Premier Cricket: Round 14 Preview

Round 14 of Premier Cricket, a two day fixture, will be played over the following two Saturdays -February 11 & 18. Here’s a preview of the upcoming action   MATCH OF THE ROUND Prahran (2nd) 50pts v Richmond (6th) 42pts @ Toorak Park 2011/12 P’ran TWWWWLDWDWWWW R’mond LWWLWWDWDWLWW Last time they met: Round 2 2010/11 [Read more]

A Change From the North

They come like small soldiers over the horizon, one by one, indiscernible at first. Signs. An article about the benefits of off season altitude training, Arizona or the Himalayas. It doesn’t amount to anything. Sometime later, the next time you turn to look ahead, there are more of them. They are armed. The plea from [Read more]

Duck hunting

People are inventive. They have found many ways to pass the time. Sport is one of them. But sometimes sport is more than that. People have also found ways to elevate the soul. Some play Bach and watch David Gower. Others have their souls elevated by fiddle-music, Ford pick-ups, the squeal of a pig, and [Read more]

In A-League of its Own 11 (2011/12)

  Tom’s weekly outlook on the A-League While the result of the season’s 3rd and final Melbourne derby read 0-0, the atmosphere and electricity inside the ground was certainly worth more than that. It was the first derby that I had ever attended, and although I probably got the least eventful of the lot so [Read more]

The Ascension of Pup

  The test summer has concluded in unanticipated rout. Australian success has spawned a thousand post-Argus paternity claims, whereas Indian failure is truly an orphan. Indeed, it seems India’s initial inclination is to pretend the summer never happened at all. But as we bask in the afterglow, Australian fans might still harbour a nagging doubt. [Read more]

110% Episode 1

Check out Barry Nicholls’ (ABC presenter from WA) new show, 110%.   http://blogs.abc.net.au/grandstand/2012/02/110-with-barry-nicholls-.html   Barry looks forward to contacting quite a few Almanac contributors in the months to come.          

Premier Cricket Round 13

  by Mic Rees Round 13 of Premier Cricket was completed last Saturday. Highlights included an outright victory, a superb all round performance, five centuries and a couple of squeaky bum finishes. At Princes Park Melbourne (5/233) had to settle for first innings points in its clash with top of table Carlton (116 & 7/196). [Read more]

The flat white chord

  by Vin Maskell At first I thought the voice was coming through the speakers of the large, neat café, trying to be heard above the burble of lunch orders and the boiling, bubbling and steaming of the baristas at work. Then I wondered if a busker, carried away mid-song, had strayed in to take [Read more]

Never too far away

by Pamela Sherpa Towards the end of last football season, my daughter, Tashi, feared that stress was adversely affecting me. She suggested that I should go on a relaxing holiday and get away from the frustration of sport.  What a good idea ! We planned to meet in Cambodia in January after she had been [Read more]

Shadow Batting

  A movement without thought.   A small step forward, a bend of the front knee, weight easing onto the left foot, the left elbow  pointed at the ball- text book style   I’m walking down the hallway in our house.   Then the stroke. A  quick stiffening of the body and then relax.   [Read more]

Standin’ on the Outside Lookin’ in

Sorry for the lateness of my missive but a combo of bathroom demolition and junior golf pennants has taken much of the weekend and drained my spirit despite a gripping 3.5/2.5 victory by the Belco kids over the visitors from Goulburn. For the uninitiated junior pennants is a match play format like the President’s Cop.  [Read more]

Cricket Dreaming by Barry Nicholls

  Cricket Dreaming by Barry Nicholls  $25 (+ $5 postage) The experiences, stories and characters of a life in cricket.

The Story of 78 by Barry Nicholls

  The Story of 78 by Barry Nicholls  $25 (+ $5 postage) One of the most thrilling and consequential grand finals in South Australian lore. Sturt and Norwood fight out a classic.

Memoirs of a Mug Punter by John Harms

  Memoirs of a Mug Punter by John Harms  $30 (+ $5 postage) Can a horse syndicate also set a socialist example? Can truth and beauty be found at a country race track? Follow the adventures of Courting Pleasure, and those who had a stake in her.

Crio’s Q: Good and Bad Breaks

Being a team man is one thing but, all too often, sportsmen know that they are competing with “mates” for a spot in the side. When the chance comes, you just gotta take it. I always felt a little sorry for Peter Anderson.

The Kernahans

The late Harry Kernahan with young Stephen in 1984.

Decision Pending….

As I ponder the Australian cricket team’s 2011/12 dog’s-breakfast of a schedule, I see a sport undergoing a form of mid-life crisis, a game grappling with its very identity.   In the fast-paced, highly competitive world of elite sport, international cricket’s administrators are directionless. Good, decisive governance of the international game is seriously lacking.  The [Read more]

It’s Your Wally Grout by Wally Wright

  It’s Your Wally Grout  by Wally Wright  $25 (+ $5 postage) Wally Wright gives a personal account of the career of his grandfather, the great Australian wicket-keeper. John Harms looks at It’s Your Wally Grout

Optimism and hope are wonderful things

Optimism and hope are wonderful things As the new football season approaches and practice matches (that’s really what the NAB comp is) are about to begin every football supporter is optimistic about how their team is going to go in the coming year. Hopes of their team making the finals or even taking out the [Read more]

1964 A Game, A Season, A State by Michael Sexton

  1964 A Game, A Season, A State   by Michael Sexton   $30 (+ $5 postage) Michael Sexton looks at the characters and the times which made for a golden period in South Australian football. Review by Chris Riordan