As Baron Bobstan of Bridgwater pointed out, Middlesborough and Newport both have a transporter bridge and that thought pleased me when their respective football teams played each other in the FA Cup.

I have to apologise that I was misinformer about the site of another such bridge by a friend and failed to check the information he gave me. I can find no evidence that Marseilles has a transporter bridge and I am indebted to Wikipedia for the following, but cannot vouch that it is still up to date:

Here’s the list of the eight working transporter bridges, with the UK ones listed first.

Newport Transporter Bridge crossing the River Usk in Wales.
Tees Transporter Bridge crossing the River Tees at Middlesborough
Warrington Transporter Bridge crossing the River Mersey
Bizkaia Transporter Bridge crossing the River Nervión in northern Spain
Rochefort-Martrou Transporter Bridge crossing the River Charente in France
Osten Transporter Bridge crosses the River Oste in Germany
Rendsburg High Bridge crossing the Keil Canal in Germany
Puente Transbordador de La Boca crossing the Matanza River in Buenos Aires, Argentina

As a very small boy I was thrilled to experience the Newport Bridge; perhaps I should set myself the target of experiencing all the others, perhaps completing the list before Somerset win the championship.

Sorry to be so careless.

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LoL

Seventy-two Seasons a Somerset Supporter

They are great structures. I have driven across the Middlesborough transporter - or more accurately driven onto it and off it.

I do advise you, LoL, not to use the Warrington bridge as it is not functional and is in a rather dangerous state.

Transports of delight for Newport yesterday, if not for Middlesborough.

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LoL

Seventy-two Seasons a Somerset Supporter

Triggered by my semi-whimsical posting on another thread:
Nine worst bowling averages in England Test history: Bopara (290), Warr (281), Crane (193), Palmer (189), Denly (currently 175, but could of course be 180+ or indeed 88 next over), Graveney (167), Hobbs (165), Trescothick (155) and Atherton (151).
One wicket each apart from Atherton who had two.
Name as many as possible of the series, number/venue of Tests and victims.
Options: 1) do your online research and come up with the full set of answers asap.
2) list all the answers (precise or approximate) you can manage from your own knowledge without benefit of research.
3) (2) followed by (1).
I have my (2) saved. Won't post it yet so you'll have to trust me for its honesty.
(Edited to correct a typo which totally reversed the sense of what I meant to say).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2020 15:01 by mikeindex.

Thanks Mike. Great to see the greatest thread in the history of thread revived once more. I shall, however, postpone the research recommended to a future incarnation when there may be fewer things to do than in this one.

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LoL

Seventy-two Seasons a Somerset Supporter

Okay, not a great deal of interest in thus one, but for completeness' sake here is my (2):
Bopara: couldn’t say, maybe in WI in 2008-9?
Warr: Australia 1950-1, Test 3 or 4 so Melbourne/Adelaide, couldn’t say which.
Crane: Ashes 2017-18 obviously. Can’t remember who or which Test (4th?)
Palmer: South Africa 1964-5, 5th Test. Batsman, van der Merwe??
Denly we know (and no longer part of the list anyway).
Graveney: Ashes 1954-5, final Test (unsure whether Sydney or Melbourne), 5th wicket of six to fall in Australia’s follow-on. Batsman, I’m pretty sure, Jim de Courcy (quite proud of this one).
Hobbs: no idea.
Trescothick: Imran Nazir, in Pakistan 2000-1 (not sure which Test).
Atherton: home v India 1996, Dilip Vengsarkar (not sure which Test); Wasim Akram (1992?)

I had to think for a minute whether you were talking Robin Hobbs or Sir John Berry Hobbs, mikeindex!

John Warr - now there's a name to take me back to my childhood. The initial time I was taken to Lord's the first bowler I saw that day was Warr from the pavilion end, with Alan Moss opening from the Nursery End - and he really did start his run-up almost on the nursery ground. I have never seen another bowler run in so far; it was much further than Wes Hall or any of the great WI or Aussie quicks. Even further than Typhoon Tyson before he drastically cut the length of his approach to great effect.

I'd forgotten Jimmy de Courcy. One of the youngsters on the 1953 Australian tour of England along with such as Benaud, Craig and Ron Archer. Ah, the dear dead days (almost) beyond recall.

Bellicose Bobstan's cricket career started with Warr; let us hope it ends with Peace, as I undestand he has mellowed greatly over the years.

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LoL

Seventy-two Seasons a Somerset Supporter

I never saw JJ Warr play and have no recollection of seeing Alan Moss play, although I may well have done.

Mike Index: JJ Warr's one Test wicket was Ian Johnson, caught by Godfrey Evans, who I did once meet, briefly, for 3 in the second innings of the Aelaide (4th) Test in 1950/51. Warr, of course had his best Test figures in that innings, 1-76. I have E.M. Wellings excellent book on the series - incidentally the first cricket book I can remember reading.

Bobstan: As to long run-ups, I can well remember Bob Cottam, playing for Hampshire in a Championship match at the County Ground in the 1960s and bowling in Somerset's second innings. He tried to prevent Somerset winning by extending his run-up to within a few yards of the Old Pavilion, then just the Pavilion, and taking so long to get there he must have struggled to remember where the wicket was. This was in the days before over rate penalties. One exasperated, among many, Somerset supporter called out, "Cottam! Why don't you get a taxi?"

As to my meeting with Godfrey Evans. It was at a cricket event in London. I have long since forgotten which. It was not too long before Evans died. He was presented to the event and said a few words but his voice was weak and he looked very tired. I had taken my cricket-playing, barely teenage son to the event. I managed to corner Evans at the end of the event to introduce my son to him so that he could at least say he had met the great man. "This is my son, he is a leg-spinner," I told Evans. Evans' tired eyes lit up and he suddenly became animated. "Leg spinner! Leg spinner! Loved leg spinners. Lots of chances. Lots of chances. Stick with it young man." And with that Evans went his way and we went ours, but with another jewel of a cricketing memory to bank.

Farmer

Edited to remove typo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 13/01/2020 11:52 by Farmer White.

A wonderful memory indeed - but did he stick with it?

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LoL

Seventy-two Seasons a Somerset Supporter

Lol

He stuck with it for about six or seven years until work and music composing for his then band came along and he didn't have the time to practice. Apparently, leg-spin needs regular and plentiful practice if it is to be accurate. He moved to bowling inswingers and opening the batting for his club with a rather huge bat with which his role was to attempt to demolish the opposition bowling before it could settle. He said his record was to damage three cars with the same six.

I do though treasure one memory in particular of his leg-spin. It was in a six-a-side practice match for his club's colts. Not an ideal opportunity for a leg-spinner you might think. The fact that I was called upon to umpire at both ends played no part in what followed, apart from the fact that umpiring gave me the perfect view. A rather Daviesesque, although right-handed, batsman came to the wicket. My son pitched the ball a few inches outside off, the batsman played the deftest of late cuts to a gentle leg break and ran two. The next ball was an identical repeat performance with the same result. The third ball pitched on the same spot, down came the bat for the late cut but this time it was the googly. The ball looped perfectly over the blade of the bat and hit the stumps. Cricketing artistry at its best.

Farmer

Edited to replace a missing ball in the last sentence.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 13/01/2020 18:58 by Farmer White.

Quote:

Farmer White
Lol
He stuck with it for about six or seven years until work and music composing for his then band came along and he didn't have the time to practice. Apparently, leg-spin needs regular and plentiful practice if it is to be accurate. He moved to bowling inswingers and opening the batting for his club with a rather huge bat with which his role was to attempt to demolish the opposition bowling before it could settle. He said his record was to damage three cars with the same six.

I do though treasure one memory in particular of his leg-spin. It was in a six-a-side practice match for his club's colts. Not an ideal opportunity for a leg-spinner you might think. The fact that I was called upon to umpire at both ends played no part in what followed, apart from the fact that umpiring gave me the perfect view. A rather Daviesesque, although right-handed, batsman came to the wicket. My son pitched the ball a few inches outside off, the batsman played the deftest of late cuts to a gentle leg break and ran two. The next ball was an identical repeat performance with the same result. The third ball pitched on the same spot, down came the bat for the late cut but this time it was the googly. The looped perfectly over the blade of the bat and hit the stumps. Cricketing artistry at its best.

Farmer

Great story Farmer White. I was a leg spinner at school and could bowl four varieties. Not difficult to make It spin, particularly the two main varieties , but very difficult to disguise or control. Being a weedy little lad, I really struggled with 22 yards.

A few years ago, I picked up a bat for the first time for decades in my cousin’s back garden. His son was a good sportsman who I was told bowled occasional leg spin. He bowled me first ball with a Warne to Gatting like delivery. Even at that level , there was a real buzz about seeing it done , even though I was the victim.

My computer has been playing silly wotsits, now working mostly correctly.

Thanks for the nice memories, Farmer White and Des P.

I started school and club colts cricket as a leg spinner, but got frustrated and bowled seamers instead. Bit late now to wish I'd stuck with it!

As this thread had just slipped onto the second page here are two very Poyntzless questions to resurrect it .

1) In what way were Surrey, twice, and Nottinghamshire, once, the only teams to come up short against Somerset in the 2019 County Championship?

2) In what way did Somerset come bottom of their RLODC group in 2019?


Clue (Well, it is very hot): These questions have nothing whatsoever to do with the cricket, and everything to do with the cricketers. The answers are of total irrelevance to everything.

Let me know by PM if you crack either question. A PM will also elicit the answers from me and I will put them on here in a day or so.

Farmer

Edits: Initially posted answers here but then moved to a new post so they would show upnas 'new,.

Farmer



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 28/06/2020 16:06 by Farmer White.

ANSWERS to above questions:

I received one correct answer by PM within minutes of putting the questions up. Now, for those interested, here are the answers:

Ques 1. Only in the matches mentioned did the overall length of the Somerset team names exceed the overall length of the names of the opposition. In 13 of the 16 matches the Somerset team names came up short.

Ques 2. This is to do with the total number of initials the respective team members had in Somerset's RLODC matches in 2019. The Hampshire number was the same in both matches. I have used the Somerset team from the final. For the record here is the full table:

28 Middlesex
24 Gloucs
24 Worcs
23 Hants
21 Essex
21 Notts
21 Sussex
20 Glam
20 Kent
19 Surrey
17 Somerset.

Farmer

Bring back CCC (Box) Case.

Well, I cannot for the life of me imagine why I didn't get both of those answers within seconds.

Me neither Bobstan. Please do keep up. I got them within seconds of typing the respective team lists for my reports. We always seemed to be going into matches short on names, or at least with short names, our captain being one of the worst offenders. And when it came to initials, our three main pacemen made virtually no contribution at all. Our only real star was R.E van der Merwe.

Farmer

Of course. Silly me.