ATCC v GBTCC Tour
itinerary
11th
Australian Transplant Games - Perth WA
Five Nations Golf
- Rules & format.
Wednesday 14th May
What better way to relax the aching body than a game of golf this
morning followed by a game of cricket this evening. I
received the phone call last night requiring my services and simply
couldn't refuse. We are playing at South North in Gosforth
which is where the Australian Test team held their indoor practice
sessions when they were over here last.
Interesting item (to me anyway) about Mark Ramprakash in today's paper
as he prepares to bat with a record of 99 first class hundreds to his
name. It is a question of when and not if that he will score
the magic hundredth hundred. What fascinated me are the
names of those who are next on the list of possible members of that
exclusive club.
Justin Langer (82); Matthew Hayden (79); Stuart Law (79); Ricky Ponting
(68).
It seems the Aussies are the only one's anywhere near reaching this
landmark. Can anyone tell me which Englishman is highest on
the list?
Latest: ID's answer is not the one I am looking for
but will not spoil it for those of you who have not had a chance to
answer. I will let you know in the morning.
Must get a lie down before tonight's exertions.
Tuesday 13th May
The car parking saga at the Freeman hospital rumbles on. It
could be that cardiac transplant patients are being discriminated
against when it comes to concessionary parking for hospital led
appointments and check ups which can sometimes involve an overnight stay
and the need for a second mortgage on the house to cover the cost.
Cancer and renal patients receive concessions and deservedly so.
Matters are in hand and letters have been sent to
'the man at the top'. I shall keep you informed.
Whilst I have got my 'Why not us too?' hat
on......How come we have to pay for our medication and others receive
theirs free? If I don't take my steroids and anti rejection
drugs every day I won't be writing too many more blogs asking "Why
not us too?"
Monday 12th May
Stiff? Who me? Of course I am.
Those of you who have no interest in cricket can skip the next bit.
Playing against Shotley Bridge CC III's, which happens to be Paul
Collingwood's home club, Percy Main secured victory by 4 wickets with
yours truly hooking a short pitched delivery for the winning boundary.
We bowled the visitors out for 125 in 37 overs and I came on to bowl
when they had a respectable 98 for 6 with 18 of the 45 overs still to
bowl. Each bowler being allowed a maximum of 9 overs.
My bowling analysis was 5 - 1 - 9 - 0 which is very respectable with my
partners at the other end knocking over the tail. Strangely
enough none of the 10 wickets to fall came from the end at which I had
bowled.
Our turn came to bat with me scheduled to come in at number 8.
We had reached the dreaded 'Nelson', 111, and Andy Whotsisname had
scored 87 of them at a blistering pace. Runs were in
short supply from everyone else and five already back in the hutch.
When Andy fell at the Aussies bogey number (13 short) I joined up with
Dave from Belfast who is over here studying at Northumbria University
and opens the innings for them. As neither of us are
from the KP school of batting we decided to bat properly and simply
wait for the right balls to hit.
It took us the best part of 10 overs to knock off the 15 runs but check
out the result and all it says in the book is that we won by 4 wickets
with 8 overs remaining. I managed just one other scoring
shot when I hit a full toss over extra cover's head for two.
Archie had fallen asleep in the excitement and had to be woken up by
Eddie the groundsman at the denouement and I slept well last night
fantasising about an asterisk.
Sunday 11th May
Looking forward to a proper game of cricket later today at Percy Main.
The Geordie coast line is shrouded in sea fret so I'm afraid it's a long
sleeved sweater day.
Saturday 10th May
Another glorious day in Costa del Tynemouth, which is a pity because my
golf was pathetic in what should have been excellent scoring conditions.
Let's hope I am better at cricket when I make my 45 over debut for Percy
Main III's tomorrow.
Without boring you with a medical bulletin, I am definitely not
recovering from physical activity as I did, say, only 12 months ago.
Let's hope it is simply a blip otherwise I fear my days as a multi event
transplant sportsman are coming to an end and I may have to ditch
a couple of sports. First to go will be my running shoes
which may be making their debut on eBay sooner rather than later.
It could be that I am just getting older and my fellow competitors are
similarly suffering. Whatever happens I will be playing
cricket in Australia come October but the World Transplant Games down
under in 2009 may be just beyond me. It won't stop me
trying for selection though.
Friday 9th May
My 'Healthy Hearts' session at the gym has been put on the back burner
this week as I am having to plough through loads of stuff to do with the
European Games in Vichy and the British Games in Sheffield.
Being manager of the largest contingent at both events is very rewarding
but produces reams of paperwork and deadlines and keeps me out of the
gym. It makes me laugh when I receive official
correspondence from committees and quango's about how to run a team and
do's and don'ts etc... when the people writing such drivel could hold
their team meetings in a telephone box, but I won't go there today.
Whoops, I think I just did.
Thursday 8th May
I have just returned from a spectacular day's golfing in the beautiful
Northumberland countryside at the wonderful golf course at Bellingham,
hence the lateness of today's blog for which I make no apology.
For those of you who are interested in this sort of thing, have a look
at the web site and feast your eyes on this
stunning golf
course in my home county. OK so the bureaucrats changed
the borders and I am now domiciled in the manufactured county of Tyne &
Wear which is a completely meaningless and purely arbitrary socio
political carve up to form a unitary authority which contains the newly
elected Conservative council of North Tyneside.
Still on the subject of golf, following yesterday's blog I received a
very complimentary 'private message' to which I will reply with all
necessary correspondence and convey my thanks, as always.
Wednesday 7th May
Thanks for the messages supporting my failed attempt to get the WTGF to
adopt what is the accepted worldwide method of division in golf.
Namely the handicap system.
That the world governing body of transplant sport chooses to divide we
golfers into age groups as opposed to the universal system is and will
remain a mystery. Just because other sports are categorised
by age groups is irrelevant as far as I am concerned. I will
not mention this subject any more, unless I cannot think of anything
else to write about and am wondering how to get the acronym WTGF into my
blog. Clever or what?
Still on the subject of committees, I occasionally (ho ho) make
reference to the TSUK - Transplant Sport UK - which is the UK's ruling
body and a registered charity. I was asked if I would allow
my name to be put forward for this year's election to same by a sitting
trustee.
My reply, though negative, was extremely courteous and referred to
lunatics and asylums whilst offering my thanks for asking.
Committees are a necessary 'evil' but can often be far too large and
little therefore effectively achieved and often not very quickly.
Inner sanctums don't rock my boat either.
Sometimes dictatorships can be much more effective.
I have also had correspondence and dialogue with Gary Green who is the
secretary and Chair of the Sports Committee of the WTGF - World
Transplant Games Federation - on the subject of the golf format at
the World Games.
it seems we will have to agree to disagree. I repeat and
stick by my assertion that age categories in the golf is an arbitrary,
pointless and meaningless division when a perfectly acceptable method
already exists. A handicap is a handicap and that is how
golfers should be divided. The only exception, if there were
to be division by age, should be in the senior category at say 60+.
It seems I am a voice in the wilderness, but that has never stopped me
before. I have a compromise solution but it is unlikely to
be accepted either. Weigh everyone in the field, in Kgs of
course, divide by their height, in cm, and multiply by their shoe size
and then split into 5 categories. QED.
Sunday 4th May
I believe all American ball sports still operate in the imperial
measurement system. American football requires a 10 yard
gain for a 'down'' and they even refer to 'fourth and inches' at times.
The grid is marked every 10 yards and all stats are in yards.
Baseball uses yards, feet and inches. A homer at Wrigley
field will travel about 325 feet. Golf definitely still
operates in yards and putts are holed and missed from 'x' feet.
Everyone knows that the length of a cricket pitch is 22 yards or 1 chain
in length and the markings on a football pitch are all in yards.
The penalty spot is 10 yards form the goal line, the goals are 8 yards
wide x 8 feet high. The arc on the edge of the penalty area
is described by a 10 yard line form the penalty spot and the penalty
area is 18 yards. The centre circle has a 10 yard radius and
even the quadrant at the corner flag is part of a yard. The
minimum width of a pitch is 70 yards ad the maximum length 120 yards etc
etc.
How do I know all of this? My time spent as a football
secretary of Percy Main Amateurs FC required me to mark the pitch on
more than a few occasions per season.
Bob Beamon's jump in Mexico City, which I remember well, is always
referred to as the first leap over 29 feet and no mention of yards.
Having said all of that, I take your point Jeff.
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