Chain Of Events

Jacob Oram goes down (in what looked like a self tackle), Michael Mason is called in to cover him and Adam Milne finds himself playing the second day of the Plunket Shield game CD v Canterbury. His first game at first class level. Next thing you know he is batting and being bounced by Chris Martin.

For the record he remained not out and then went on to take four Canterbury wickets. A promising start to another cricket career.

The Agony Of Anticipation

You don't really need the photoshop highlighting to understand where it hurts for Neil Broom.

The real surprise is that his greatest discomfort is not from ball on ball contact, nor the desperate need to go 'tinkles". What Neil really can't wait for is the release of the first edition of the Cricket Sadist's Monthly to see if he can in some way feature.

While he waits he will just have to give it a rub and see if he can't score some runs against the Aussies.

Easy Fellas

Good to see a bit of toe to toe in last night's game.

I started thinking about these two teams as big/little brothers but in reality they are more like cousins. They see each other about once a year (unless there is a special occasion like a wedding, funeral or World Cup) and every time there is a bit of a sort out to establish who has got bigger or meaner since the last time they met.

The analogy falls apart, of course,  because there is no room for the pretty cousin who has "developed" since the last time they caught up.

Local Boys

Time to get back to a little grassroots cricket before the season and the sun is gone.

Here we see the mighty Whoppa Watkins demonstrating the "crossover technique" while bowling for the NPHSOB prems.

Part player, part coach, part administrator, Whoppa manages not to confuse things in his delivery stride.

I guess it is all about focus.

Head And Heart

Long may they stay related on the field.

Beam Me Up

It is cricket Brendan, but not as we know it. A very unusual innings in a very unusual game.

There will be many Kiwis celebrating the victory and the shear audacity of McCullum but this one is much more concerned about how you can get to over 200 and then not defend it properly.

The Aussies continue to play like a unit, we will continue to look for the unbelievable.