It had proved a week of mixed fortunes as the weather breaks in showers and chill reminiscent of April had not April also been much colder and unpleasant. I have been touched by memories of summer blues time past, of being on the outside of experience which I believed others were enjoying. There was also couple of hours negativity overwhelming on Thursday evening after a disappointment. Walks along the sun drenched banks of the Tyne were already distant memories.
The “live” experience highlight so far has been Durham last grasp win against Warwickshire yesterday evening in the County Champion. Three major TV series came to the season finale with the most significant season three of a Game of Thrones, the television of the epic Fire and Ice series of novels and which will be subject of a separate writing. I am continuing to read the second novel A Storm of Swords, the fourth in the series overall, completed late on Sunday night as the TV series has included some parts and not others.
There have been some unexpected dramatic and even shocking events during the TV production and even more so in the second novel as there has been in the impressive Sky Arts channel series Corleone, a dramatisation of the real history of the Cosa Nostra of Sicily and which fitted well into the writings and TV dramatisation of Inspector Montalbano and along side the two other recent series set in Rome and Milan. I was not sure what to make of Da Vinci’s Demons with the early manhood of Leonardo and his dealings with the Medici family as well as with Rome ad the relationship between the Medici family and Rome. Season 10 of NCIS comes to an end and I am sure it will not be long before Vegas does so as well. Replacing them is a third season of the Borgias and two episodes of Mad Dogs out of the third season four have been enjoyed. The BBC has started its own epic of times past, royal machinations and magic in The White Queen| based on the novels of Philippa Gregory “The cousins War” but the gulf between the TV series and Game of Thrones and I suspect the novels, is immense. I shall watch though. I hope to cover all the programmes in some depth.
Enjoyed the third carton of hot and spicy chicken wings in four days and the first can of coke over the same period which regretted taking as I am sure it had contributed to the recent weight gain and I have not needed to get up so often at night during the same period. Sustaining a harsh food and drink regime is not possible at present as much some salted peanuts as the day begins to draw to an end while listening to the Isle of Wight festival on Absolute radio. I will break off to play some games in the front living room as part of half an hour of additional exercise in partial atonement. Had a good session but then undid the food work by eating the rest of the peanuts. Eat an Ice cream, the first of the season at the Durham 40 over game against Scotland on Sunday but the real weight shifter was the carton of fatty chips and batter on the Saturday evening at the amphitheatre. I have taken to egg salads along with prawns, smoked mackerel and quiche, but I have cut out the snacking. I have enjoyed some small cherries at £2.50 a pound and butterscotch whip over recent weeks but there has been less toast bread and jacket potatoes but one negative has been the three home baked roles filled with pate and olives or cheese and pickles
Last Tuesday I visited B and Q on as well as checking out the on line availability of Water barrels and reserved the remaining 210 litre barrel on line going to collect it around 9 on Wednesday to claim the 15% discount and leaving the house before going off to the cricket. It is placed by the drain pipe to the garage roof but I need to clean the guttering which will take some effort having already cleared the earth and other muck which clogged the wooden structure.
I also need to clean the sun roof to the garage which also improves the light to the kitchen. Ideally it needs someone to go onto the roof to undertake a proper clean. I will try and use the steps and a broom from both ends over the coming week, weather and resolve permitting and see how much can be cleaned that way. I will need to bore a hole in the wood before the present guttering down to a drain for a new extension to the barrel. I have arranged for a water meter to be fitted with the worked expected over the next two to three weeks but having filled the barrel I have bought myself some time although I will need to use water for the cleaning so Ideally the work needs to be undertaken before the meter installation. I will place containers on the ground to collect rain but getting these clean and ready also requires work.
I have taking a reading for the gas and water meters and sent these off on line which will result in the annual statement of use and having not received an offer from the local authority group purchase I will use a compare the market type of site and then consider a change. I have deferred changing the telephone and internet use to BT to gain the new BT sports channels free.
I enjoyed the cricket for the main part attending on two of the three days of the County Championship game between Durham and Warwickshire. The weather was atrocious and there was doubt from outset that we could get a result.
The wicket was placed to the east of the ground where the development of the additional permanent seating for the Test match against Australia meant that passage from the Members gate at Lumley was not possible until late on Friday afternoon. The work has progressed with the foundations for the new stand extended up to the first bank of the green seats although later that day we learned that this bank is also being replaced. The seats are from those used on Horseguards parade for beach football, 7000 in total with 500 permanent with bat and other facilities to bed completed death after the Test match as the additional seating with be at the back and removed. The capacity for the match will be 15000 with the take anticipated to be over £1m for the first three days.
I attended my first Members evening in the lounge after the first day’s play was completed and pressed about the new developing confirming that the latest development that the new entrance and proposed conference stand behind the Lumley end wickets was no longer an immediate option or the hotel. The club had gained a loan European grants of £1.7 million but this was for the full ground development projects of some £20 million which they had been unable to raise although the grant money remained available. The floodlights projects was also in abeyance in part because of the lack of demand for the floodlit game and it was not yet a requirement for hosting International matches.
There was some questioning about the use of the Castle View Lumley lounges in the new extension with the possibility of use for member when not required but not as an alternative to the existing facility. Interestingly he debacle about the changes to the Members room was not raised. There was a moan about the £80 for the Test match which is to be a one off because of the Ashes and other financial considerations. Apparently some of the original Durham County members before the move to first class cricket were given a £10 life membership offer and I seriously considered the original County Life Membership rate for elders when I became eligible but I was not wedded to remaining in the North East at that point.
Most of those attending the meeting were familiar faces to me and there were those concerned at the new season prices although the Gold Membership deal remains a great offer costing for the all inclusive home games around 46 days of cricket for £88 compared to £80 for a day at the Ashes Test.
Because of the conditions and location of the wicket I made my way to the middle tier of the Durham stand to watch Durham bat first having won the toss. Later the Cricket Director said that the players never knew how a wicket would perform at the ground from match to match and wicket to wicket unlike many other ground where a side could be selected for the conditions.
Stoneman after some remarkable performances was out without scoring. Jennings made a careful 33, Borthwick a more adventurous 36, Smith 46 and Stokes 61, all can be said to have got themselves in before getting out with the explanation that the ball had started to swing. When Collingwood went for 1 and the Colonel for 0 the side was still short of their first batting point with seven wickets down. Spirited defence by Richardson 26, Wood 22 and Onions also 22 saw the total reach a respectable 267 and 2 bonus points.
Warwickshire fared no better with 19 for 0 at the close and 116 fro 7 but again the tail rallied doubling the total to 209 giving Durham a lead of 58 and with 40 on the board at the close this mean 100 for 0 when I went off to the cinema for a showing of the Audience at the Cineworld Bolden having elected to listen to match on the radio while watching the England’s innings in their second 50 over world championship tournament. When I return from what proved an aborted performance, full of disappointment and frustration I was horrified to find that Durham had collapsed to 147 for 8 with the Colonel getting a pair Jennings 11, Borthwick 2 Smith 4, Stokes 5, Collingwood 7 Onion 8, Wood 3. It was only Stoneman 83 and Richardson 55 who along with 11th man Rushworth not out 11 who brought Durham to a respectable 198 with 42 run last wicket stand which I watched on Friday morning. However as I saw well wrapped and expecting a rain interrupted day, the odds had dramatically changed in favoured of Warwickshire. The Durham innings had ended don a bad note when Richardson was caught by Jarvid, according to the crowd while standing on the boundary rope which brought memories of Nottinghamshire’s Hales cheating several years ago which I witnessed at close hand. In this instance there was no one immediately overlooking the spot but there were a sizeable number of people in the Durham Stand close by who had an overview. Whether he was standing over the line and then moved just inside to take the catch is the only reason I assume he did not admit the 6 runs. Only he and his closes colleague appeared to celebrate with the rest of the Warwickshire fielders and Durham batsmen remaining in position.
Early in rhe Warwickshire second innings the skies darkened and the promised rain looked as if it would fall, but the sky coming from the west was much brighter and it looked that if it did rain in would prove a brief shower. Nevertheless the Warwickshire players sized the umpires decision and walk off but the Durham players remained with the Captain hoping to persuade the umpires that the conditions would quickly change. The umpires continued their walk to the pavilion, the pitch was covered but the delay was around half an hour and the match then continued uninterrupted for the rest of the game until one side became the victors.
Durham had the first success when Chopra and Porterfield were out at 26 and when Troughten at 56 and Westwood at 74 the game was swinging in Durham’s favour. This was view was reinforced when Ambrose went at 127, Clarke at 131 and Barker as 146 ( for 7) There was hen a very uncomfortable period when the dreadful Jarvid ( I trust the Durham crowd’s sight) with Patel slowly built up h core to a potential winning position until Jarvid went caught Borthwick off ions for 55 having stayed at the wicket for two and a half hours. Patel went three runs later for 50 but then Wright and Rankin appeared to steady and slowly moved towards what would have been a legendry last wicket victory when Stokes had Rankin leg before wicket and Warwickshire were all out for 245, giving Durham a potential Championship winning victory by 11 runs. And moved Durham to head the championship before Yorkshire completed their win to lead with 8 matches played 4 wins and 117 points while Durham are second with the same position and 108.5 points.
With the closest sides all drawing Durham kept their position with Sussex who they are to play twice 100 and Middlesex who they play Lords 97. Notts have a game in hand are on 80 which with maximum points still leave Durham ahead and hen Warwickshire, Surrey, Somerset and Derbyshire at the bottom. We play Derbyshire twice so Durham’s game at Scarborough could prove in effect a championship decider. The glory days could be here again.
Today Monday 17th June 2013 the news has reached tat Surrey have sacked their Director of Cricket and first team coach with Alec Stewart taking over this confirming my impression that the home supporters want Championship success above all else despite the financial and commercial success of the club through hospitality, sponsorship and the holding of International events.
I had written Durham off from getting to the semi finals fo the 40 over competition because of the loss at home, and at Hampshire, but they now head the table with 8.75 points after humiliating Scotland bowling them all out 91 with Collinwood ending the innings getting 3 wickets for 5 runs off 1.3 overs. Onions 3 fro 26 and Wood 3 for 23 also did well. Durham appeared to have no problem in gaining the required runs in 12.5 overs going for a good run rate which could influence the outcome at the end of the league matches.
A lose look at table reveals that every club bar Scotland who have zero points have a chance of being top team after all their matches have been played. Hampshire’s game at hone against Derbyshire on Tuesday evening is important and if Derby win and then win against Scotland they will head the table with 10 points from the same number of games as Durham, and if Hants win they will also go ahead and have a game still in hand. Durham play Hants at home on Saturday in a must win game whatever happens. I shall be at the European Games at Gateshead. However with 12 games in total to play, they league is about half way. Notts with 6 wins from 6 games and walking away in League one as they have a game in over next placed Northants with 9 points. Somerset and Gloucestershire are doing well in the third division with Gloucestershire 11 points from 7 and Somerset 11 from 8 and at present one of these two look a good bet for the best placed fourth semi finalist making a Division win by Durham imperative.
England were disappointing against Sri Lanka in their second of three games in the Champions Trophy after creating a reasonable total of 293 with Trott 76, Root 68 and Cook 59 but where Morgan 13 Butler 0 Brennan 4 and Broad 7 failed to capitalise on the great start push the total to over 325. It was Bopara with a magnificent three sixes two fours, two fours and a two who added 28 runs in the final over who set the challenge. Unfortunately England’s bowlers on a good wicket could find no extra life or twist Sangakkara 134 who sealed are fate reaching the total required in the 47th over and with seven wickets in hand. It all depended on the last match at Cardiff where rain threatened a no play which would have seen England out of the competition, Fortunately the rain stopped and then held off to enable a 24 over match against New Zealand. England made a good 169 although early on with Cook hitting sixes (64) a total of 190 or more seemed possible/. Again some fo the lower order batsman failed to connect in the way hoped. With the visitors 14 for 2, 48 for 4 and 62 for 5 they looked home cut and dried. However a good fight saw a much closer encounter with England winning after New Zealand could only reach 159 form 8.
Australia had to reach 254 runs in 29 overs to have a faster rate and get the fourth semi final spot. If they get the runs then New Zealand go through and not Sri Lanka who are they are playing. Going for the runs Australia lost wicket and when the 9th went at 196 it seemed all over. Just when it looked as if Australia would win and send New Zealand into the Semi final they were all out so that as heading group India will play Sri Lanka in the second semi final with England leading their group playing South Africa on Wednesday at the Oval.
Andy Murray won at Queen Club again after missing out on the French open because of injury although he never has done well at the clay courts there. He lost the first set came back to win the next two in am march which was unable to start on time because of rain.
The interesting but as yet unconfirmed news is that Joe Kinnear Newcastle manager who had to give up the job because of a heart attack is coming back as Director of Football responsible for brining in new players. However the club are yet to make any statement.
I have a comparatively quiet start to the week, with writing, some exercise and watching the cricket today. Tomorrow I need to go for some shoes but on Wednesday there is the Opera relay from Red Square. I should have seen the Audience with Helen Mirren last Thursday but they failed to get the sound working again so I walked out and rebooked for a second showing. Unfortunately only when i got home I found that it clashes with the Euro Athletics on the Sunday. I will judge what to fo depending how week the Opera from Red Square goes on Weds and the Athletics on Saturday. There is the important semi final game involving England which will also take place on Wednesday with a 10.30 start
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