keep fighting, keep praying

a post dedicated to fabrice muamba & stilian petrov; all the love and support in the world in coming through the difficult times. you're fighters on the pitch and we know you are off it too.
♥

it's like we've been here before; first test, galle.

mainly due to persistent rain, south africa could not topple england as number one in the world rankings with a 1-0 series win in new zealand. next up for england was a two match series in sri lanka, hoping to right the wrongs of a dreadful test series in the UAE.

the setting for the first test was the beautiful galle international stadium, full of loud and proud english supporters enjoying the perfect weather. sri lanka won the toss and as expected, elected to bat. from a sri lankan perspective, there wasn't much to write home about based on the first innings, unless you go by the name of mahela jayawardene. england finally removed him early on day two after a magnificent innings of 180: saving his side from utter humiliation, an even more impressive score from the captain with very little help from his teammates, none of which stayed long enough to build a significent partnership. sri lanka clawed their way to 318 - anderson, the star of the show taking five wickets: the leader of england's bowling attack taking the prized scalp of sangakkara first ball.

after a long day in the field, many wouldn't begrudge the england bowlers a few hours rest on day two. although within two or three of hours, they were padded up and ready to bat. it was almost déjà vu for england fans: top quality batsmen undone by spin. this time however there was no excuse about facing the best spinner in the world, herath is nowhere close to ajmal. cook, pietersen and trott all getting out cheaply. the previously out of form bell was the only batsman to pass 50, as england were bowled out for just 193. to win this game england had a mountain to climb; it's obvious we can rely on the english bowlers to perform but we almost expect a collective failure from the batsmen away from home, particularly on the subcontinent.the only real entertainment from the england first innings was the last wicket partnership between anderson & panesar, putting on nearly forty runs.

at the end of day two, england were only still in the game thanks to four wickets from graeme swann. until this point swann had had an unusually quiet winter, outbowled by panesar against pakistan and effectively playing for his place in the side for the summer, ending the sri lankan second innings with figures of 6-82. p jayawardene top scoring with 61; broad thought he had jayawardene earlier on before the umpire correctly called a no ball. these extra runs could have proved crucial, which would have tipped an already frustrated broad over the edge you feel. sri lanka were all out for 214 and set england 340 to win; england were still in with a chance but they'd have to break several records in order to win in a game they'd been outplayed from almost start to finish.

with the early dimissals of cook and strauss, the latter in a particularly disappointing fashion, the game seemed to be slipping away from the tourists but at the end of day 3; a solid partnership between trott and pietersen meant england had a lifeline. losing pietersen and then bell before lunch on day four was a massive blow to england's chances. jonathan trott however was going nowhere, his conventional trott's trench was dug and the partnership with prior dramatically swung the game back in england's favour. for the first time this winter, the batsmen looked comfortable at the crease and weren't phased by the presence of spin from both ends. the innings was going almost perfectly before the dismissal of prior turned the game on its head - jonathan trott's fantastic 112 preceded a sadly predictable collapse at the hands of herath and randiv. the hosts took the last five wickets for only twelve runs and this time, the tail could not save england like it has been forced to many times before. sri lanka had deservedly won by seventy five runs and extended england's losing streak to four matches.

before the second test starts tuesday, some series issues have to be addressed regarding the batsmen's technique and mental attitude towards facing spin; in less than nine months, this side will be flying out to india where they'll be firmly out of their comfort zone. no matter how poor india have looked away from home conditions, in india they're a match for anyone.

my attempts at mystic meg for the new domestic season.

DIVISION ONE:
winners - durham ccc. again, it will be an exciting season which potentially could go down to the last round of fixtures again. i have predicted durham to triumph overall but expect the side from the north east to face fierce competition from the likes of lancashire, surrey, notts and somerset.
losers - fully expect worcs to struggle like they have done previously and despite a good second half of the season in 2011, i predict middlesex will join them, back in the second division in 2013.

DIVISION TWO:
winners - hampshire ccc. they may have struggled last year but i'm sure they will pick up plenty of points in 2012. i may have my rose tinted glasses on when i say this but my prediction for division two runners up are my beloved essex ccc. some great additions to an already balanced squad means essex will be one of the favourites to go up.

CB40 & TWENTY20:
a repeat of last year's final would be reasonably likely as surrey and somerset are probably the two best one day sides in the country but i would give surrey the edge here. as for the twenty20, look no further than somerset. surely the bookie's favourites and with an immense batting line up, 2012 will be a less frustrating year for somerset fans surely.



♥

mind the gap: why arsenal WILL finish third.

before arsenal and tottenham met in the north london derby two and a half weeks ago, the gap between the two sides was ten points: tottenham apparently competing for the title and arsenal in relatively poor form - in competition with chelsea, liverpool and newcastle for the prize of fourth place, the final champions league place. now, on the 14th march there is now only one point separating arsenal & spurs: a dramatic 92nd minute winner from thomas vermaelen against newcastle earned the gunners a well deserved three points against newcastle at the emirates, the centre back steaming into the penalty area from the half way line to score a close-range effort past the despairing tim krul. isn't life krul sometimes?

three reasons why arsenal will be in the champions league next season and ultimately beat tottenham in the race for third:


1. the importance of momentum and confidence

three consecutive league defeats for tottenham with arsenal winning their last four premier league games after going 1-0 down proves the gunner hsave a new found resilience: as tottenham's confidence is at an all time low, there's genuine belief amongst arsenal fans that champions league will be back at the emirates next season. it takes the extreme mental strength, often discussed by arsene wenger, to recover from such a disastrous start to the season, when a few months ago, it looked as if arsenal would struggle to get fourth place - let alone third! it would be considered one of arsene wenger's greatest achievements at arsenal if we were to finish third, after a real rollercoaster of a season (so far!)


2. focus

arsenal have a settled, happy, talented squad led by a manager who appears to be going nowhere - the same cannot said be tottenham however. harry redknapp is still the favourite for the england job and despite claims from the tottenham players, its hard to believe this speculation wouldn't affect the players.

3. robin van persie, he scores he wants

to say this man is in exceptional form is no exaggeration, no need for hyperbole: robin van persie is on fire. the equaliser against newcastle bought up his 33rd goal of the season, 26th in the premier league and as expected, this has meant van persie is hot property, now attracting interest from the likes of barcelona and moneybags manchester city, knowing rvp is still to sign a contract extension at the emirates. with champions league football looking likely and with the promise of more quality signings in the summer, why would van persie leave? this man is a great player, a great leader but an even better man - a settled, loyal family man who surely wouldn't want to leave london and specifically the emirates, a place where he is worshipped and adored. when cesc fabregas and samir moved in the summer, it was a massive loss to the arsenal side but if arsenal were to lose van persie, i believe the result would be catastrophe. arsenal have been a 'one man' team this year but it does not always have to be that way - we are just two or three class players away from a GREAT side: one which will compete for titles week in, week out.

less than a month to go...

i'm not sure the nation is collectively counting down the seconds until the return of county cricket but i for one, am incredibly excited. after all, what other ways would we rather spend our days in april than watching cricket in arctic conditions with four layers on. after a below par year in 2011, essex fans will be hoping 2012 will bring happier times: a promotion push and an appearance in either or both the CB40 final and in cardiff for twenty20 finals day. after all, what's wrong with hopeless optimism?

LV=county championship: division 2;

APRIL
Thu 05 - Sun 08: Gloucestershire - Chelmsford
Thu 19 - Sun 22: Yorkshire - Headingley Carnegie
Thu 26 - Sun 29: Northamptonshire - Chelmsford

MAY
Wed 02 - Sat 05: Glamorgan - SWALEC Stadium
Wed 09 - Sat 12: Kent - Chelmsford
Wed 16 - Sat 19: Leicestershire - Grace Road
Wed 23 - Sat 26: Derbyshire - Chelmsford

JULY
Wed 11 - Sat 14: Gloucestershire - Cheltenham
Thu 19 - Sun 22: Hampshire - Chelmsford

AUGUST
Wed 01 - Sat 04: Leicestershire - Chelmsford (part of chelmsford festival)
Wed 08 - Sat 11: Kent - Canterbury
Wed 15 - Sat 18: Glamorgan - Colchester
Tue 28 - Fri 31: Derbyshire - Derby

SEPTEMBER
Tue 04 - Fri 07: Hampshire - Rose Bowl
Tue 11 - Fri 14: Yorkshire - Chelmsford


CB40;



MAY

Mon 07: Leicestershire Foxes - Grace Road
Sun 13: Worcestershire Royals - Chelmsford
Sun 20: Lancashire Lightning - Old Trafford
Tue 29: Netherlands - Excelsior CC

JUNE
Mon 04: Gloucestershire Gladiators - Chelmsford

JULY
Sun 15: Gloucestershire Gladiators - Cheltenham
Wed 18: Middlesex Panthers - Chelmsford
Sun 29: Worcestershire Royals - New Road

AUGUST
Sun 05: Leicestershire Foxes - Chelmsford
Sun 19: Netherlands - Colchester
Thu 23: Lancashire Lightning - Chelmsford
Mon 27: Middlesex Panthers - Lord's


friends life twenty20;


JUNE

Wed 13: Surrey Lions - Kia Oval
Wed 20: Kent Spitfires - Chelmsford
Thu 21: Middlesex Panthers - Lord's
Fri 22: Surrey Lions - Chelmsford
Sun 24: Sussex Sharks- Hove
Thu 28: Sussex Sharks - Chelmsford
Fri 29: Hampshire Royals - Chelmsford

JULY

Thu 5: Middlesex Panthers - Chelmsford
Fri 6: Kent Spitfires - Canterbury
Sun 8: Hampshire Royals - Rose Bowl