PowerButchi

Division Six of the North Wales league.

Get Sidebottom in.

Well, I always was quite the name at Llangollen 2nd XI.

From the Beeb

Under-pressure England batsmen Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell made just one run each as they tried to find form in the County Championship on Wednesday.

 

Playing for Essex against Middlesex, Bopara was caught off Tim Murtagh, who also trapped England opener Alastair Cook lbw for just four at Lord's.

 

Then, Bell was caught behind against Nottinghamshire, before fellow Test hopeful Jonathan Trott followed for 15.

 

The squad for the final Ashes Test is expected to be named on Sunday.

 

Five contracted England players had been released for the current round of matches - Bopara, Cook, Bell, Graham Onions and Graeme Swann - before the deciding fifth Test against Australia.

 

606: DEBATE

If Ravi had scored big, we'd have been obliged to keep him. Now he hasn't, just hope the selectors are brave enough to shelve him and Bell (and bring in Key and Ramps)

 

nclark008

 

Durham seamer Onions has been wicketless so far against Lancashire at Old Trafford, while off-spinner Swann was unable to play for Nottinghamshire because of a stomach upset.

 

Warwickshire batsman Trott, who is not centrally contracted, was named in the squad for the fourth Test at Headingley but was not selected.

 

He and Bell were briefly at the crease together at Trent Bridge before Bell fell to left-arm swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who is also a contender for the squad at The Oval.

 

Trott hit two fours before he was caught off Charlie Shreck.

 

Another candidate for a batting place is Rob Key, who played the last of his 15 Tests in 2005.

 

He made 90 for Kent against Northants on Tuesday, while Monty Panesar, hoping to be recalled as a second spinner, took 2-56 from 22 overs.

 

Meanwhile, veteran Mark Ramprakash, who last played a Test in 2002 but has been tipped for a shock one-off recall, may play for Surrey in a Pro40 match against Glamorgan at The Oval on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Bopara has made 105 runs in seven innings against Australia this summer, while Bell has hit 64 in three innings since his recall for the third Test - having been dropped during the tour of the West Indies in the spring.

Robert Key says he is in the form of his life as he eyes a "dream" England call-up ahead of the decisive fifth Ashes Test against Australia next week.

 

The Kent batsman last played Test cricket in 2005 but good form for Kent, including 90 against Northamptonshire on Tuesday, has helped his cause.

 

"I feel I'm playing as well as I have ever done," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

 

"It's something you dream about, coming in for one game and potentially winning the Ashes. It would just be fantastic."

 

Key, who averages 31 from his 15 Tests with a top score of 221, added that he would be able to approach the match in a relaxed manner if selected.

 

606: DEBATE

Ramprakash was an average player 10 years ago, and I don't see any reason to suppose he's any better now

 

douglasmcdouglas

 

"It's a bonus. If I didn't get any runs I'd go back to Kent, so nothing would have changed," he stated.

 

"It's great to hear people mention your name but what matters is what the selectors think."

 

England's batting has come under fire after disappointing performances in the Ashes with only one century, from Andrew Strauss, in the series compared to seven scored by Australia.

 

Ravi Bopara and Ian Bell are the batsmen most under threat, with 39-year-old Mark Ramprakash also mooted for a recall.

 

But former Surrey and England star Graham Thorpe believes 30-year-old Key should be given an opportunity.

 

"I've never been a big fan of Bopara at three. He's more a five," Thorpe told BBC Radio 5 live.

 

"Potentially I'd keep him in. Probably Bell would be the one I'd slide out and I suppose coming in I would consider someone like Robert Key."

 

Former Kent and England captain Chris Cowdrey told BBC Radio Kent: "No question for me, it's Rob Key.

 

"I think with Ramprakash there was a big case for him playing a year-and-a-half, two years ago.

 

"But I think now you've got to look forward. Realistically he's not going to go on tour in the winter, whereas Rob Key's got a decent chance.

 

"It is a one-off, it's a very strange match, but if you start picking Ramprakash, you should pick Marcus Trescothick, and if you start picking Trescothick, you should pick Andy Caddick - you can go on forever. We'll be playing the 1990 side soon

 

Gooch warns against wholesale changes

 

"I just think if it was my decision between Rob and 'Ramps' - Rob Key for me definitely."

 

Coach Andy Flower has suggested changes could be made to England's batting line-up for The Oval following the abject, series-levelling defeat inside three days in the fourth Test.

 

Bopara, Bell and Paul Collingwood contributed a total of 16 runs between them at Headingley.

I've always been a fan of Rob Key, he could be an option at 3, dropping Ian Bell from the team, and Bopara down the order. Mind you, according to the Guardian, Mark Ramprakash is being seriously considered as a one-off. Selector Geoff Miller was reported as saying this...

"Mark has not stated he's not available for international cricket, so we will discuss that," Miller told Cricinfo. "It's not just my decision, it's a team decision, and we'll sit down as a unit. We have a consistency and continuity angle as far as selection policy is concerned and we try to stick to that as much as possible. But we do want to win this series, which is a matter of winning this game in a one-match situation, so it's a very difficult equation as [is the case with] all selection policies."

Thing is though, I can't see England taking a risk on Key, Ramps or Trott.

Brad Armstrong runs a Health Food Shop in Georgia now, according to Scott talking to a bloke he was signing an autograph for on youtube.

Yeah, and you know with her ability to get her tongue around the hard of the Welsh langauge, she'll be pretty adept at getting it around the hard of your cock.

Wife of Simon Easterby and presenter of Kids and Rugby shows on S4C, Sarra Elgan.

Harris has got a bright future ahead of him, I'd say.

Buster Merryfield?

I jest. Yeah, we should give Billy Gibbons a game.

also good shout on Joe Gatting Frank,

It's Mike, I'm after.

Robin Smith was a great shout Baz. Bring him in for the test. Or Gatting, or my personal choice of Notts legend Tim Robinson, who's stoic safety first batting would win the test for sure.

The team we should pick is OBVIOUS.

M.N. Lathwell

J.E.R. Gallian

N.H. Fairbrother

M.P. Maynard

A.D. Brown

A.J. Hollioake

M.W. Alleyne (+)

M.J. McCague

M.C. Ilott

A.D. Mullally

P.M Such

Unstoppable

The Guardian made interesting readin this morning. Mark Butcher, David Lloyd and someone else (Not Gus Fraser) are championing Rob Key at NO. 3! I don't. Key reminds me of a brearly type player, indeed, I wanted him to replace pietersen as captain. Key should not be in the team for his batting, but instead for his cricketing brain, and with someone else in charge, it's not the same.

Butcher also pushed for Ramps, if not Key, but I don't agree.

What we do really lack, especially in these days of 400 in 100 overs is someone who can sit in the crease for hours on end, in an Athers/Boycs style. I thought Bell was capable but apparently not. Any suggestions?

Does Devon Malcolm fancy a spell with the ball?

I was thinking Trott as well. Despite being a dirty Bokker, he's had two decent seasons. Worth a go.

Nina Hossein. I especially like the way she looks at you like you are scum while she reads the news.

I'm hating Craig Pittman at the moment.

How? He's responsible for one of the greatest lines in Wrestling history.

The Beatings will continue until morale improves!

Then of course he got Teddy Long as a manager, joining a stable with such luminaries as Jimmy Powers. And it was all downhill from there.

Jeff Farmer can achieve all he wants in New Japan and the nWo, as far as I'm concerned he still comes out to Morse Code and wants revenge for something that happened in Vietnam.

No.

Frank Andersson was my man in WCW at this point. Either him or Pitbull Pittman.

The commentators said that Chris Benoit is in the Horsemen during this match. Did I miss something here ?

He was announced as a member on the Episode of Saturday Night proceeding that Nitro. He joined in a promo.

And here's Kensuke Sasaki winning the US Title off Sting at a New Japan show on 13/11/95

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQEuLjtQiPc

Now, that makes no sense to me because Sting was on Nitro that date, unless it's some time difference thing, because I'm shit with those.

Was the WWE Billy Graham DVD released over here? And if not, can someone do us a nudge nudge wink wink?

WCW WORLDWIDE FROM SOME POINT IN 1992, JULY I THINK.

Just going through my old videos, I found this recorded off Sky Sports. It's WCW Worldwide from 1992. So it's Watts era, and it's going to be full of mullets, brilliance and Steve Williams. And also it's during the

Tut Tut Ian. Tut Tut.

It's shit, mind.

As long as his P11 was in order, there shouldn't have been a problem. Unless, of course, he was an independent contractor/self employed, in which case he'd have to do his own Tax and NI.

Ask him to unretire...

Who was Chris Cruise?

WCW Commentator. Wasn't used much. Handled a lot of their Internet stuff. Did a few commentaries for Internet broadcasts. Did he not host the nWo Souled Out PPV in 1997? Ain't sure.

He was there from about 1990, I think. Did a lot of the C-shows. WCW Pro and WCW Prime are the ones that come to mind with him on Commentary. He also did the AAA/WCW PPV "When World's Collide" with Mike Tenay in 1994 and did a stellar job. He was somewhat underrated, I always thought.