Printer-friendly pageTuesday, July 11, 2006
No doubt there are eager cricket lovers out there wondering what happened to the LSSC XI last weekend.
Sadly the fixture against Cincinatti was called off as our opponents couldn't raise a team. Maybe Ryanair don't do cheap flights from Ohio, but the cry-off mail from their skipper suggests he didn't have that far to travel. In his particular case, he blames an inflamed knee injury that could put him out for the season. Ha, tell me about it! Play through the pain barrier, man.
Our own great leader is particularly saddened by the cancellation as he was confidently predicting a win (a bit rash against new opponents?). And in a way, so am I - not only denied a rare opportunity to don Twintub's no-doubt still sweaty gauntlets, but also to begin to compose a match report whilst balls were being retrieved from the long stop boundary.
Instead I'll moan about the lack of a cricket season. Wisden's 20th century anthology included a piece from 1942 reporting that the Secretary of the MCC complained to the FA that their season was always extending and affecting summer sports. At that time I'd have thought they would have had more important matters to worry about, but no. I doubt there was much football about in June and July, though.
The FA do actually police a close season, and this year it consisted of 30 days; the whole of June in fact. But there was more footie about in June than ever, with the World Cup and its punishing thrice daily group stage schedule to weary the keenest tele-viewer. Whilst the LSSC web site won't be too concerned with friendlies involving lesser clubs, the Intertoto Cup or even Champions League qualifying, we will no doubt begin to take an interest in the new football season when Saints start their pre-season with a match at Eastleigh on 15th July.
So with no LSSC cricket between Italy's triumph/Zidane's shame at the end of 2005/06 (good riddance) and BWP's debut for Saints in 2006/07, there is no break. Good job we went to Sri Lanka in the winter.
