by Chris Riordan Readers who followed last week’s posts and comments should be flush following heralded Lisa Cropp’s sensational week of winners. Stick with her and fellow Kiwi gun Michael Walker, especially on the wet decks confronting our immediate racing schedules. Perth is once again the featured venue (rock hard ground for sure) but I [Read more]
Caught Behind 2/150
December 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Steve Ingham An opinion piece on Australia’s favourite summer sport A HERO IS BORN… LONG LIVE THE HERO When Peter Siddle charges in, with the whole country behind him, there is little doubt he could be the next Aussie Bowling Hero. The former woodchopper with the southern cross tattooed on his back can captivate [Read more]
Ashes Blog: 2nd Test, Adelaide
December 3, 2010 by 152 Comments
It’s no surprise that Mitch Johnson has paid the price for his poor Brisbane performance. But should Marcus North also have been dropped? And what of England? They too struggled for wickets in Brisbane. Can either of these two sides take the 20 wickets required to win on an Adelaide pitch that, by all accounts, [Read more]
Another year over…
December 2, 2010 by 13 Comments
by Josh Barnstable Wheeling the orange bin over to my locker, I carefully squeezed into the small space along with the bin, in front of a tower of lockers. I opened the top locker on the right, next to the greystone wall. Cobwebs had covered my locker, and a few Daddy-Long Legs had occupied a [Read more]
Andrew Starkie’s Ashes Diary (4)
December 2, 2010 by 5 Comments
ASHES DIARY Entry 4 Wednesday December 1, 2010 Now the dust has settled on an un-Brisbane like pitch that didn’t offer its usual Australian victory, what did we make of the first Test? Although we never looked like losing, many believe there were more negatives than anything else for Australia. Is it all doom and [Read more]
Almanac Racing: an offer you can’t refuse?
December 1, 2010 by 6 Comments
Bars at Roma St Station – the Spencer St of Brisbane – are filled with reputable dodgy types and other ratbags and reprobates who haven’t noticed that the second at Kyneton is suddenly the third at the Warrnambool dishlickas and by then there is absolutely no point in going back to work and little point in going [Read more]
Tassie Launch – Wynyard Footy Club
December 1, 2010 by 7 Comments
A grand time was had by all at the Tasmanian launch of the 2010 Almanac. Here are some snapshots of the event. Paul Daffey and Bill Walker Tim Lane and a friend Paul Daffey and retro Wynyard Guernsey
Paddle for the Mentawais – Get on Board!
December 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment
by Russell Yule The tsunami that hit the Mentawais Islands in October is the second to affect the region in since 2004. Assistance has been made even more difficult as the region is moving into the monsoon season, with weather conditions this year being horrific. Storms bringing winds of more than 100km/hr have prevented boats, [Read more]
In A League of Its Own – Issue 19
November 30, 2010 by 20 Comments
Tom’s weekly outlook on the A-League There is no doubt in my mind that Brisbane Roar are the best team in the A-League. Week after week they score goals and do not lose often at all; in fact they haven’t lost a game for 14 weeks, when they went down 3-0 to Melbourne Victory at [Read more]
“Need a new Johnson Rod”
November 30, 2010 by 10 Comments
by Andrew Gigacz The knives were out before the start of Day 5. The general thrust was that Australia do not have an attack capable of taking 20 wickets in a match, and therefore can’t win the series. And I think there’s a fair bit of truth in that. But as the players took the [Read more]
Wonderful athletes who aren’t great footballers
November 30, 2010 by 14 Comments
Thanks this week to Arma who contacted me with the following question/topic suggestion: This time of year, with pre-season training going on, we hear of “personal bests in the 3km time trial”, “improved endurance / recovery times”, etc, etc. And there are always references to this bloke or that bloke being “a wonderful athlete”. But that [Read more]
No mojo
November 29, 2010 by 3 Comments
by Hamish Townsend Day 4 There was not a moment of Day Four which will be remembered in any highlights reel, next to nothing happened for the entire day. However, when the story of the 2010 Ashes is written day four at the Gabba will be marked as the day Australia discovered, unless they change [Read more]
Falcons Vs Dingoes 12 Nov 2010
November 28, 2010 by 5 Comments
by Russell Yule The second round of the 2010-11 AFL-ME season kicked off with an early (10am) game between the Abu Dhabi Falcons and the Dubai Dingoes. The early start to avoid getting mixed up in the F1 World Title deciding event happening up the road and round the corner at Yas Island. (Any truth [Read more]
Andrew Starkie’s Ashes Diary (3)
November 28, 2010 by Leave a Comment
ASHES DIARY Entry 3 Sunday November 28, 2010 In a Test bossed by bowlers over the first two days, there was always the chance this match may be ultimately determined by batsmen. Bell, Cook and Pietersen threatened big scores on day one, only to be stopped by Sidds’ slice of history and debutant Doherty who [Read more]
Gabba Test: Day 2
November 27, 2010 by 2 Comments
Australia took the points on Day 2 of the First Test at the Gabba. But in the tight struggle which took place in showers-always-possible conditions England would have had her arm raised had it had a knockout blow, and had Michael Hussey not been such a counter-puncher. He played one of his finest innings. When [Read more]
Ugly Ducklings
November 26, 2010 by 6 Comments
by Dave Nadel For most of my life, at least until 1995, “Swan” was the name of an iconic bird, a rather ordinary beer, a very unsuccessful VFL/AFL team and a large river in Perth. I had only ever heard of two people named Swan, coincidentally both were first named Billy. The American Billy Swan [Read more]
It’s almost Summer – time for the Winterbottom Stakes
November 26, 2010 by 5 Comments
by Chris Riordan It is mighty hard to rouse much enthusiasm for the races this weekend. The quality of the fields has plummeted and fine weather – a drawcard for Friday Nights at The Valley or even the wonderful Woolamai picnics Saturday – looks unlikely again. I’ll be at Moonee Valley on Friday. 8 races, [Read more]
Andrew Starkie’s Ashes Diary (2)
November 26, 2010 by Leave a Comment
ASHES DIARY Entry 2 Thursday November 25, 2010 How many North Melbourne supporters claim an Ashes hat-trick on their birthday? None. Before today. Sidds will dine out on this for the rest of his life. When long retired and trawling the country sportsman’s night circuit, he’ll be introduced as the quick who got a [Read more]
Happy Birthday Pete
November 26, 2010 by 1 Comment
by John Butler 1st Test Brisbane: Day one- England 260 Australia 0-25 The anticipation of this Ashes summer comes not from any great expectation of consistently brilliant cricket, such as Australian fans have feasted on for most of the last two decades. Rather, it’s the prospect of a real tussle between two evenly matched sides [Read more]
Almanac Launched in Oxley’s Town under a Waning Gibbous Moon
November 25, 2010 by 1 Comment
by Sasha Lennon Travelling home along Milton Road past the spot where John Oxley arguably ‘discovered’ this town some 185 years ago, I reflected on this warm November evening in West Toowong, where a northern passion for all things Aussie Rules was fully illuminated in the glow of a retreating moon. With much aplomb, Professor [Read more]
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