Vol. 2 , Issue 11, 1 July 2009

The SentinelIntegrity, heart, humour

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FeaturePage 6

SportThe Embers

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Amsterdam terraces

Ashes preview

Top terraces

Summer is finally upon us and what better way to enjoy the late-afternoon sunshine than on a busy terrace, swelling with the sound of cheerful conversation, perhaps overlooking a picturesque stretch of water. Amsterdam has more than its fair share and here’s a reminder of

just a few of them.

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Awaiting another classic Ashes

In the recent hit-and-giggle Twenty20 tournament, the mighty Dutch scored a memorable victory over England on the national team’s home turf, which had me more joyous than when Barce-lona made Man U look like cardboard cut-outs in the Champions League final. Unlike Twenty20 cricket, the Ashes is a Test cricket series and each of the five Tests could take up to five days to complete. With six hours of play per day, those with cricket-tragic partners might want to make alternative arrangements for the remainder of the summer, starting from the first day of the first Test in Cardiff on 8 July.

How it all began

Famous victoryIn 2005, against the might of Australia’s modern world-beaters, the series was memorable for all the right reasons as England secured a deserved 2-1 win. Despite Shane Warne’s 40 wicket haul, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s superb all-round performances with the ball and bat proved the difference, and he was rewarded with the man of the series award before one of the most inebriated public displays of all time as he prepared to meet the Queen.

If you’re English or Australian and give a stuff about your cricket, chances are the July and August Ashes series will leave you bleary-eyed – especially if, like me, you intend to watch up to 150 hours of the stuff from 97 time zones away on the east coast of Oz.

by Cornell van der Heyden

The Ashes is named after a satirical obituary published in an English newspaper, The Sporting Times, in 1882 after the match at the Oval in which Australia beat England on English soil for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, that the body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.

The English media then dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain the Ashes.

While England enjoyed the best of the early exchanges, the Baggy Greens have won most series since the First World War and have only allowed the little urn to slip once from their grasp since 1987. That was in 2005, the last time the two sides met in the Old Dart (England), which must be regarded as the most gripping instal-ment since the bodyline series of 1932-1933.

Stroke of geniusAustralia had a formidable batting line-up in the early 1930s with Don Bradman, who averaged 99.94 in Test cricket (almost 40 runs higher than anyone else in the history of the game), leading the way. It was the prospect of bowling at this line-up that caused England's 1932-33 captain, Douglas Jardine, to adopt the tactic of fast leg theory, also known as bodyline.

Batsmen’s heads were almost removed and much black and blue inflicted as Jardine instructed his fast bowlers to bowl at the bodies of the Australians, with the aim of forcing them to defend their bodies with their bats. Diplomats had to intervene to prevent serious damage to English-Australian relations, and the laws of cricket were subsequently changed.

A fit and sober Andrew Flintoff is something to be reckoned with.

The 2009 AshesOne of England’s other stars of that series – a now 28-year-old South African-born batsman, known as much for his explosive temper as for his superb timing – could hold the key to the 2009 series. England need Kevin Pietersen fit and firing, following suggestions that he is still suffering from a lingering Achilles injury.

Kevin Pietersen could make the difference, if fit.

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It’s no surprise to see former skipper Michael Vaughan omitted from the 14-man squad. He’s been crap in county cricket and should go out quietly instead of embarrassing himself courting the selectors. Jimmy Anderson has somehow morphed into a quality bowler, Ryan Sidebottom will go hard all day and Graham Onions has started his career well. With Flintoff firing on all cylinders, they will be a dangerous early attack. No. 3, Ravi Bopara, is in-form and with a choice of three specialist spinners, the hosts will be no pushovers, as long as KP plays.

The Australian threatIf he doesn’t (and even if he does, actually), I delight in predicting another Ashes victory for us Aussies. We’ve found an able replacement for retired opener Matthew Hayden (no easy task, mind you) in Phillip Hughes, who became the youngest player to score centuries in both innings of a Test against South Africa earlier this year.

Phillip Hughes has taken over where Matthew Hayden left off.

Mitchell Johnson is the first genuine pace all-rounder we’ve had in a long time. He averages 35 with the willow and also has the ability to truly scare batsmen with the leather in his left hand. Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Peter Siddle will combine to form a well-rounded pace arsenal.

Mitchell Johnson: a rare Australian all-rounder with genuine pace.

The batting line-up is strong, very strong, and there are enough part-time spinners in Michaels, Clarke and Hussey to vary the attack and supplement specialist tweaker Nathan Hauritz. Shane Warne he’s not, but he’ll tie up an end, keep it tight and is unlikely to become embroiled in any lewd texting-related tabloid tales.

So there you have it; a totally unbiased look at the history of this great rivalry and a glimpse of what we’re in for this time around. One thing’s for sure: I’m going to be seeing plenty of green and white to keep me company at night.

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Editors - Denson Pierre, Gary Rudland Webmaster - Simon O. Studios / Web host - AmsterJamminContributors - Colin Bentley, Cornell van der Heyden Email - sentinelpost@gmail.comDesign & Realisation - Andreea Bulisache Website - www.thesentinel.eu

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The Sentinel

The EmbersAhead of the Ashes, Denson Pierre and Robbie Carter organised an international challenge match of Twenty20 cricket,

in Amsterdamse Bos last Sunday (28 June).

Robbie captained the England team (mainly to the left of the photo), while Denson captained a truly international Rest of the World (ROW) select XI. This comprised Australian, Trinidadian, German, Scottish, Romanian, Indian and Dutch players, along with a couple of English players claiming Ghanaian and Papua New Guinean nationality. England won the toss and put the ROW into bat first.

Australian, Michael McDonald, was the ROW’s star batsman, scoring 18 of a very respectable 60-run total, before the team was bowled out just shy of the full 20 overs.

After losing two or three early wickets, Joe O’Brien and Gary Rudland struck up a decent batting partnership for England, to take them to within reach of the ROW’s total.

Joe completed the innings with Graham Jones, as England held on to win by a single wicket. With three wickets and 24 runs, Gary Rudland was named Man of the Match.

It was an exciting contest and much fun was had by all. Many thanks to Denson, Robbie, James Naylor (for bringing the barbe-cue), Dillon Carter (for shuttling stuff around), Steve Milton (for actually making the wickets) and everyone else who brought themselves, food, drink and other equipment along, all of which contributed towards a truly memorable afternoon.

There will be a rematch!

© Laura Lombardi

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