Highlight of the year 2003

[Tim]

agreed, that took balls to stand up to Mugabe.
And now they will also live in fear of the fact that Mugabe probably has a few henchmen tracking them.

 

[Richard]

A brave stand without doubt, but as Andy Flower later as good as admitted, a hopeless one. Sport doesn't have much of an influence in Zimbabwe, and the only thing they possibly stood to gain was a slight highlighting of the instances, and a "we won't all be pushed underhand by Mugabe" sort of stance.

 

[Richard]

Lee rubbish.

Run that one by us again?

If he's rubbish in ODI's, the rest of the world bar 2 or 3 may as well just give up now, as it makes them worse than rubbish!

OK, I'll run it by you again.
Just because someone has got good figures does NOT mean I rate them assuming they deserved them.
I don't think Lee has deserved half the wickets he's got in ODIs.

 

[Richard]

Makes the FA Cup a complete farce every year, then, doesn't it?

Not a complete farce, but the more upsets, the more farcical, obviously.
I mean, can you imagine Yeovil v Lincoln City in the final?
I enjoyed the 1998\99 FA Cup the most, because there were less victories by teams placed below their charges in the league than ever.

 

[Richard]

So?

Just because somebody plays for a lower team, they arent excatly hopeless.

Some lower teams to have good players like Maurice Odumbe and Steve Tikolo for Kenya.

Tikolo, Suji, Odumbe, Odoyo and possibly Collins are all good players. But Kenya, AFAIAC, are the ninth-best side in The World, in both forms of the game.
The reasons they're not a Test nation has nothing to do with their team being weak.

 

[Sudeep]

- 2003: India vs. Pakistan (World Cup '03)
- 2004: India's tour of Pakistan

Actually, I could have put Australia's performance during the entire World Cup as the highlight of the year. But being an Indian myself, the heart over-ruled the head...

 

[marc71178]

I don't think Lee has deserved half the wickets he's got in ODIs.

And I suppose he doesn't deserve his economy rate of 4.69 either then?

Brett Lee is a very good ODI bowler, yet you ignore that FACT.

 

[raju]

Not a complete farce, but the more upsets, the more farcical, obviously.
I mean, can you imagine Yeovil v Lincoln City in the final?
I enjoyed the 1998\99 FA Cup the most, because there were less victories by teams placed below their charges in the league than ever.

What a romantic you are.
I'd love to see a Lincoln v Yeovil final...would make a change from the same clubs in the final with their spoilt, whinging armchair supporters.

 

[marc71178]

* glances at Halsey *

 

[luckyeddie]

What a romantic you are.
I'd love to see a Lincoln v Yeovil final...would make a change from the same clubs in the final with their spoilt, whinging armchair supporters.

Don't forget the prawn sandwiches

 

[Neil Pickup]

Kenya, AFAIAC, are the eighth-best side in The World, in both forms of the game.

The reasons they're not a Test nation has nothing to do with their team being weak.

Well...

1) Australia
2) England
3) New Zealand
4) West Indies
5) Pakistan
6) India
7) Sri Lanka
8) South Africa

Then...

9) Zimbabwe
10) Australia A
11) England A
12) New Zealand A
13) West Indies A
14) Pakistan A
15) India A
16) Sri Lanka A
17) South Africa A
18) Tasmania
19) New South Wales
20) Western Australia
21) South Australia
22) Queensland
23) Victoria
24) Eastern Province
25) Mumbai
26) Lancashire
27) Surrey

And there's probably more.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Not a complete farce, but the more upsets, the more farcical, obviously.
I mean, can you imagine Yeovil v Lincoln City in the final?
I enjoyed the 1998\99 FA Cup the most, because there were less victories by teams placed below their charges in the league than ever.

Forest 0 Portsmouth 1
Bournemouth 0 WBA 1
Crewe 1 Oxford 3
Bolton 1 Wolves 2
Rotherham 0 Bristol Rovers 1
Swansea 1 West Ham 0

You're right, it was rubbish, wasn't it?

QFs were Arsenal v Derby, Manure v Chelsea, Newcastle v Everton and Barnsley v Spurs. We then had the one good game of the cup when Giggs scored that goal and the scum beat Newcastle 2-0 in the Final.

Coventry beat Macclesfield 7-0 in Round 3 though

Can you not see the glory of Chesterfield and Wycombe's runs?

Or Telford and Gillingham's wins yesterday?

 

[marc71178]

Coventry beat Macclesfield 7-0 in Round 3 though

Part of our club record run when Huckerby and Dublin were good - what a team we had back then!

 

[Craig]

Forest 0 Portsmouth 1
Bournemouth 0 WBA 1
Crewe 1 Oxford 3
Bolton 1 Wolves 2
Rotherham 0 Bristol Rovers 1
Swansea 1 West Ham 0

You're right, it was rubbish, wasn't it?

QFs were Arsenal v Derby, Manure v Chelsea, Newcastle v Everton and Barnsley v Spurs. We then had the one good game of the cup when Giggs scored that goal and the scum beat Newcastle 2-0 in the Final.

Coventry beat Macclesfield 7-0 in Round 3 though

Can you not see the glory of Chesterfield and Wycombe's runs?

Or Telford and Gillingham's wins yesterday?

And Accrington Stanley drawing in their game (cant remember the team) and Richard those who make the FA Cup final get to compete in the UEFA Cup, no matter what league they are (even in 3rd Div.!) unless qualifyied for Champs League.

If you have checked Richard's profile he is a Manure fan (boo hiss).

 

[Neil Pickup]

And Accrington Stanley drawing in their game (cant remember the team) and Richard those who make the FA Cup final get to compete in the UEFA Cup, no matter what league they are (even in 3rd Div.!) unless qualifyied for Champs League.

If you have checked Richard's profile he is a Manure fan (boo hiss).

Accrington drew 0-0 with Colchester United.

It's only the FA Cup winners that make the UEFA Cup, unless the winners have already qualified for Europe, in which case the runners-up take the place.

 

[Bazza]

I prefer the FA Cup when there are more upsets and little teams getting through - the Premiership is there for people who prefer big teams meeting week in week out, and I say that as a Man Utd fan.

Back on topic, I always look forward to all international cricket, especially England's game of course. So I will enjoy the two series with WI and hosting NZ - especially interesting because England are similar in ability to those two sides so should be competitive. Also a good triangular tournament hopefully. I especially look forward to hopefully going to Lord's and (hopefully) seeing the great BC Lara bat. I also want to get to an ICC Trophy game as several of them are in Southampton. Elsewhere, I didn't realise Australia were going to India but that will certainly be very intriguing, as will Australia in Sri Lanka - oh how we love to see the big guns fall! :P

Looking back over 2003, the World Cup was great - cricket nearly every day. Unfortunately I saw very little - why can't they host it in July-September? :P

Also I enjoyed my first trip to a test match and seeing Freddie destroy the SA bowling. We still lost but it was great to watch!

And also I think the recent Australia v India is maybe the best series.

 

[luckyeddie]

If you have checked Richard's profile he is a Manure fan (boo hiss).

A pal of mine is too - and he has some really strange ideas regarding cups.

He advocates 'seeding' the draw so that the 'big' clubs avoid each other.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I am not a manure fan.

I am a Man Utd fan.

 

[marc71178]

Accrington drew 0-0 with Colchester United.

And the winners get to play Coventry

 

[Neil Pickup]

I am not a manure fan.

I am a Man Utd fan.

You've missed something here, clearly. They appear to be one and the same:P