Champions!

   Our first walk in the Erewash and Amber Valley Autumn Footprints Walking Festival took us past a village cricket match last Sunday afternoon at Denby (see picture) but it was back in May of this year that I wrote "With a summer of sport ahead, the Euros, Olympics and Test Matches to mention but three, I shall be keeping a close eye on the Derbyshire Falcons cricketers who have made a winning start to the season and currently stand top of County Championship's second division."

   True to my word I have followed the fortunes of the Falcons throughout the summer where they have been at the top of the Division 2 table. A wobble recently put their finishing position in doubt right up until the last match against Hampshire but they ended with a flourish and secured the championship in fine style as this video of the highlights of the final day shows. After a decade of disappointment, all involved with the club deserve the heartiest of congratulations and the very best of luck for next summer in Division 1.

 

Sunday Trading

   For the duration of the eight week period covering the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sunday trading laws have been relaxed allowing large shops to open for much longer. Now there are rumblings within government wanting to make this permanent. Whilst I realise that some occupations require Sunday working such as the emergency services and transport workers, Sunday for many people, religious or not, is still a special day of the week when they can spend time at home with their families or enjoy leisure activities.

   For me the relaxation of Sunday trading laws would be the thin end of the wedge and before too long I can see office and factory workers being required to turn up for work on any of the seven days of the week. Already many sporting events traditionally held on a Saturday have spread over into Sunday but taking it to its logical conclusion, if Sunday were to become just another day in the week, I could see major football matches for example being arranged on a Tuesday or a Thursday afternoon so that the Sunday workers could see them on their alternative day off - if they were still entitled to one. No enough is enough, the legislation was altered to accommodate the Olympics and when the games are finished the law should return to its previous state - and stay there. Or is it going to be yet another broken government promise?

A Seven Year "Hitch"

It's been a great two weeks for Britain's athletes at the Olympic Games - the culmination of seven years' planning from when the games were awarded to London and a lifetime of hard work for many of the competitors. As the Olympics were coming towards the end of a fantastic celebration of sporting achievements, my god-daughter Sharon was also celebrating seven years since she met James and on the anniversary of their meeting last Saturday, they became man and wife together. If their marriage is only half as good as the achievements of Britain's athletes then they will enjoy a long and happy marriage together.

   A seven year itch usually means the point where relationships start to cool but in Sharon and James' case, the anniversary would better be called the seven year "hitch" as they tied the knot. Every bride is beautiful but it has to be said that Sharon looked a picture and here's another picture that proves it.

Reds & Rams

    As the build up to the Olympics continues, sports bulletins on radio and television locally have focussed on Nottingham Forest and the appointment of a new manager. Meanwhile Derby County have stayed mainly under the radar and gone about their business quietly. With Ilkeston lying midway between Nottingham and Derby and the grounds being only fifteen miles apart, it is only too apparent that the town will have supporters of both teams.

   Since being a young teenager in 1959 when my Uncle took me to several league games during the season when Forest won the FA Cup, I have always followed their fortunes and if I had to nail my colours to the mast then they would be red and white. That is not to say however that I wish any ill on Derby. Nothing could be further from the truth as I want them to be successful as well. In fact I want all the local teams to be successful, as to have them compete against each other only adds to the interest.

   It is right to enjoy the rivalry, partake of the witty banter and brag about your team's achievements but when a player is transferred from one team to another, to be openly hostile to him and his new team is totally wrong. How can someone idolised when playing for one team suddenly do nothing right when playing for another. It's the same person with the same skills which should be admired wherever they ply their trade. I've often seen references in the internet forums where members say they "hate" another team and that is something I cannot subscribe to. Yes I follow Forest but equally want Derby to succeed. I often listen to the radio broadcasts on Forest games but what I cannot abide is when the commentator expresses delight if Derby are on the wrong end of a score line in another match being played at the same time. Wouldn't it be great next season to see them both vying for promotion at the top of the league? I think so.

Cancelled Again

Ilkeston's Carnival was cancelled a few weeks ago due to the bad weather in what became the wettest June since records began. Early last week news filtered through that the proposed Steam Rally at Elvaston scheduled for this weekend also became a victim of the weather as did Awsworth's "Party on the Rec." On Friday a torrential downpour when it was forecast that a month's rainfall would drop on the East Midlands in one day caused Derbyshire's evening T20 cricket match against local rivals Nottinghamshire to be called off before lunch. Add to that Ilkeston FC's pre-season friendly at home to Skegness together with their Family Fun Day plus the Ashfield Festival in Nottinghamshire.

I'm expecting a government announcement any time now that summer is cancelled for 2012. We can only hope it improves by the start of the Olympics otherwise the only events possible will be water sports - at all the venues!

Second Best

So Chelsea are the Champions of Europe then but by all accounts they were second best for most of the match. Blackpool too had the better chances in their play-off final against West Ham but ended up on the wrong side of the score line. And all this at the end of the week when Roy Hodgson, the new England manager, announced his squad for the Euro Championships to a less than enthusiastic response. With only four strikers in the twenty-three man squad and one of them banned for the first two matches, plus a virtual unknown who has never represented his country before at senior level, it does not take a genius to predict the team's tactics. Full of expectancy England's fans again will probably be treated to some dour struggles but if the results this weekend are anything to go by, the omens look good for a second best team to triumph and it might as well be England - but don't hold your breath as it could all end in heartbreak again!

With a summer of sport ahead, the Euros, Olympics and Test Matches to mention but three, I shall be keeping a close eye on the Derbyshire Falcons cricketers who have made a winning start to the season and currently stand top of County Championship's second division. It's been a long time since the Falcons enjoyed any real success but IF the year of the underdog continues it will be a refreshing change to see them flying high and ending the season on top.

Time To Go

Well yesterday's sporting activities confirmed one thing - participation in an Aquathlon is a definite non-starter.

To be honest I never even considered taking part in the event that is the subject of the banner on Toll Bar House but even if I had, it's too late now as it took place a couple of weeks ago! Maybe it's time for the Conservative controlled council to pay heed to their esteemed leaders in government and remove surplus banners on buildings as well those that are believed to confuse on the roads. The one advertising the Waterside Festival on Gallows Inn Playing Fields has already been removed and that only took place last weekend so why this one is still in situ is a mystery.

Slam Dunk!

I was never good enough to make the school team at soccer or cricket and rugby was never played against other educational establishments but I did represent the school at basketball. But that was about half a century ago and today's run around with the grandsons proved once and for all that my creaking bones and underused muscles will never be able to reach those heights again and slam dunks are totally out of the question. We all enjoyed trying though but I'll probably feel the effects tomorrow.

Hallam Fields

There's another of those information boards I photographed yesterday at Hallam Fields and more at other parts of the town.

Unlike the one on Stanton Road that refers to a Square that no longer exists, this one unsurprisingly is titled "Hallam Fields" but both of them include a schematic map showing the route of the old tram system from one end of the town to the other. At Hallam Fields the board is attached to the front wall of The Stute which is another example of a name that has survived the passage of time being derived from the Stanton Working Men's Institute. Despite the demise of the Stanton works, The Stute is still well used and is the home of The Elks Rugby and Cricket Clubs.

Curtailment

As part of the government's cost cutting exercise, free swimming for youngsters is to cease but the local council have decided to postpone the new policy until after the schools re-open in September which means schoolchildren will still be able to enjoy free sessions during the summer holidays. It is to be hoped they also spend some time improving their language skills instead of using the foul mouthed obscenities that passed between a group of youngsters who crossed from the direction of the Leisure Centre and entered Victoria Park as I was taking this photo this afternoon.

Preferred Sport

The wicket was ready, the stumps were in and the boundary flags were in place but the players were conspicuous by their absence and the sport of choice this afternoon by several groups of youngsters was obviously football. There's still a couple of weeks to go before the start of the new season but it seems it can't come soon enough. And despite what the sign says about Rutland Sports Park, it's still the Rec to Ilkestonians.

Anyone For Tennis?

By all accounts English tennis is in a sorry state and it is hardy surprising when local facilities like those on the Rutland Recreation Ground have been left to fall into disrepair. I've not played tennis for many, many years but spent many a happy hour here with friends when the courts were still usable.


I know we now have an indoor facility also on the Rec and when that was built other outdoor courts were also renovated. Since then however they too have undergone changes to create cricket nets so there is really nowhere for anyone to go and knock a ball about unless they want to contend with the broken glass, litter and derelict fencing. It's such a shame.

Sporting Bias

It's been a week of mixed fortunes for Britain's sportsmen and women. Andy Murray lost to a player ranked much lower than him in straight sets in the US Open and the England cricketers contrived to go four-nil down in the seven match series of one-day internationals against Australia, this despite just beating the Australians to win the Ashes.

But it was the soccer players who grabbed most of the headlines. The ladies exceeded all expectations in the European Championships to reach the final and although beaten by the reigning World and European Champions, Germany, they had a really good tournament and pushed the Germans much harder than the 6-2 score line suggests. Obviously disappointed they will surely come back stronger for the experience. The headline on the BBC site of "Germany Crush England" is far from the truth and shows a journalistic naivete and bias hard to believe from such a usually well respected source.

Wembley Stadium

© Copyright Richard Croft and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The journalists also had a field day when reviewing England's two soccer matches last week showing favouritism and bias that was quite unbelievable. In a friendly match seemingly played at half pace against Slovenia which they won 2-0, the players were rated by several national newspapers and websites. Wayne Rooney missed a hatful of chances but received ratings averaging 8 to 9. On Wednesday Emile Heskey played a vital role spearheading the attack in a match that confirmed England's progress to the World Cup Finals in South Africa next year and he could possibly have scored at least one goal and maybe two but for two excellent saves by Croatia's goalkeeper. As for the ratings, those same papers and websites averaged 4 to 5 for Heskey. Now if that's not biased, I don't know what is.

I was not really in favour of a foreign coach for the national team but if coach Fabio Capello can continue to ignore this journalistic bias, then the team may well have a good chance next year. On the evidence of the last two matches though when they were content to play exhibition football they still don't have the killer instinct of the German Ladies. Half an hour here and there playing good attacking football which is all that we saw this last week will not win them anything in South Africa and then the journalists will be digging out those knives again and going for the jugular.

The biases the media has are much bigger than conservative or liberal. They're about getting ratings, about making money, about doing stories that are easy to cover. - Al Franken (1951 - )