My goodness.... so many accidents!

:f1:

80.6 Flintoff to Clarke, (noball) no run, short of a length and outside
the off, left alone to the keeper, it's a no-ball
80.5 Flintoff to Clarke, no run, short of a length and outside the off,
good pace and bounce, Clarke leaves it well alone to the keeper
80.4 Flintoff to Martyn, OUT: short ball on the stumps, Flintoff has put
some effort into this, the ball gets big on Martyn who plays an
awkward pull shot straight to Collingwood at square leg

Australia 281/3, Partnership of 17
DR Martyn c Collingwood b Flintoff 10 (29b 1x4 0x6)
ML Hayden 112* (260b 15x4) A Flintoff 20.4-7-50-2 (4nb)

80.3 Flintoff to Hayden, one run, fullish and on the off, driven well
just wide of mid-off for a single
80.2 Flintoff to Hayden, no run, short of a good length and outside the
off, no swing or seam movement, left alone to the keeper
80.1 Flintoff to Hayden, no run, fullish and on the off, played back
down the pitch

80 overs gone and England can take the second new ball if they want
to

How do I rotate the pieces ? It tells me to use "any key" to rotate but none of the keys on my keyboard seem to work :bigcry:

Do I need a keyboard with an "Any Key" ? :haha:

I saw several books of them last Sunday at Stanstead picked up one but didn't buy it as it didn't explain how they work and am now so :mad: at myself :wall: as on Thursday I learnt the "rules" and am now hooked on them....

The elements balance the battle

The Verdict by Andrew Miller

September 9, 2005



Justin Langer: patience is Australia's watchword, but are they too patient? © Getty Images




And so the days and sessions continue to tick away. Three and nine respectively are all that remain of the 2005 Ashes, and on today's evidence, the Gods are adamant that every last drop of the available time will have to be used before they allow their masterplan to be unveiled.


"Gods", as we have discovered this series, no longer refers to the Australians, although from the curiously cocksure manner with which Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer accepted an offer of bad light straight after tea, they would have you believe they still have a hotline to the heavens. Can a side that desperately needs a win afford to be so languid in their outlook? With more bad weather predicted for tomorrow, England's uncertain first innings has suddenly gained in value.


Suddenly this is taking shape as an old-fashioned finish to the summer, with gradual jockeying for position taking precedence over the stampedes of the first four games. As far as Australia are concerned, urgency has not done their batsmen any favours at any stage - not even at Lord's where, had it not been for Kevin Pietersen's drop of the series, they might have been bowled out for a total little better than their first-innings 190. No, as Matthew Hayden personified in an agonising 96-ball innings, this time they are in for the long haul.


This was Langer and Hayden's 14th century stand in four years as a pairing, but to watch Hayden scrimp his way to 32 not out in the time it took Langer to make 75, it was hard to believe this was the same player who once hammered his way to a then world-record 380. Back in their halcyon days, he was like the blacksmith and Langer his faithful hound. Now, it was left to the hound to guide his stricken master through the most arduous days of his career.


A close-of-play score of 112 for 0 is testament to a job well done. Langer has been busting for a big score all series. Like Mike Atherton in 1993, he has been a constant source of succour for a failing batting side, but - largely because of the effort that goes into his grafting - always falling short of a landmark innings. This time he used Hayden's immobility as the anchor, and cashed in on the conditions and his excellent form. He deserves a hundred, and on this evidence he is unlikely to be denied.


Mind you, had Langer fallen to a sharp chance for Marcus Trescothick on 53, England would have been pretty satisfied with their truncated day's work. The errors that undermined their efforts on Thursday were highlighted by the ease with which with Ashley Giles and the tail stretched the innings into the realms of respectability, and so to limit Australia to a reply at a modest tempo increases their need for urgency as the game squeezes towards the final stages.


Not unsurprisingly, England missed their fifth bowler. Paul Collingwood was admirable in the circumstances - he forced the one clear-cut chance and consistently pushed 80mph, which bracketed him not far behind Glenn McGrath and Matthew Hoggard in terms of pace. But guile was something entirely different. Though Andrew Flintoff was starting to bend it through the air by the time the bad light came, Jones and his uncanny knack of producing unplayable deliveries was what was needed on this pitch.


Even so, there is something in the air - and not just that enticing aroma of Ashes glory. Australia never intended that their post-tea adjournment would be it for the day, but if the forecasts for the weekend are to be believed, there is more of the same and worse to follow.


England may have stumbled in perfect batting conditions, but Australia face the opposite task - batting perfectly in showery, seaming conditions that set a team up for a fall. There is no doubt that England were dissatisfied with their first-innings 373, but this game is not yet at the halfway juncture and there is plenty more uncertainty to come.

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided to do something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day.



He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The children were shocked, but the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor."



One boy, named Ling, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it, carefully. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.



After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Ling didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in Ling's pot.



He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.



Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But his mother asked him to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.



When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other children laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey, nice try."



When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"



All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure Maybe he will have me killed!"



When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied.



All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!"



Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?



Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"



If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.

If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.

If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.

If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.

If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.

If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.

If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.

If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.

If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.



ButÂ…



If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.

If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.

If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.

If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.

If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.

If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.

If you plant greed, you will reap loss.

If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.

If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.

If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.



So, be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for you or for the ones who will come after you.



Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you plant today.



Believe or not, it's up to you.

*HEAR WHAT OPRAH WINFREY HAD TO SAY ABOUT MEN *

*If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.
If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.
Stop making excuses for a man and his behaviour.
Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache.*

*Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.
Slower is better. **Never live your life for a man before you find what
makes you truly happy.*

*If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve
then heck no, you can't "be friends".
A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend. Don't settle.*

*If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is. Don't stay
because you think "it will get better." **
You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not
better.
The only person you can control in a relationship is you.*

*Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women.
He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any
differently?*

*Always have your own set of friends separate from his.**
Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. If something bothers you, speak
up.*

*Never let a man know everything.* He will use it against you later.*

*You cannot change a man's behaviour.* Change comes from within.*


*Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are... even if he
has more education or in a better job.**
Do not make him into a quasi-god.
He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
Never let a man define who you are.
Never borrow someone else's man.
If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.*

*All men are NOT dogs.*

*You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is two way
street.*

*You need time to heal **between relationships**...there is nothing cute
about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship*

*You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...a relationship consists
of two WHOLE individuals...look for someone complimentary...not
supplementary.*

*Dating is fun...even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.*

*Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and
you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.*

*Never move into his mother's house. Never co-sign for a man.*

* Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you
need.* Keep him in your radar but get to know others.*

*Share this with other women and men (just so they know)... You'll make
someone smile, another rethink her choices, and another woman prepare.*

*They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them and
an entire lifetime to forget them.*


*Scared of being alone is what makes a lot of women stay in relationships
that are abusive or hurtful : DrPhill*

*You should know that you're the best thing that could ever happen to anyone
and if a man mistreats you, he'll miss out on a good thing. If he was
attracted to you in the 1st place, just know that he's not the only one.
They're all watching you, so you have a lot of choices. Make the right one.*


*Ladies take care of your own hearts.... *

England leading in sub dismissals
SUB DISMISSALS SINCE SEP 2001

England 18 in 52 Tests (17 catches, 1 run-out)
W Indies 16 in 47 (12c, 4ro)
India 14 in 41 (13c, 1ro)
Pakistan 10 in 33 (9c, 1ro)
New Zealand 10 in 36 (10c)
Bangladesh 8 in 34 (8c)
Sri Lanka 7 in 37 (6c, 1ro)
Zimbabwe 5 in 27 (5c)
South Africa 8 in 47 (8c)
Australia 4 in 50 (3c, 1ro)
Ponting slams England sub policy
England substitute fielders have effected more Test dismissals than any other team over the past four years.

In 52 Tests since September 2001, England subs have dismissed 18 batsmen - in contrast to four by Australia.

The statistic will not surprise Australia, who have voiced great displeasure at England's exaggerated use of sub fielders this Ashes series.

Ricky Ponting was fined for an angry outburst after being run out by sub fielder Gary Pratt in the fourth Test.

Pratt was on the field at Trent Bridge for the genuinely injured Simon Jones, but Australia have been unhappy that England bowlers have been replaced on the field by specialist fielders after spells.

England claim the bowlers are simply taking toilet breaks, and in any case the ploy is not against the rules of cricket.

The research, carried out by Cricinfo, shows that England are two ahead of West Indies and four ahead of India, while Australia are four dismissals behind second-last nation South Africa.

Eng 330-8 92 ovs v Aus

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson held talks with Football Association officials on the flight home after his side's defeat in Northern Ireland.
But FA sources have told BBC Sport that Eriksson's job is not in immediate danger and that the Swede still has the support of the players.

The 1-0 defeat left England five points behind leaders Poland in Group Six.

They now need to win their final two home games to be sure of qualifying for the finals in Germany next summer.

"According to one FA source I spoke to, 'Sven has a lot of thinking to do', particularly about the midfield and about the formations," said BBC Five Live football correspondent Jonathan Legard.

"But nobody I spoke to believes those thoughts should involve resignation, and nor was anyone at the FA looking to sack him.

We have to win the next two games. Will I quit if we don't? We are going to win them and that's it

Sven-Goran Eriksson
"He's got this contract until 2008. They are confident he will still take England to the World Cup.

"I was told also that he has not lost the players, although one person did tell me he thought David Beckham was running the show, which is a possible explanation why Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are not quite on the same wavelength at the moment."

There were calls for Eriksson's sacking from England fans during and after the game in Belfast on Wednesday.

But Eriksson, whose contract runs until 2008, insists he has no intention of quitting.

"If you want to know who is responsible, then it's always me. I have to turn it right," he said.

"It's about working, talking and not panicking. I could not even dream of not qualifying for the World Cup.

"We have to win the next two games. Will I quit if we don't? We are going to win them and that's it."

It has also been reported that Eriksson has cancelled plans to attend day two of the fifth Ashes cricket Test at The Oval in case he is barracked by fans.