extra pace this season, and crikey! always been a fan of good, straight, fast bowling.
No one can argue with ten wickets in the match, and the number of scalps he’s already taken this season
Darren Goodger made his first class umpiring debut in this match, and I am here to tell you, the bloke rivals Porky Parker in his absolute hugeness!
If you lined up Porky and Gazza’s beer guts next to each other, there’d be nothing in it!
Left after tea, as the light began to fade considerably, when a sort of gloaming misty sea fog came in over the ground, pretty much from the direction of Kirribilli House.

PS the new Hill Stand is in a sorry state. The concrete for the concourse in front is finished, and they were putting in the seats. They will probably try to sell those for Jan 2. But as for the rest of it, I counted 16 steel fixers crawling all over one third of the first deck, the foundations appeared to have just been poured for the middle third, while the other third – well there‘s just nothing there! They will be very lucky to have the thing finished for the start to the new Sydney Swans season; more like in time for the last game.

no pumpkin sitting on his shoulders

Big hitters,

You have to feel sorry for the inform bats who are going around in first class cricket at the moment, given that none of them have a snowflakes chance in hell of breaking into the first XI this season, the way the top and middle order is traveling [admittedly, against a pop gun attack].
For blokes like Simon Katich [currently averaging 178], who is driven by fear and loathing, it must be particularly galling to know that you can go around the country and score big runs at will on all types of pitches against all types of bowling, and still your name won’t even get past the Blue Coat guarding the door at the meetings of the Chairman and the Three Wise Men.
Pomersbach [2nd in the averages] has managed to rule himself out, after finding himself “suspended indefinitely”, for some kind of mysterious encounter with the demon drink.

MJ Clarke’s 71 in Hobart was almost a cameo appearance.
Apart from smacking a bit of rubbish and a couple of cracking cut shots that sizzled through point, no one really noticed that he was even there until one bloke in the crowd turned to the bloke next to him and said ‘did you see that? Pup’s about to make a half ton”, and then the kiddie sheepishly raises his bat to the dressing room as he duly knocks up the 50.
But it does go to show that that’s no pumpkin sitting on his shoulders; he’s got a mature cricket brain for one of his tender age.
The whole purpose of the exercise was to push and nudge the ball around for singles square of the wicket on both sides in order to constantly turn over the strike to let the great MEK get on with the Serious Business of making a Big Test Match Hundred.
They did exactly what they did in Brisbane – carefully and methodically, not to mention ruthlessly, bat the opposition clean out the game, and for Pup the only self interest was pretty much just keeping the average tidy.
But he must have been disappointed with the way he got out; putting a glove on an absolute nothing ball, only to turn around in time to see the keeper take a screamer.
You have to admire Jacques stellar start to the resumption of his international career.
Just reward for all those endless days in all those endless seasons that is English County Cricket.
They are very hard yards to hoe indeed, and his colleagues don’t call him “Pro” for nothing.

Can’t let the moment pass without some comment on the disgracefully shabby hounding out of first class cricket of the great Boof.
The fools and jokers who purport to run the South Australian Cricket Association should hang their ugly heads in shame.
It’s them that should be run out town, not DS Lehmann.
Did not the SACA CEO comment that it was an “excellent time” for Boof to retire?
Talk about sinking the slipper, and then twisting the knife.
Boof will remember the name Deare.
And as for that chairman of SA selectors Nobes; if me and me mad Redbacks supporting mate had anything to do with it, he would be one of the first lined up against the wall and shot at dawn when the revolution comes.
The least of his many outrages was to install as captain a bloke who no one had ever heard of [the immensely talented Adcock] who averages about 20 in first class cricket batting at number five.
Crikey!
Boof retires with an outstanding first class average of 57.59.
Only god knows how many runs Boof scored for Yorkshire, but it must have been plenty, has he is one of the very very few non-natives to have been installed in the Yorkshire Hall of Fame.
One wonders if he will be accorded the same accolade by the utterly appalling administrators in Adelaide?
Surely now we can forgive Boof for his only major sin -- being Hookesy’s best mate.
Found his retirement media conference quite moving, with the old fella in tears for much of it.
It was all classically understated, but the oblique reference to Rod Marsh was in reality a good shot from the rocket propelled grenade launcher fired from the shoulder.
Let’s just hope it found its target.
At least the just reward for the SACA will be to preside over their team coming stone motherless last this season.
One of the most tawdry affairs witnessed in many a summer without doubt.
At least Boof can now take himself on a long fishing trip and start enjoying life again, but mark my words – he’ll be back – as the Chairman of the National Selection Panel in a couple of years time, where he can continue to be an ornament to the game.
Vale DS Lehmann.
Phew.
Glad to have that one off my chest.