Thread: Cricket scores around the world

Aussie cricket fans the Fanatics admit alarm prank

AUSTRALIAN cricket fans claim credit for a hotel fire alarm that roused the England team from their beds before their batting collapse on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley.

The Fanatics - the Australian supporters who follow the Test team around the world - claim they set off the fire alarm at the Radisson Hotel in Leeds at about 4.30am on Friday.

England's Test team were evacuated with other guests and staff while two fire engines from West Yorkshire Fire Service searched the premises for the source of the alarm.

Players were left standing in the street in their pyjamas for more than 20 minutes until the all-clear was given for them to return to their beds.

English spinner Graham Swann wrote on his Twitter site: "Fire alarm? Brilliant!!!''

Just hours later they travelled to Headingley where they were shot out for a paltry 102 after winning the toss in the crucial test.

Australia's Test team are staying at a different hotel.

Warren Livingston, head of the Fanatics, told The Sunday Telegraph one of the 100-strong group had managed to set the alarm off with the intention of disrupting the English team's sleep, describing it as ``good old fashioned Aussie high-jinks''.

"Yes it was one of our guys who did it as a bit of a prank, I got a text message after it happened,'' Mr Livingston said yesterday from the UK.

"At first I thought `good onya', we're just doing our bit for Australia. But I can't condone this sort of thing. I don't want any trouble. We've all had a big laugh and it might have made a difference, the way they batted.''

If the claim is found to be true, English cricket fans and authorities will not view the situation with any humour.

But British media reports say the alarm may have been set off by another guest, a woman who had rinsed her underwear in a bathroom sink and left them close to a lightbulb to dry.

When the underwear began to smoulder, the woman threw them back in the sink, but not before the room filled with smoke and the fire alarm activated.

A hotel employee told The Sun: "It appears a lady had done some washing and had fallen asleep, leaving her undies too near a light. They caught fire and when she tried to put them out it caused so much smoke the alarms went off. Even if she's not a cricket fan I'm sure by now the lady realises what she's done - spoiling our lads' sleep before the Fourth Test.''

English wicket keeper Matt Prior blamed the incident for his team's batting collapse.

"I don't know how long we were outside the hotel,'' he said.

"I think I was sleepwalking. It wasn't ideal. I think anyone would be slightly miffed at 5am standing in the rain with no shoes on. It's not an excuse, but there were a few grumpy people around complaining they had been woken up at 5am.''

A Cricket Australia spokesman said they were not aware of the incident, but "if it is shown to be the result of inappropriate behaviour by members of the public, we would not condone that at all''.

The spokesman praised the Fanatics as "usually committed to responsible behaviour''.

Bloody larrikins

Originally Posted by Wayne Kerr

100-strong group had managed to set the alarm off

I knew Australians were thick but it only takes a finger.

How's the weather looking Dave?

No problems with the weather but its looking iffy for the Oval

Superb century partnership from Broad and Swann off less than 13 overs.

Broad well caught by Watson.

MotM award for Broad.

We can't give it to any of the convicts, of course.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

We can't give it to any of the convicts, of course.

Taking the ashes back to the fabled land is reward enough mate.

Instead give Broad a knighthood for his valiant batting today. Thats what the Poms give those that do good against us convicts isn't it?

Sir Cive Woodward and Sir Chris Broad...............what a bunch of fooking wankers!

Originally Posted by Wayne Kerr

The Fanatics - the Australian supporters who follow the Test team around the world - claim they set off the fire alarm at the Radisson Hotel in Leeds at about 4.30am on Friday. England's Test team were evacuated with other guests and staff while two fire engines from West Yorkshire Fire Service searched the premises for the source of the alarm. Players were left standing in the street in their pyjamas for more than 20 minutes until the all-clear was given for them to return to their beds.

Underhand tactics as usual from the convicts....well played!

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

well played!

Thanks mate and bring on the decider!

Did you play well then LT?

I've felt all along the Australians will rise to the occassion and win the series, there still a far better batting side than England who's middle order are pretty shite.

sadly I saw nothing of this test as I am on holiday, actually, remove sadly from this sentence, probably a good thing.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Did you play well then LT?

Yep mate...................Kept my eye on every ball.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

England who's middle order are pretty shite.

Their tail certainly have batted well this series with Broad having the potential of becoming a very handy all-rounder.

His innings today was really something!

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

well played!

Thanks mate and bring on the decider!

What, resort to a bomb-scare at the Oval to 'retain' The Ashes by default?

Originally Posted by passengers

What, resort to a bomb-scare at the Oval to 'retain' The Ashes by default?

What you had that cheating Yarpie cvnt in the first 3 tests!

Another fvcking fleet street concoction I reckon.

Just face it Andrew.............your lot batted and bowled shite!

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

What you had that cheating Yarpie cvnt in the first 3 tests!

Awesome recovery, you haven't whinged about that for days.....

Flat, lazy: Langer manifesto rubs salt in England's wounds

AT LAST we can reveal what the Australian side really think of their England counterparts and the weaknesses that were pinpointed before the series began.

In an amazing document detailing the thoughts of Somerset captain and former Australian opener Justin Langer, English cricketers are witheringly described as ''lazy'', ''shallow'' and ''flat'', and as players who ''love being comfortable''. Fast bowler James Anderson can be ''a bit of a pussy'' if things do not go his way, and skipper Andrew Strauss can be too ''conservative''. And there are barbs at the egos of Matt Prior and Graeme Swann, as well as the annoying strut of Ravi Bopara.

A copy of the dossier, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph last week, was handed to the Australian squad before the first Test. In it, Langer roundly condemned English cricketers' attitudes and apparent lack of fight in the battle, surprising given that it was only last season that Langer was proclaiming that the standard of cricket in division one of the County Championship was as tough as anything he had ever experienced in first-class cricket.

''English players rarely believe in themselves,'' Langer wrote. ''Many of them stare a lot and chat a lot but this is very shallow. They will retreat very quickly. Aggressive batting, running and body language will soon have them staring at their bootlaces rather than in the eyes of their opponent - it is just how they are built.''

He emphasised the point by describing English cricketers as ''great front runners''. He continued: ''Because of the way they are programmed they will be up when things are going well, but they will taper off very quickly if you wear them down. Because they play so much cricket, as soon as it gets a bit hard you just have to watch their body language and see how flat and lazy they get. This is also a time when most of them make all sorts of excuses and start looking around to point the finger at everyone else - it is a classic English trait, from my experience.''

Langer also warned the Australian side not to repeat the mistakes of 2005 and be too friendly with the England team. ''They [English cricketers] like being friendly and 'matey' because it makes them feel comfortable,'' he wrote. ''In essence, this is maybe the key to the whole English psyche - they love being comfortable. Take them out of their comfort zone, and they don't like it for one second.''

Of Anderson, Langer said: ''He is hugely improved but can be a bit of a pussy if he is worn down. His body language could be detrimental to them [England] if we get on top of him early.''

Langer, once a teammate of Strauss's at Middlesex, said of the England skipper: ''He is a very solid character and excellent bloke. His weakness is possibly his conservative approach. He will tend to take the safer options in most cases.''

As for the edict from Cricket Australia that Australian players should not sledge in this series, Langer dismissed that by saying of Prior, whom he described as having ''a massive ego'': ''I would chip away at him about his wicketkeeping. I would be reminding him about how it could see him out of the team. I would definitely work his ego.''

In contrast, the plan for Bopara has been silence: ''He is sure to wind the boys up by his strutting around, but I would leave him alone.''

Michael Vaughan, England's Ashes-winning captain in 2005, agreed with Langer. ''If I had been asked to write a dossier on English cricket, I would have come up with many of the same points,'' he said. ''This is a reality check for the game's administrators in this country to change our structure.''

From the telegraph I think

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Yep mate...................Kept my eye on every ball.

Well played mate...

dont worry lads,having sucessfully lulled the aussies into a false sense of security we'll give them a good a whooping down south london way

does anyone know where i can watch the ashes on line for free.ive tried justintv but all the links are shite

England won the toss and elected to bat. Latest score 52 - 1

Originally Posted by Propagator

England won the toss and elected to bat. Latest score 52 - 1

I fear for us if we don't get a sizeable first innings score the way the wicket is batting.

England bring up thier 100 with Straus reaching 50 and well played.

Can't watch the game as they have the world athletics games on instead but I believe the pitch is a batting paradise.

Just back from lunch and Strauss out nibbling outside off stump. A silly shot really but something the aussies really needed. 2/121

Getting Bell before England bring up the 200 could be telling with the surface starting to break up.

181-4

6/247 with Freddy Flintoff out for 7.

8 for 3 hundered and something at stumps - pitch is rumbling already.