The Sporting Hack

First Test, Perth Australia won by eight wickets England 172 & 164 Australia 132 & 205/2   One must feel for the food and drink vendors at the Optus Stadium in Perth. They have missed out on some bumper trade over the last couple of days. Instead, punters are spending their hard-earned cash in the hostelries on the Swan River or cramming the Fremantle to Rottnest Island ferry thanks in no small part to England's second day capitulation in Western Australia. The facts are etched in to the mind with England collapsing from a commanding 105 run lead for the loss of just one wicket to posting a very gettable 205 run target which Australia - and in particular, Travis Head - relished. It was a game which felt peculiar from the very beginning. Visiting skipper Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to bat first, forgoing the preferred fourth innings run chase. Whilst this has proved to be the winning formula for all of the previous test captains at Optus Stadium, it isn't tradit...

The wait is over. The time has come for the cricket to do the talking. Securing an Ashes victory in Australia is England’s equivalent of scaling Everest. Winning on the subcontinent may be technically more challenging, but this is the one series where legends are created and, just occasionally, getting up to tune in to the action in the middle of the night during the bleak British winter may be rewarded. Not since the 2010/11 iteration under the captaincy of Alistair Cook, though, has that been the case. When Chris Tremlett bowled tailender Michael Beer at the SCG not long after the New Year’s festivities had died down, not many (other than Glenn McGrath) would have foreseen England failing to register a single victory in 15 attempts…FIFTEEN! That is the scale of the uphill challenge that awaits current skipper, Ben Stokes, and head coach Brendon McCullum . For the latter, his whole tenure since being appointed in May 2022, has built towards this next two months. His record of 25 win...

The build-up to the latest instalment of the Ashes series between Australia and England has ramped up a notch with 14 of the 15 players selected by the home side on domestic duty this week in preparation for the first test in Perth. We asked the artificial intelligence bots if they could shed any light on proceedings and, crucially, who would be lifting the urn in Sydney in January. TheSportingHack: “Firstly, what is the Sheffield Shield?” ChatGPT: ‘The Sheffield Shield is Australia’s domestic first-class cricket competition, featuring four-day matches between the six state teams (New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania) from October to March. It began in 1892 and is the highest level of long-format cricket in the country. The top two teams after the season play in the Shield Final.’ TheSportingHack: “Does it have anything to do with Sheffield in the UK?”  ChatGPT: ‘Indirectly. It’s named after Lord Sheffield (Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl ...

Revenge is on the minds of Melbourne Victory as they face cross-city rivals, Melbourne City, at AAMI Park on Saturday evening. The two clubs met in last season’s A-League Grand Final with City edging the game 1-0 but in former Spain and Manchester United star, Juan Mata, the hosts have a potential matchwinner in their ranks. The 38-year-old (above) netted his first goal for the club in the recent win against Perth Glory and that could be a positive sign of things to come for the Big V. “He's an unbelievable guy. What he has done in this game and how humble and respectful he is, is phenomenal and we should count ourselves lucky in Australia to have someone like that in the A-League,” said captain Jason Davidson. “He's got the hunger and the will to win, both on and off the pitch, and it's fantastic. If you look at his career and what he's accomplished and the trophies he has won, then that speaks for itself. “To have longevity like that at the clubs that he...

  With less than three weeks until the eagerly anticipated 2025/26 Ashes series commences, there is an air of confidence growing within Australia that the hosts will triumph against England over the festive period and retain the urn. The comments of ex-Pommie pace man Stuart Broad - that this Australian crop are the worst in more than a decade - have been amplified the most.  While those sentiments were not fully endorsed Down Under, there has been an awareness that there are fragilities in the hosts ranks. Chief among those concerns are that skipper Pat Cummins is absent from the series opener in Perth, at the very least, and that the top order lacks clarity. Perhaps this is what the retired Broad focussed on as he suggested Australia might be about to lose for just the second time in eleven home series. However, stand-in skipper Steve Smith (118) looked in good touch for New South Wales against Queensland recently, and Marnus Labuschagne seems assured of a berth somewhere i...

Victoria (256 & 330/5d) lead Tasmania (232 & 28/1) by 326 runs Day 3 | Sheffield Shield Campbell Kellaway's second innings knock of 147 put Victoria in a commanding position heading in to the final day of their encounter with Tasmania, who require a further 327 runs to take victory. The opener, who celebrates his 23rd birthday this weekend, holed out to deep square leg off the bowling of Tigers pacer Riley Meredith (3/87) but not before he had blazed a trail with 16 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Sharing a 195-run stand for the fifth wicket with the experienced Marcus Harris (101*) Kellaway’s innings helped stabilise the Vics who had fallen to 91/4 and has given his side the best possible chance of a win ahead of a likely entertaining last day. A tall left-hander with punchy strokes down the ground and a potent cut in his armoury, Kellaway reached his half century punishing the ineffective off-breaks of Nikhil Chaudhary by slog-sweeping the spinner out of the ground...

  The Shane Warne Stand There are places in this world where time seems to stand reassuringly still. The Junction Oval, St Kilda, in Melbourne’s inner southern suburbs is one of those sanctums which bequeaths its visitors an oasis of calm tucked in a corner of the picturesque sporting hub that is Albert Park. Just metres away from where the Australian leg of the Formula 1 World Championships is held every March, you can peep beyond the various green tinges of the tree-lined permitter fences to this cricket ground and bear witness to the whirring din of life continuing its increasingly fast pace. But, why would you want to look that far? Avert your eyes to the middle distance and lose yourself in a scene that could pass as much for 1925 as 2025. The white picket fence which encircles the vibrant green playing surface is a perfect nod to tradition, and even the odd advertising billboard cannot lessen its charm. Grass banks and a white picket fence A quaint, almost library-lik...

It could well be a case of back to the drawing board for the Cricket Australia selectors ahead of next month's eagerly anticipated Ashes series. Finding a suitable top order to take on the English in Perth in five weeks is arguably of greater concern than the ongoing injury woe surrounding skipper Pat Cummins. Those waiting by their phones in anticipation of squad selection are now midway through their four-match domestic audition. The chance seems to have all but passed by opener Sam Konstas ( above ).  The 20-year-old burst on to the test scene less than a year ago in dazzling fashion during the home series against India. With time away from the international arena to work on his game, his technique has been scrutinised by onlookers and exploited by a stream of opening bowlers. The latest of which, Australian teammate Scott Boland, did so inside four scoreless balls before the youngster partially redeemed himself with a far-from-fluent 53 in his second dig. The prospect o...

Victoria 240 & 177 beat New South Wales 163 & 216 by 38 runs Junction Oval, Melbourne Sheffield Shield Australian test hopeful Scott Boland (match figures: 8/126) bowled Victoria to a thrilling win against their arch rivals in a see-saw Sheffield Shield encounter. Ably supported across the two innings by Fergus O’Neill (6/80), Boland took some punishment in a low scoring game but will be part of the seam attack to take on the English next month in the Ashes with skipper Pat Cummins set to miss the Perth opener through injury. Defending 255 in the fourth innings, it was an inauspicious start for the hosts who saw opening pair Sam Konstas (53) and Blake Nikitaras (39) lay the foundations with a 90-run stand. The former, desperately seeking form and to avenge his first innings duck, displayed little fear and even reverse-ramped his international teammate Boland for six over the vacant third-man region. However, Todd Murphy (3/17) was on hand to break the resistance by sna...

Melbourne Storm are looking to go one step further than last year’s runner-up spot when they take to the field at Accor Stadium on Sunday evening against the Brisbane Broncos. The two sides topped the try-scoring charts (Storm 125, Broncos 122) and an absolute classic is on the cards. The Broncos ended Penrith’s bid for a fifth successive title – coming from 14 points behind at half-time at a raucous Suncorp Stadium last week to bring the Panthers dominant rein to an end – but this surely is a game too far for Michael Maguire and his team. They will absolutely take confidence from their dramatic Golden Point win over minor premiers, Canberra, and the comeback against one of the greatest ever teams to play the sport. However, they have had two days less recovery time than their opponents, with the Storm fresh from swatting aside a gutsy Cronulla outfit at AAMI Park. Melbourne like to get in front early in games and stay there, just like they did against the Sharks. A fast start f...

Chesterfield 5-2 Doncaster Rovers Grant McCann didn’t flinch.  His side are 3-1 behind in a local derby with less than an hour played.  The game is not drifting away from Doncaster, it’s galloping towards the sunset.  Hesitancy proved the visitors undoing with the first concession as keeper Ted Sharman-Lowe came out, retreated and slipped. Bim Pepple then doubled the advantage and the task at hand.  Rovers have not won a league game this season in which they’ve conceded the first goal.  Despite Luke Molyneux’s strike just before half time which had got them back in the game, it is the manager’s turn to throw caution to the wind, after Chesterfield’s third via the pint-sized Olakigbe. Reminiscent of the Guinness surfing advert of yesteryear ; “He waits...tick followed tock followed tick...”  There is no sense of animation, no panic, no troops being readied for action. Where are the calls for reinforcements or the change in approach? Where are the squad playe...

Second Test, Wellington New Zealand won by one run England 435-8 dec & 256 New Zealand 209 & 483 It was perhaps fitting that in the land of adrenaline junkies, England’s thrill seekers came unstuck looking for their latest hit.  England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum New Zealand is the birthplace of commercial bungy jumping; falling to the floor from a great height with only an elastic cord tied to your ankles to prevent the inevitable. It’s something England’s head coach Brendon ‘Baz’ McCullum (far right) will probably have done and doubtless enjoyed.  You can add variance to this practice by going backwards, going with a partner, or going blindfold but the premise remains the same.  In defeat at Wellington’s iconic Basin Reverse though, England went some way off-piste and asked for too much rope. It was to be their downfall.  To play ‘Bazball’ you are asked to disregard test cricketing convention and wisdom. Five, six, seven runs requir...

It’s 3.56pm on Sunday 2 January 2022 at the Mazuma Stadium in Morecambe. My phone has one unread text message containing four capitalised words : ‘REPEAT NOT OVER YET’ For context, at that moment, Doncaster Rovers were 3-0 up away from home at half time against a relegation rival and looking good for their first win on the road at the twelfth time of asking. Gary McSheffrey after that Morecambe loss Sixty minutes later, the right boot of home midfielder Toumani Diagouraga smashed the ball in to the top corner of the net and secured a scarcely believable 4-3 comeback win for the hosts. In fact, the second half was believable. Not only that, but it had been accurately forecast! Whether an optimist, pessimist or realist, that second half performance should have surprised absolutely nobody when it comes to talking about the crop of 2021/22. It was a season defining moment, a six pointer which could have been the difference between League One survival and relegation. In addition to that, it...

In the end, it was the Doncaster Rovers board who blinked first. And, in fairness, they didn’t have much choice in the matter. Their failure to put Richie Wellens – and the thousands of supporters who idolised him as a player – out of his misery would have all but signalled the hierarchy’s disregard for the current season and beyond. Wellens speaks to the media Can a club ‘take the hit’ of meekly accepting relegation before Christmas? No, and nor should they. Rovers, are in a tight spot, make no bones about it. So, they had to do something to initiate a response from a squad that has, thus far, laboured to 13 points from 19 league games - incredibly, they’re still not bottom of the pile. And so the axe fell on Wellens. The Rovers suits knew what they were getting when they appointed him, or certainly they thought they did. A ‘heart-on-sleeve’ former midfield general could galvanise an alienated fan base from the dugout. This wasn’t “married at first sight” either, Rovers had a good lon...

The temperature gun was pointed at my forehead. “35.8,” proclaimed the friendly Lancastrian stood in a makeshift tarpaulin shelter, set up in a small car park. He smiled and nodded. Entry to the stadium was permitted.  With the pang of anxiousness which briefly washed over me vanquished, I picked up my commentary equipment and shuffled on. Instructions were read out by the person who handed me my media accreditation, not that I paid attention too intently. Though each stadium was laid out slightly differently – turn right for the toilets, left for the coffee and so on – it was never that hard to tailgate, within reason, someone who had listened. Truth be told, for the 39 th game of a truly bizarre season, I'd heard it all before. And yet, I could not have wished to be anywhere else but here. The Crown Ground, home of Accrington Stanley, the club that wouldn’t die. The homely, reassuring Crown Ground They are the very antithesis to every column inch and every second of sports...

Towels wrapped around their waists, one by one the Doncaster Rovers players returned to the makeshift dressing room at Bristol Rovers’ Memorial Ground. On show were drooped shoulders, slovenly gaits and bare midriffs. Doncaster had been cruelly exposed by the worst team in the division. Promotion aspirants? Not likely. Where once young cubs stood and bared their teeth, meek kittens eloped up the barren terrace. By Easter Monday, their race was run - season over - and it showed. The collective body language was rotten and awkward glances were exchanged. However, the words tumbled freely from the mouth of seasoned campaigner James Coppinger in the post-match debrief. He couldn’t help himself. He justifiably poured lashings of salt in to wounds prised open by the hosts following a 2-1 loss. “We’re just not good enough as individuals. We were absolutely miles off it,” was the excruciatingly accurate summation. No fairy tale ending for Coppinger This season was veteran Coppinge...

In ‘To Hull and Back,’ arguably the jewel in the crown of the much-loved sitcom ‘Only Fools and Horses’ exquisitely written by the late John Sullivan, ‘Boycie’ – a crooked second-hand car salesman played by John Challis – sniffs the chance to make a few quid by smuggling diamonds from Holland. However, he and Del Trotter, with whom he is in cahoots, are denied at the last by the Old Bill. Jim Broadbent’s character Chief Inspector Slater is the real brains behind the operation, allowing petty criminals to take the risks while he makes a profit. Fearing jail, Boycie and Del are offered a simple alternative; “Why don’t we pretend that this never happened?” Brushing the whole saga under the carpet and forgetting about it is football’s forte. Dutchman Phillip Cocu, manager of Derby County Football Club since July this year, also recently had some precious cargo being transported. Namely his club captain and Republic of Ireland international, Richard Keogh. Regrettably, despite b...

EFL SkyBet League 1 Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster (Att: 7,222) Tuesday 23 April 2019 Doncaster left the play-off door ajar after Accrington all but confirmed their safety by ending the hosts 13 game unbeaten home run. Grant McCann’s men have a three-point lead over Peterborough below them but have played a game more than his former employers at London Road. It was two moments of quality which put a hold on any post-season plans for the Yorkshiremen though. Sean McConville registered his eleventh goal of the campaign when he side footed home on the volley Paul Smyth’s inch perfect right wing cross from close range in emphatic fashion. The long-serving winger should have doubled his – and his team’s – tally less than fifteen minutes from the break when he created some space for himself inside the penalty area but inexplicably curled wide from 14 yards. Home skipper Tommy Rowe’s turn and shot – which was repelled at close quarters by visiting ‘keeper Jonathan M...

EFL SkyBet League 1 Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster (Att: 6,907) Tuesday 26 March 2019 Not quite at the stage of having to pull rabbits out of the hat to maintain their play-off push, Doncaster ensured they took maximum advantage of their ace up their sleeve - a game in hand – to return to the much sought after sixth spot. Veteran magician James Coppinger helped himself to a couple of goals as the hosts cast a spell over Graham Coughlan’s bamboozled outfit. The Dubliner looked on forlornly while his opposite number, Belfast-born Grant McCann, marvelled at the performance of a man just nine months his junior. Coppinger, the old hand, relaxed a slightly anxious crowd early on when, with less than three minutes gone, he turned 12 yards out and saw his left footed shot squirm meekly underneath the body of visiting ‘keeper Jack Bonham. By the quarter hour mark, Coppinger had doubled his nights – and, in fact, his season’s – goal tally in far more emphatic fashion to put ...

Valentine’s spirit will soon make way for FA Cup romance this weekend as fans of League 1 club Doncaster Rovers could see their side break new ground when they face Premier League outfit Crystal Palace. It wasn’t so much Cupid’s arrow as Ian Wright’s hand which bequeathed Doncaster a home tie against former England boss Roy Hodgson’s side and it is they who stand in the way of the Yorkshiremen penning a previously untold chapter in their 140-year history. A win against the two-time runners up would present the play-off hopefuls with another sizeable cash injection – doubling their prize money alone to a figure in the region of £750,000 – but the scent of history making is what appeals most to 22 goal striker, John Marquis. “Whether this Doncaster team does or doesn’t get through, we’ve already made a bit of history in being the first for 63 years (to get to the fifth round) but if we can just go that next step then in 50 or 60 years from now, people will hopefully be talk...