Mark Lewis-Francis hanging on by a thread:
In the wake of the Christine Ohuruogu affair a lot of attention has been paid to the athletes who were cited by UK Athletics as having missed two drugs tests and thus face a suspension should they make it three. With missed drugs tests staying on record for five years there are a number of fairly high-profile track and field athletes who will have to be firmly on their toes over the next half-decade.
Chief amongst those is sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis who burst onto the scene just before the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. He made his presence felt in the ‘b’ race at the Crystal Palace Grand Prix with a time one tenth of a second behind that of the ‘a' race winner. He turned down the chance to go to Australia, instead winning the 100m gold at the world junior championships in Santiago, Cuba. A lot was expected of him, but at least individually he has not lived upto the potential he displayed at the start of the century.
The latest episode came because of two lazy lapses that have come to typify his career. Firstly he wasn’t home when the testers came calling between 7 and 8 in the morning. The second time he was upstairs as the folks with the glass jars and clipboards were outside ringing a broken doorbell. At least in future we know the testers may now try the knocker as well.
Lewis-Francis will be best remembered, so far, for holding off Maurice Greene on the final leg of a victorious 4x100m relay at the Athens Olympics, but that success just highlights his own inability to maintain any level of consistency. That year he failed to reach the 100m final and a year later at the Helsinki World Championships he was unable to hold the lead against France and slipped to bronze behind Trinidad and Tobago. He also experienced one of his most embarrassing moments in the lead up to the championships, when he was unable to fit into the kit he had been measured for in April come the championships in August.
Worse still was to come later in the year when he was stripped of his World Indoor Championship 60m silver medal after testing positive for cannabis, though escaped a ban after claiming he had inhaled it passively. With such a mark on his record, it is unlikely that UK Athletics will look at him so sympathetically should he miss a third test.
Should it happen it would be a massive shame as no one has come onto the scene with such expectations around him, though the clamour since for Harry Aikines-Aryeetey is on a similar level. On his day he is undoubtedly Britain’s best sprinter, though his ability to let his mind wander has let him down on too many occasions and his lack of focus to his career contrasts sharply to someone like Craig Pickering, the up and coming Scot. That said there have been times when he has shown some sense, such as his decision to leave his Birmingham home to move to London so that he could train with the respected sprint coach, Tony Lester.
When he burst onto the scene seven and a half years ago, the talk of him being the next Olympic champion was grossly exaggerated, not least because British sprinters have a tendency to mature later than their trans-Atlantic cousins. Linford Christie and Allan Wells, Britain’s last two Olympic 100m champions were both in their 30s and Darren Campbell was 27 when he won 200m silver in Sydney. It is certainly a crucial time for Lewis-Francis as it would be a total waste of talent if all he had to show at the end of his career were a few relay medals, even if one was the best going.
Third half becomes Serie A law:
It has hardly been a golden year for Italian football off the field, with the year book-ended by a policeman killed by fans in January and a fan killed by a policeman in November. However, this week the peninsula has been getting excited by a new ruling for Serie A and B that will come into effect when the leagues restart after their winter breaks.
Last week Inter defeated Fiorentina 2-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence to keep clear at the top of the table and stem la viola’s momentum that had pushed them into third place. With it being a cold, winter Sunday evening in the renaissance city, one would have expected the home side to depart to the dressing rooms as quickly as possible. Instead after an emotional match (it was Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli’s first match following the death of his wife to cancer) the whole team formed a guard of honour for the nerazzurri and applauded them off the field in a style that has long been one of the traditions of rugby union.
In the days that followed the papers were full of praise and talked of their hopes for the third half and a return of something approaching fair play in a league that is all too often dominated by furbu; the sly cunning that takes place in an attempt to win the match. There was talk that Fiorentina might be punished by the league, having been denied permission to go ahead with the initiative, only to do it regardless. Of course in the face of such overwhelming praise the Lega Calcio quickly passed the law that will introduce it to the top two leagues’ round of matches from 27th January onwards.
Two questions immediately rise out of such an initiative. Firstly, will it have the desired effect of calming both players and spectators? And secondly should the rest of the world adopt it in their leagues? The answers to which should be, let’s hope so and as soon as possible.
There is little doubt that the mood on the pitch helps shape the mood off it. Fans who are intent on causing trouble will only be more fired up by two teams that kick the life out of each other and then continue their disputes once the final whistle goes (Arsenal v Manchester United matches come readily to mind at this point). Letting go of things after the final whistle, especially in big matches, is something a lot of footballers are not very good at, but hopefully a guard of honour or tunnel of applause, or whatever you want to call it, should take enough of the sting out of emotions to keep the pizza slices on the plate, rather than flying through the air towards knights of the realm. In short the tunnel means players have to leave things on the pitch, rather than behave like the spoilt brats that they have become and anything that means that might happen should be welcomed with open arms.
You see the crucial difference between doing it after the match, as opposed to before it, as per the Champions and Premier Leagues, is that players are being civil to each other after 90 minutes or more of using all manners of schemes (some fair, some less so) to beat their opponent. The theory will be that if the players can show that they have left things on the pitch, then it should set an example to the fans off it. Sad as it seems fans tend to ape the behaviour of the idols and the hope has to be that if their idols behave like civilised, decent human beings and chat calmly and rationally to someone who minutes ago was shouldering them into the advertising hording, then so can the fans. Sure there will be a small minority who will be bent on trouble, but the more their behaviour becomes a contrast to the way the players behave, the quicker a level of civility will return to a sport spoiled by greed and excess.
Of course a lot of this is mere speculation, but at the very least Italy is giving it a go, rather than pooh-poohing it before trying it out, as though taking something good from another sport is a sign of weakness. As said the match between Inter and Fiorentina was far from typical, with Prandelli’s situation focusing minds on the bigger picture. The true test of its effectiveness will come at the end of a match when a contentious last-minute penalty changes the outcome of a top or bottom of the table clash. But if there is even the most remote chance that the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson can look each other in the eye and shake hands, then there will be little doubt that a massive amount of progress has been made.
JI 10/12/07
lunedì 10 dicembre 2007
domenica 2 dicembre 2007
Notes from a sporting week – 03/12/07
Baa-Baas still trying to find place the world:
The rugby union international calendar was brought to a close at the weekend with South Africa suffering their first loss as world champions with a 22-5 defeat to the Barbarians at Twickenham. It won’t be a defeat that unduly troubles the Springboks as they head back to sunnier climes. They can look back on a tremendous year both at international and provincial level and be glad to have bloodied some new faces in awful weather conditions in front of a 52,000 crowd at Twickenham. Having used the week in London as something of a jolly, with Christmas shopping high on the priorities, they will enjoy their well-earned time off to let the tag of world champions sink in.
It was the other team on the day that can look back with greater satisfaction, not just for the result, but the way in which they did it and the timing of it. Great credit must therefore go to the players, especially those from the southern hemisphere, who rose from their beach lounges to put the boots on one more time. No doubt the likes of New Zealand’s Joe Rokocoko, Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu and Australia’s Matt Giteau all felt they had unfinished business after their world cup quarterfinal exits. Credit too to the Welsh regional teams, the Cardiff Blues and Ospreys who allowed Tom Shanklin, Martyn Williams and Justin Marshall to play, despite having Anglo-Welsh commitments over the weekend. How much new Wales coach Warren Gatland must wish he could persuade Williams against international retirement following his man of the match performance in southwest London?
However, greatest praise must go to the Baa-Baas captain on the day, Mark Regan, who defied his club to lead the team out. His club, Bristol, had been one of the Premier Rugby teams to vote overwhelmingly against releasing their players for the fixture, but having been excused duty to stay fresh for next weekend’s European Cup match, Regan put a few west country noses out of joint when he headed down the M4. His rallying call to the Barbarians’ cause during the week was refreshing to hear in these times of rest periods and peak performance targets. Having been on the end of four defeats to South Africa this year, the England hooker will no doubt be feeling that there was an element of score settling with the result, even though he would surely swap it for a win the previous time he took them on.
Of course this match came at the end of a week in which the great and the good of world rugby; the unions, domestic leagues, competition committees and various others were hosted by the International Rugby Board in Woking to thrash out a coherent structure to the game. One team that failed to raise a mention was that of the Barbarians and the fear was that the Springboks would see them off before further calls to remove this anachronism from the modern game once and for all. They did get a mention in the English club v country talks in which the decision was made not to release premier league players for this fixture. Such treatment contrasts greatly to another team from the amateur era whose place in the grand scheme of things many were fearing when the sport turned professional, The British and Irish Lions.
When rugby union went open in 1995 many wondered where the Lions would fit in. Now though any call to abolish the four-year cycle of Lions’ tours would meet with fierce resistance, not only from the Home Unions Committee, but from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, all four of whom benefit financially from the tours. They have been cherished and nurtured like the favourite child, despite there having been more losing than winning tours, whilst the Barbarians have taken on the Cinderella role. What then should become of the men in black and white hoops?
It was good to hear that in future there would be some system in which clubs would nominate a player for a match, something they are infinitely able to do in these days of mega squads. There should be one match in the autumn against one of the touring teams and two in the summer, using different stadiums around the UK. There has also been talk of using them as a development tool in the developing rugby nations. Imagine how much good a Barbarians tour would do to raise the profile of the sport in Georgia, Portugal or Romania, who struggle to secure test matches against the tier one nations, let alone at home. Already the Barbarians do a massive amount for charity and this would be a far more direct route to help out the less affluent rugby nations. It would also do young uncapped players the world of good touring to such places and learning from their more experienced colleagues, serve as a shop window for those without a club, as Ben Cohen did this weekend, and provide one last hurrah for those retiring from the sport, as Jason Robinson did at Twickenham.
Backing the Barbarians these days is not the done thing if a lot of rugby opinion is to be listened to. But something that has provided that many moments of glorious rugby down the years should not be so hastily thrown away. There have been highlights galore down the years. Don’t believe me? Go to Youtube and type in the word Barbarians. Top of these is of course Gareth Edwards’ try against New Zealand in 1973, but others matches that will live long in the memory include the 1994 match at Lansdowne Road and the 2000 match at Twickenham, both against the Springboks. Furthermore they are a far more preferable invitational side to watch than those in the shoddy ‘North v South’ and ‘Jonah v Johnno’ matches that have been foisted upon us in recent years.
This weekend provided a boon at just the right time for the Baa-Baas and it was a throwback to past years with the performances on and off the pitch. Regan led the way of course, but probably the greatest personification of the Barbarian way was by New Zealand flanker Jerry Collins who wore Barnstaple second XV socks. He played for the Devon side whilst catching up with some Kiwi friends after leaving France. Giteau’s early break out try set the tone and whilst the rain dampened the action as the match wore on, it was definitely a match that put a smile on the face. That said there will be need to be many more of these performances to put the Barbarians back to where they were in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. During the world cup in France my cousin wore a Baa-Baas jersey throughout his visit to Marseille for the quarterfinals and was shocked that very few of the visiting fans knew which jersey it was. The first step has been taken in putting the name and club back in people’s minds; they must now ensure that every future step they take is equally as significant to get back to where they once were.
Muralitharan makes it to record books:
It was a celebratory weekend for Sri Lanka bowler Muttiah Muralitharan this weekend, as he drew level with Australia’s Shane Warne in the all-time test wicket takers list. The spinner equalled Warne’s haul of 508 wickets in the first test with England and will no doubt pass him, if not in this match, then in the current test series.
However, I cannot help but feel that it is a hollow record and that despite being one of the nicest blokes on the cricket circuit he should not even be allowed to bowl. You see the very thing that makes him so formidable an opponent to face at the end of the crease, is the very thing that should mean that each and every one of his balls should be void.
I’m talking, of course, about his arm and the fact that he cannot fully extend it. Now I know that the International Cricket Council have bent over backwards to work out whether his bowling action is legal or not, but just look at it. The arm is not straight, so how can it be ruled legal? Sure I know he is not able to fully extend his arm, but so what? Just because he is able to bowl well, albeit in an illegal manner, should not have meant that he was given special dispensation, which he has. It is a shame there is no parallel in any other sport that comes to mind, because yes the record has fallen, but in these circumstances, where is the worth in it?
JI 03/12/07
The rugby union international calendar was brought to a close at the weekend with South Africa suffering their first loss as world champions with a 22-5 defeat to the Barbarians at Twickenham. It won’t be a defeat that unduly troubles the Springboks as they head back to sunnier climes. They can look back on a tremendous year both at international and provincial level and be glad to have bloodied some new faces in awful weather conditions in front of a 52,000 crowd at Twickenham. Having used the week in London as something of a jolly, with Christmas shopping high on the priorities, they will enjoy their well-earned time off to let the tag of world champions sink in.
It was the other team on the day that can look back with greater satisfaction, not just for the result, but the way in which they did it and the timing of it. Great credit must therefore go to the players, especially those from the southern hemisphere, who rose from their beach lounges to put the boots on one more time. No doubt the likes of New Zealand’s Joe Rokocoko, Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu and Australia’s Matt Giteau all felt they had unfinished business after their world cup quarterfinal exits. Credit too to the Welsh regional teams, the Cardiff Blues and Ospreys who allowed Tom Shanklin, Martyn Williams and Justin Marshall to play, despite having Anglo-Welsh commitments over the weekend. How much new Wales coach Warren Gatland must wish he could persuade Williams against international retirement following his man of the match performance in southwest London?
However, greatest praise must go to the Baa-Baas captain on the day, Mark Regan, who defied his club to lead the team out. His club, Bristol, had been one of the Premier Rugby teams to vote overwhelmingly against releasing their players for the fixture, but having been excused duty to stay fresh for next weekend’s European Cup match, Regan put a few west country noses out of joint when he headed down the M4. His rallying call to the Barbarians’ cause during the week was refreshing to hear in these times of rest periods and peak performance targets. Having been on the end of four defeats to South Africa this year, the England hooker will no doubt be feeling that there was an element of score settling with the result, even though he would surely swap it for a win the previous time he took them on.
Of course this match came at the end of a week in which the great and the good of world rugby; the unions, domestic leagues, competition committees and various others were hosted by the International Rugby Board in Woking to thrash out a coherent structure to the game. One team that failed to raise a mention was that of the Barbarians and the fear was that the Springboks would see them off before further calls to remove this anachronism from the modern game once and for all. They did get a mention in the English club v country talks in which the decision was made not to release premier league players for this fixture. Such treatment contrasts greatly to another team from the amateur era whose place in the grand scheme of things many were fearing when the sport turned professional, The British and Irish Lions.
When rugby union went open in 1995 many wondered where the Lions would fit in. Now though any call to abolish the four-year cycle of Lions’ tours would meet with fierce resistance, not only from the Home Unions Committee, but from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, all four of whom benefit financially from the tours. They have been cherished and nurtured like the favourite child, despite there having been more losing than winning tours, whilst the Barbarians have taken on the Cinderella role. What then should become of the men in black and white hoops?
It was good to hear that in future there would be some system in which clubs would nominate a player for a match, something they are infinitely able to do in these days of mega squads. There should be one match in the autumn against one of the touring teams and two in the summer, using different stadiums around the UK. There has also been talk of using them as a development tool in the developing rugby nations. Imagine how much good a Barbarians tour would do to raise the profile of the sport in Georgia, Portugal or Romania, who struggle to secure test matches against the tier one nations, let alone at home. Already the Barbarians do a massive amount for charity and this would be a far more direct route to help out the less affluent rugby nations. It would also do young uncapped players the world of good touring to such places and learning from their more experienced colleagues, serve as a shop window for those without a club, as Ben Cohen did this weekend, and provide one last hurrah for those retiring from the sport, as Jason Robinson did at Twickenham.
Backing the Barbarians these days is not the done thing if a lot of rugby opinion is to be listened to. But something that has provided that many moments of glorious rugby down the years should not be so hastily thrown away. There have been highlights galore down the years. Don’t believe me? Go to Youtube and type in the word Barbarians. Top of these is of course Gareth Edwards’ try against New Zealand in 1973, but others matches that will live long in the memory include the 1994 match at Lansdowne Road and the 2000 match at Twickenham, both against the Springboks. Furthermore they are a far more preferable invitational side to watch than those in the shoddy ‘North v South’ and ‘Jonah v Johnno’ matches that have been foisted upon us in recent years.
This weekend provided a boon at just the right time for the Baa-Baas and it was a throwback to past years with the performances on and off the pitch. Regan led the way of course, but probably the greatest personification of the Barbarian way was by New Zealand flanker Jerry Collins who wore Barnstaple second XV socks. He played for the Devon side whilst catching up with some Kiwi friends after leaving France. Giteau’s early break out try set the tone and whilst the rain dampened the action as the match wore on, it was definitely a match that put a smile on the face. That said there will be need to be many more of these performances to put the Barbarians back to where they were in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. During the world cup in France my cousin wore a Baa-Baas jersey throughout his visit to Marseille for the quarterfinals and was shocked that very few of the visiting fans knew which jersey it was. The first step has been taken in putting the name and club back in people’s minds; they must now ensure that every future step they take is equally as significant to get back to where they once were.
Muralitharan makes it to record books:
It was a celebratory weekend for Sri Lanka bowler Muttiah Muralitharan this weekend, as he drew level with Australia’s Shane Warne in the all-time test wicket takers list. The spinner equalled Warne’s haul of 508 wickets in the first test with England and will no doubt pass him, if not in this match, then in the current test series.
However, I cannot help but feel that it is a hollow record and that despite being one of the nicest blokes on the cricket circuit he should not even be allowed to bowl. You see the very thing that makes him so formidable an opponent to face at the end of the crease, is the very thing that should mean that each and every one of his balls should be void.
I’m talking, of course, about his arm and the fact that he cannot fully extend it. Now I know that the International Cricket Council have bent over backwards to work out whether his bowling action is legal or not, but just look at it. The arm is not straight, so how can it be ruled legal? Sure I know he is not able to fully extend his arm, but so what? Just because he is able to bowl well, albeit in an illegal manner, should not have meant that he was given special dispensation, which he has. It is a shame there is no parallel in any other sport that comes to mind, because yes the record has fallen, but in these circumstances, where is the worth in it?
JI 03/12/07
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