The Official Brisbane Test Thread

[Wongo]

Such a close game. It could have gone either way.

[silentC]

Well, it could have easily been a draw...

[Wongo]

See cricket is such a silly game. You can spend 5 days doing next to nothing and get no result.

:p

[bitingmidge]

I reckon there are at least three sites providing commentary, maybe more.

The BBC's coverage might be an interesting listen, or do they just take feed from ABC here?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/default.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/d/

P

[silentC]

Are they doing one out of India? That would be worth a listen too... :)

I spent the weekend painting the new office. Can't get ABC in the shed, so had to listen to the Channel 9 commentary. At one point they had both Peter Roebuck and the other English chap (whatsisname?) on at the same time. Those guys should become professional spin doctors...

[bitingmidge]

Speaking of professional spin doctors, last night I sent Cricket Australia, a slightly expanded version of my post expanding on my Gabba Experience.

Here is their reply.

Thank you for your email in regards to crowd behaviour at this summer's cricket.

We have significantly upgraded our attempts to improve comfort for fans at
international cricket matches. Despite what might have been in the media, the mood at the Gabba ror the first Test of this series was very good. People came along, enjoyed the cricket and had a lot of fun.

Cricket Australia is not trying to be a kill joy. On the contrary, we spend a
lot of time over winter researching the issue and the very strong message the public sent us was: please crackdown on the small minority who can spoil the day for the rest of us.

The strong message was: please set boundaries and enforce them so that the rest of us can feel comfortable taking our families to the games; attending the games with our mates; having fun; having a beer; singing; shouting; enjoying ourselves.

There are some new restrictions; and some old restrictions that people have sometimes forgotten about. For instance, ground authorities in Brisbane have banned musical instruments for well over 10 years because of complaints from fans that they can be a public nuisance. Blowing trumpet sounds like fun, unless you are a family with little kids sitting next to that trumpet. The mexican wave sounds like fun, unless you are a family who have your family drenched in beer or urine from the plastic cups that a small minority of idiots now throw every time there is a mexican wave.

Our message this summer is simple: please come along and have a lot of fun: but if your idea of fun spoils the day for others, we will have to take action.

Kind Regards

Public Enquiries
Interesting how cracking down on the small minority seemed to impact on everyone.

On the other hand, when the small minority includes officialdom?

The off-field dramas involving England fans have continued after Queensland Cricket was forced to apologise for playing a derogatory song during the tea break at the Gabba. The apology was prompted by Barmy Army members complaining about offensive lyrics in a parody of the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight, recorded by the Australian musician Greg Champion.

The Queensland Cricket chief executive Graham Dixon told The Australian the song, which implied English fans were unwashed, unhealthy whingers, would not be played during future tea breaks. It had been part of the official entertainment organised by Cricket Australia.
The song by the way didn't IMPLY any such thing, it quite fairly stated it as fact... down to the chorus that went something like...

"whingeaway, whingeaway, whingeaway, whingeaway......."

There again, has anyone ever seen a watermelon helmet used as a weapon?
Gabba officials are also under fire from Australian fans. The Courier-Mail reported that security staff told a group of Australian supporters they could not enter the ground with helmets carved out of watermelons for fear they could be used as weapons. "We are not setting out to be killjoys but we don't want some dill spoiling the day because he's hopelessly inebriated," the Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young told the paper.
I admit I've seen more than one Vodka-filled watermelon turned into a helmet, but never a helmet turned into a weapon!

As I said at the beginning, I don't drink, don't like being sprayed with beer and don't wear a watermelon helmet.

...but if I want to end the day clean and tidy with my eardrums intact, I'll watch it on tele.

Cheers,

P (wondering whether to reply to them)
:rolleyes:

[Christopha]

Is it finished yet? Is it safe to turn the radio or tv back on?

[silentC]

Nah they've extended it for another 6 days to give England a chance to bat their way out of it. I'd go fishing or something if I was you ;)

[Christopha]

OK, bugger that! FISHIN" IT IS!!!!