creeeeeeeekeeeeeet

[thebish]

You wouldn't have said that a few years ago, Dan.

Today, though, you are probably right. Still 'n all I'm pleased to see ZL clock up a win, even though it was a three test series.

Too right Dujon. West Indian cricket has always been top class stuff.

no it hasn't!! sometimes it's been an utter shambles!!

[TANGODANCER]

You wouldn't have said that a few years ago, Dan.

Today, though, you are probably right. Still 'n all I'm pleased to see ZL clock up a win, even though it was a three test series.

Too right Dujon. West Indian cricket has always been top class stuff.

no it hasn't!! sometimes it's been an utter shambles!!

I was talking historically, which is why I mention Marshall and co.

[thebish]

well - historically - they have not always been top class... there are historical periods when they have been a shambles!

[TANGODANCER]

well - historically - they have not always been top class... there are historical periods when they have been a shambles!

[Montreal Wanderer]

You wouldn't have said that a few years ago, Dan.

Today, though, you are probably right. Still 'n all I'm pleased to see ZL clock up a win, even though it was a three test series.

Too right Dujon. West Indian cricket has always been top class stuff. Just far too many stars to even list, but who'd want to face Courtney Walsh, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding to name but four fast bowlers. I'd never write off West Indies as a cricket force, ever.

I remember them destroying us in 1963. They had the best fast bowler in the world (Wes Hall) who spearheaded the attack with Charlie Griffiths, the best all-rounder in the world (Gary Sobers) and the best batsmen of his time (Rohan Kanhai).

[Dujon]

Yeah, lads, but it's a long time ago. I spent a day at the SCG back in the '61/'62 season (it might have been a year earlier, I can't remember). The WI quicks were fearsome and Lance Gibbs was spinning his magic in spells. For a few years they were worthy opponents of any country's test team. Then it all fell apart.

Quite some time after its fall from grace the West Indies and its various included countries was the subject of a documentary which I saw on TV. That critique concluded that the decline of cricket in the union was due to youngsters choosing basketball as their preferred sport. It seemed that basketball offered more financial incentives than did cricket.

I haven't quite worked it out but there was significant tension in the Caribbean as well. I have a book penned by Alan McGilvray titled The Game Is Not The Same on my shelves. Mr McG was an Australian radio commentator who worked for the A.B.C. In it he describes a riot that occurred at one of the WI grounds when Australia was touring. He and his colleagues were trapped in the commentary box. After a couple of hours of confinement they were escorted through the mob by local police or militia. On arrival in safe territory he bumped into an old friend who was a journalist for one of the local papers. They had a few drinks and his friend headed off home and Mr McG to his accommodations. His friend didn't make it home. He was intercepted and machine gunned to death.

Mr McG was advised by the authorities to leave the islands as soon as possible. This he did and, at the same time, swore he would never return. As best as I can gather he never did.

[bwfcdan94]

I don't think Kieran Pollard strikes the same sort of fear into teams that Lara did nor do I think seeing Edwards and Sammy running in and bowling to be particularly impressive compared to Roberts and Holding.

[Dujon]

I don't think anyone said otherwise, Dan. TANGO's comment might have been better phrased but I think all of us knew what he meant - even the perennial pedant known as 'thebish'.

You're probably aware, but I shall remind you anyway, that batsmen in those days wore little protection gear; batting pads, a box, a pair of gloves and just about nothing else. No wonder batsmen found the West Indies pace attack intimidating.

[Worthy4England]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

[Bruce Rioja]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

Thigh pad? Homo.

[Always hopeful]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

Thigh pad? Homo.

They just work.

[Worthy4England]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

Thigh pad? Homo.

Thigh pads were just coming into Club cricket as I was growing up. Think I was about 15/16 when I got a proper one. The carpet was an occasional bit of kit, usually trundled out if you'd managed to get their opening bowler, whilst they were batting and figured they might want to return the favour on some sorta cabbage patch where it was difficult to work out what the ball was going to do off it.

Never wore a lid, but probably would if I had my time again.

[Bruce Rioja]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

Thigh pad? Homo.

Thigh pads were just coming into Club cricket as I was growing up. Think I was about 15/16 when I got a proper one. The carpet was an occasional bit of kit, usually trundled out if you'd managed to get their opening bowler, whilst they were batting and figured they might want to return the favour on some sorta cabbage patch where it was difficult to work out what the ball was going to do off it.

Never wore a lid, but probably would if I had my time again.

At primary school we had one pad on your facing leg (and those gloves with green spikey fingers) and a box. That were it. That's why we're hard!

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

A bloke in the year below me at school was hit so hard in the chest that it stopped his heart - and the coroner said there was no evidence of an existing health problem.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/cr ... ll-3529700" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TANGODANCER]

At primary school we had one pad on your facing leg (and those gloves with green spikey fingers) and a box. That were it. That's why we're hard!

He,he. Left leg padded for right handed batters, and a glove with four hotdog fingers and a thumb. It was a Catholic school so nobody mentioned privates and stuff. If you got a whack in the nuts you gritted your teeth and mumbled a prayer.

[Worthy4England]

Often the gloves just had green spikey fingers. They were great.

Bit of carpet worked pretty well as a thigh pad.

Thigh pad? Homo.

Thigh pads were just coming into Club cricket as I was growing up. Think I was about 15/16 when I got a proper one. The carpet was an occasional bit of kit, usually trundled out if you'd managed to get their opening bowler, whilst they were batting and figured they might want to return the favour on some sorta cabbage patch where it was difficult to work out what the ball was going to do off it.

Never wore a lid, but probably would if I had my time again.

At primary school we had one pad on your facing leg (and those gloves with green spikey fingers) and a box. That were it. That's why we're hard!

Us too, in school.

I'm not talking about school though.

[bwfcdan94]

We didn't wear any protection at all, mind you we played on astro turf so every delivery lost a lot of pace of the surface, if you got a beamer you ducked.

[Dujon]

Astroturf? Cor, you weren't half posh. Most, but not all, of the 'pitches' around my place consisted of a concrete strip. If you were lucky your club/school had a pitch-length strip of matting (coir?) with which to cover them.

[Bruce Rioja]

Astroturf? Cor, you weren't half posh. Most, but not all, of the 'pitches' around my place consisted of a concrete strip. If you were lucky your club/school had a pitch-length strip of matting (coir?) with which to cover them.

The old coconut mat. Blimey. And there was always some bastard hell-bent on pitching it short of it.

[bobo the clown]

Were you lot all deprived ?

Cricket ... on grass pitches ... it was clearly the future.