The Primary Club is a charitable organisation that raises money to provide facilities for visually impaired people. To be eligible to play for the Primary Club you should have been dismissed at least once in your life for a golden duck, ie, out first ball.
Matty Hayden: the URL to sign up is http://www.primaryclub.org/shop/join.php.
You could tell it wasn't going to be Australia's day once Glenn McGrath trod on a cricket ball while playing touch footy. No, he wasn't playing touch footy with the cricket ball.
The Aussie lads were playing some warm-up touch footy (rugby league) on the Edgbaston outfield before the start of play in the Second Test, as you do. Brad Haddin passed the football to McGrath. McGrath heads for the tryline, and... who didn't put that Kookaburra away??
You can take your Border-Gavaskar, Compton-Miller, Chappell-Hadlee, even your Peden-Archdale... I am now unveiling, belatedly but otherwise as promised, the name of my award for the Ashes Player of the Tournament.
Presenting: the Midwinter-Midwinter. Who needs to invoke the names of two legends when you can honour one person twice?
Three items on the web for your edification:
It took just 10.1 overs on Sunday once play actually began. Like so many Australian victories over the past decade, a game that was neck-and-neck through the first innings ended up a decisive victory. Two bowlers with a combined age of 70 and a combined career haul of 1097 Test wickets finished off England, as they have done so many times before.
Pietermartizberg's very own Kevin Pietersen can be pleased with his Test debut for his new country of residence, and currently boasts a batting average of 121.00.
John Howard at the presidential lectern in the White House with George W Bush. John Howard at the Pentagon with Donald Rumsfeld. John Howard being praised by Rupert Murdoch at a black tie dinner. John Howard with Tony Blair at 10 Downing Street. John Howard visiting Aussie blast victims in a London hospital. John Howard chatting with John Major in the member's pavillion at Lord's. John Howard with headphones and mike in the CCCP (Central Cricket Commentary Position) live to air on the Beeb.
Before sifting through the Sunday papers, this from the Lords.org website posted on Friday:
'Daily Mail' apologises to ticket staff at Lord's
My question du jour involves Le tour: Can Australia wrap up the First Test before Lance begins his final pedal up the Champs-Elysees?
Australian free-to-air broadcasters SBS juggling cricket coverage with their pre-existing committment to the Tour de France - something Murdoch operatives have been gloating about as jointly owned Fairfax-Packer pay TV channel Fox Sports has complete ball-by-ball coverage to itself. On the other hand, it has the Sky Sports commentators all to itself...
There's probably nothing that gives me more pleasure in following cricket these days than charting the rise and rise of Michael Clarke. Friday, he breathed life into an Australian side that had been struggling to get on top of the First Test, and then looked set to add a debut Ashes century at Lord's to his CV.
Seventeen wickets on the opening day of an Ashes Test at Lord's. That hasn't happened since the century before last.
