ASHBURTON GUARDIAN, Thursday, November 8, 2012
SPORT
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Kandy not so sweet for Black Caps By Cameron McMillan
Ross Taylor
The Black Caps will be pleased to see the back of the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, a ground that has brought only rain and pain in the last six weeks. Yesterday’s seven wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the third one-day international added to a forgettable run of results for New Zealand at the Kandy ground going back to September’s Twenty20 World Cup. They’ve won just one of their eight matches, including two ties which resulted in super-over defeats to Sri Lanka and West Indies – effectively knocking New Zealand out of the tournament.
After last week’s one-off Twenty20 and the opening ODI were both abandoned due to rain, they thought they had seen the last of Pallekele but on their arrival in Colombo for the next two matches a flooded ground saw them return to Kandy. That coincided with more yet rain with Monday’s result decided by the Duckworth-Lewis system. It was little surprise that yesterday was no different with players leaving the field for more than four hours across two separate delays, cutting the game to a 33-over affair. Sri Lanka chased down New Zealand’s revised target of 197 with seven wickets in hand. Adding insult to injury, Tillakaratne
Dilshan continued his love affair of the Pallekele pitch scoring his third century at the ground with 102 not out. New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor admitted after the defeat that the rain and results were getting to the side. “I guess it’s just been a frustrating tour all round and probably a frustrating ground to play at,” he said. “We’ve come so close in a lot of games here, Twenty20 World Cup and the last two games we’ve had competitive totals. They should have been enough to defend but, at the end of the day, they weren’t. “It is what it is. You’ve just to get on with it.”
If there has been one positive so far from the tour, which has also seen players having to check into hospital, it’s been the batting of BJ Watling. The young Northern Districts batsman scored his second 50 of the series with a brilliant 96 not out, despite the fact his innings was split into three batting sessions. Watling passed John Reid’s 80 for the highest score by a New Zealander against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and continues a rich vein of form in the 50-over game following scores of 60, 72 and 40 in his previous three innings in the West Indies. Despite producing his fourth
50 in five innings, he might feel aggrieved because the shortened overs this morning robbed him a decent shot at a maiden ODI ton. He needed to hit a six off the final ball to reach three figures but could manage only a single. “I thought the way BJ Watling was out there was outstanding,” Taylor said. “He just keeps growing and growing as a player and the belief in himself, I’m sure, from the way he’s batting in the last two games is going to be outstanding for himself but also the team. “I guess competition is always good. He’s not an automatic selection but I’m sure the way he’s been playing in the last little while is pushing for that.”
“He took risks. He hit the ball in the air, it wasn’t all along the ground. He showed the power game he has and once again it’s going to be good for his own confidence and half the battle at this level is self-belief.” Taylor’s side will need to ensure their frustrations don’t get the better of them. Sri Lanka lead the one-day series 2-0 with two matches remaining. The next match is in Hambantota on Saturday night (NZT). “Hopefully there’s better weather,” Taylor said. “I guess there’s more frustration creeping in. I expect more DVDs and things in the hotel room.” - APNZ
Melbourne Cup betting tops $8.62m By Michael Brown Betting on the Melbourne Cup with the New Zealand TAB eclipsed $8.62 million, meaning the sports betting agency had turnover of more than $20 million on a single day for the first time in its 60-year history. The amount punted on the race was up 8.5 per cent overall on last year, and up 10 per cent in Auckland metro and 13 per cent in Auckland rural. Southland saw the biggest jump, with a 20 per cent increase in turnover, followed by Northland (16 per cent), Canterbury (14), Auckland rural (13) and Taranaki (11). Manawatu was the only region to witness a fall in turnover, down 4 per cent. TAB spokesman John Mitchell said betting on the Melbourne Cup could signal that New Zealanders saw a brighter future for the country after the difficulties of the global financial crisis. “Usually we find that Melbourne Cup day is a proxy for how the country is feeling,” Mitchell said. “It’s an odd indicator of confidence both nationally and regionally. “If anything, the country is feeling pretty happy with life in general at the moment.” - APNZ
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ap photo
Jockey Brett Prebble celebrates on Green Moon after winning the Melbourne Cup at Flemmington Race Course in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Playing the short game
t appears that every sport is eternally unhappy with the length of their game, or more to the point they think that the punters’ attention span is shrinking rapidly, and they need to tap into the ‘instant gratification’ market. It’s like chasing the dollars of those who wish to have a flutter; you can bet on a cricket test if you like, but it takes an interminable five days to find out if your investment is a good one; rugby or football matches take around 80 to 90-ish minutes to get a result, so that’s a little bit quicker, and most other popular team games have a 60-minute duration. That’s still an hour to find out if you have funds to re-invest, a long time for some to have a TAB ticket burning a hole in your pocket, so you head to the racecourse, where if its Jewels Day at Ashburton every race is over a few seconds under two minutes. That’s fine, except that there’s half an hour between events, so you make your way over the road to the New Pub, where the pokies await with the ultimate in that instant gratification; a chance for riches every couple of seconds, for just as long as your wallet (or your nerve) holds out. Sport appears to be following that sort of timeline, with most of the big ones having come up with some sort of shortened version of their code to attract the young or the jaded, losing-interest fans. Cricket was probably the leader in the field. It was Aussie zillionaire Kerry Packer who first saw the need (and the $$$$ opportunity) to bring cricket back to the masses. He had a look at the genteel, low-key 60-over version that the Brits used to fill in time between county games, and reckoned he could go a step further, suddenly it’s an outrageously short fifty overs, everybody’s wearing garishly coloured pyjamas, and there’s staid and sensible test batsmen standing a mile outside leg daring the bowler to hit the exposed stumps, or wildly charging the best quicks in the world to smash them back over their heads. Even that scenario palled after a couple of decades, and Twenty20 arrived with a new breed of player again; like the King of SuperCool Chris Gayle who just stands and
By Steve Devereux
MY SHOUT
delivers, swatting sixes at will, while at the other end its the spinners who rule the bowling crease. Rugby followed cricket’s lead, and sevens, which was a game that had been around for a long time and was suited to players who were fast, but didn’t quite have the commitment required for all the rest of it, found Gordon Tietjens. He changed the game, New Zealand was suddenly winning everything, the other teams had to play catch-up, and instead of one iconic tournament (Hong Kong) and a fairly anonymous rest-of circuit, sevens was the place to be. Tickets for Wellington’s Cake Tin spectacular went on sale yesterday morning, and were sold out in 17 minutes (although you can now go on TradeMe and find a ticket for a mere $800). That’s what the people want, instant action, lots of it. It’s hard to imagine the already rapid-fire basketball going that way, but then again why not? Three players on court, acres of space to play with, surely its on somebody’s drawing board already. But for now, its netball’s turn. The brand spanking Fast5 World Series starts in Auckland this Friday night, and as when every new format of a game is wheeled out, nobody quite knows how it will go, who will adapt best and which team will emerge as the inaugural victor. It’s actually the spectators who will be the winners, witnessing the spectacle of professional sportspeople charging full on into the unknown of a new competition, with new rules, but all determined to make their mark early. With international netball already turned into an extremely physical encounter (did someone mention non-contact sport?) this latest style of the game should just add to the currently vibrant sporting landscape, even for those of an ever-decreasing ability to keep up with the play if it goes for more than five minutes.
Kimberley Bird and Brentwood Stevie James are the hot local contender in the pony grand prix.
Photo www.anniestudholme.com
Top action in the showjumping ring Mid Canterbury riders are hoping hometown advantage will give them something extra when they take on the South Island’s best in the Pony Grand Prix at the Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) 3 Star South Island Jumping Championships this weekend. Lucinda Askin, Kimberley Bird and Emma Waite are amongst hundreds of riders from across the island converging on the Ashburton Showgrounds for two action-filled days of jumping and show hunter competition, covering everything from training pony classes and low hunter at 60cm right through to the Super League at 1.60m. One of the highlights of the competition, the pony grand prix, has attracted just the
seven starters with riders having to step up to three-star competition for the first time this season, over a track designed by Tauranga-based international course designer Gerrit Beker. Bird and her stunning palomino pony Brentwood Stevie James will start as one of the likely favourites, coming in off a strong second at the Ashburton A&P Show just two weeks ago, while Askin and Waite will be looking for improved performances from their ponies, Totem and Spring Brooke, respectively. While the pony grand prix is limited to seven starters, entries are big across the board with three rings of jumping and a show hunter ring to run both days, with the close to 400 horses entered putting
stabling at a premium. Ashburton Area ESNZ chairman Phil Smith has been overwhelmed, not only by the support of local businesses, but competitors. “It has blown us away. It is by far the biggest jumping event Ashburton has hosted for many years. We couldn’t be happier.” The introduction of a third jumping ring in a bid to encourage and accommodate competition at all levels, especially the lower training levels, had proved a hit. “We thought we would put it in there to see how it goes, but the response has been overwhelming with many new faces, which is really positive for the sport looking ahead,” Smith said.
A strong field is also assembled for the South Island One Star Horse Grand Prix. Aside from the major championships, crucial points are on offer in the competitive ESNZ national jumping series’ including the junior rider and amateur rider, young rider, jumping championship and the breeding age group series classes for five, six and seven-year-old horses. The crowd-pleasing South Island speed pony and speed horse championships have also attracted strong entries on Saturday afternoon. With hot fine weather predicted for the weekend, he’s expecting two fantastic days of competition. Action will get under way each day from 8am and entry to the showgrounds is free.
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