Voll Blau

Lions aren't really an England A side like it uses to be. More to give lads with potential the chance to get a feel for that environment.

Yep. Surely nobody can now argue having Sibley, Hameed, or both, opening up would have given us less of a chance in the first two Tests.

Archer getting "champed" by Smith at the end sums that all up.

Suspect the difference is they may well have played a lot of grade cricket as well as schools cricket.

I do think there's something to it. Look at who the toughest competitors are in this England side, Root and Stokes. Both grew up in the club game - and the northern club game at that. By quite a few accounts, Root didn't enjoy life at Worksop College after he won a scholarship there in the sixth form. Anyway, great to wake up to some attrition today.

Not sure that little passage could have gone better.

Currently on a Langton Widebeam best bitter I found at Bradley's in Quorn. Really impressed with their range of Leicestershire beers. Only seen similar at Farndon Fields farm shop in Harborough. Anywhere else good for that?

Leicestershire bucket hat in the crowd just then.

How did that happen?

Genuinely the best solution I've seen.

Was really surprised how hard the TMS pundits, McGrath in particular, were going at them after play for *not* declaring early. They really would have been damned if they do and damned if they don't in that scenario. A risk like that would have been absolutely panned if the Aussies had lost anything less than four or five wickets by close of play. Trying to bat time and rack up a decent score was the right call. Why let Starc, who seems to be carrying that attack, put his feet up if you don't need to?

Surfshark, just doing a week's freebie to see if it works.

Signed up to a VPN trial to watch the Ashes via the Australian 9Now app, but the Play store isn't recognising my mock location when I try to download the app. Everything else on my phone suggests that it thinks it's in Australia (can't listen to 5 Live Sport until I disconnect). Any ideas or does 9Now just have detectors that are too good?

Jacks in for Wood... https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/ashes-premium/england_switch_balance_xi_second_ashes_test.html?t=639002538465896997

Don't want to take this off topic, and I do agree to some extent, but it ain't always their fault... Up in Leeds next weekend and reckon I find that the best major northern city for a day on the ale.

If we're honest, it was tainted the second Aiyawatt and a portrait of the King of Thailand did a lap of honour with the trophy, instead of the players actually responsible for winning it.

Good luck to this lot... https://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2025/news/city-title-to-launch-in-print-after-three-years-online/

Most depressingly, Newcastle. We're the only ones to be doing it while they're destroying our club though.

Where were you boozing in Harborough, out of interest?

Anyone voting "yes" on the grounds they think it'll be the jolly it was last time are seriously misguided.

This is the biggest factor missing in all of the pro-Whelan revisionism going on at the moment. Under her watch, at a time when they never had a better chance to capitalise on it, they made it impossible for new fans to get involved. Even now, they're still choosing to do so. Wild.

Linlithgow Rose v Queen's Park Cup tie on BBC Scotland at the moment. Would love to do a few lower league grounds up there one day. Just seems so proper.

As someone who did that job, I cam confirm that is the case.

Fixtures out today. Couple of nice Championship aways for people to enjoy in there...

Found the video of me and my wife discussing the matter...