tim2

Newbury parkrun last week (on the old Greenham Common airfield and common) and Bramshall Road in Uttoxter today. No reaction from the injuries so may start to ramp up the training a little while I'm in Spain (if I can get up at 7am). That's 344 parkruns at 115 locations. I've done 25 different parkruns in a row now - no repeats since December 24th 2022.

Gwaze has been very good in the games I've seen.

After tonight it's very interesting. Nice to see Brandon endearing himself to his future teammates by scoring a key try tonight.

Get a map of North West England, West Midlands and North/Mid Wales and stick a pin in it.

3 DR players from Sheffield - decent ones as well - for Midlands but 41-10 is a big score. Brett Ferres was red carded at 27-6 for a swinging arm to the head.

Depends which Sheffield side turns up. You'll be hoping for the one that played in the first half of the Challenge Cup game at York. I'm hoping for the one that nilled Batley.

I'd rather give money to my own club to be honest. I don't want Whitehaven, or any other club, to go under but the community in Cumbria has to solve this, no one else.

That's a grim statement.

Who, Sheffield? We were safe a few weeks ago!

36-18 FT

Sheffield's Halafih sent off after 27 minutes but currently 30-12 up against Barrow with 5 left. No Sammut for 4 more games, could be tricky for the Raiders now. 3 away games at Haven, Keighley and Newcastle could well determine if they stay up. Overall the run in isn't too bad with home v Swinton and York too, but the pressure will be on.

It depends on the parents, I think. Kid are notoriously tricky to persuade to go and run 2K on a Sunday morning. My grandson has done about 15 but doesn't like it. There should be a tailwalker.

Up to recently, statistics woud show that more slower runners are taking part (Rother Valley parkrun's average time has gone a lot slower since I started in 2013) This may have changed as more and more regular runners, introduced by parkrun, get quicker. I do a lot od tourist runs and attend briefings for new runners. There seem to be fewer first timers than before Covid, and more tourists. Having said that, parkrun now actively encourages walkers, with a special volunteer role for parkwalker, to accompany new or solo walkers.

He gave the credit to Swinton. Horribly inconsistent across games and even within them.

I assume the umpire hadn't called over. He also hadn't handed the hat over until well after Bairstow had left his crease. Dumb by Jonny, sneaky by Carey but he was out. The catch / no-catch call was right too.

The Sheffield game where York had a player sent off and subsequently banned?

No catch - he hadn't stopped his movement. Keep the ball off the ground until you're sure. Won't make any difference.

Only 3 teams and 2 fixtures on the RFL website and only junior stuff on facebook.

They probably fancy chasing 450, which I suspect will be the result. But if Australia use the same tactics and they keep holing out, they'll get nowhere near. From 188-1 on a pancake wicket with two well set batsmen, and Root, Brook and Bairstow to come, we should have got 500.

I'm so angry at this England performance.

If this tactic by Australia works, everyone will do it and the idea of "entertaining cricket" will disappear. England have to come with with a counter-strategy. Which should basically be to leave/duck until they get tired then hammer them around the park. But leaving is now a mortal sin. Joe Root in particular should be the anchor around which others play. He's all-time world class and could milk these bowlers on a flat pitch at a run a ball. When I played "Brian Lara Cricket" on the computer years ago, I figured out I could put all the fielders on the leg side, bowl short at the body and they'd hole out. There may be an occasional six, but I'd win. I stopped playing.

If the Aussies are going all defensive on a flat pitch, you can play relatively normally and score at 5 an over. No need for risks and you can still move the game forward. If Root gets in, on this pitch and this field, he could score as many as he likes.

Turns out cricket is full of racists and misogynists. I'm shocked, I tell you.

Don't let facts get in the way of a rugby league rant! I didn't actually read it before commenting, which I assumed was how it's supposed to be.

No one banned? It's a disgrace! I blame Ralph Rimmer.