The Golden Egg Is Hatching

Touted as the golden child of Australian cricket for many years, Moises Henriques has always played with the expectations of greatness, a burden that has sometimes weighed heavily.

Henriques Talent was evident from an early age and he quickly shot to prominence making the Australian under 19 team as a fresh faced 16 year old. It was two years later however, as captain of the Australian under 19 World Cup campaign that Henriques was flung into the spotlight. With 16 wickets at 10.69 and 150 runs at 38, Henriques was the next big thing, the wonder boy destined to fill the void which would soon be created by an ageing Australian team.

Henriques made his debut for Australia in 2009 playing two ODI’s in India before a string of injuries and form fluctuations plagued the following three seasons, something that wasn’t lost on him.

“I got thrown in when, maybe, I wasn’t ready and it took me a little while to learn how to deal with the failures at a young age” he said. “I think I’m stronger for it now”.

“When I was younger I was in a rush to get there, I wanted things to happen straight away. I’ve been around the NSW team for 8 years now and I felt like I’ve calmed down a bit”.

Henriques new found sense of calm has been rewarded with bat and ball this season. He has amassed 385 First class runs at an average of 77 and has taken 14 wickets at an average of 17.

The real challenge now comes for Henriques if selected to play the first test in India on Friday. Can he stand up and realise his potential, or will the golden egg be fried again on the unforgiving subcontinent.

BP

Caviar All Round

Saturday the 18^th of April 2009 was not unlike any other Flemington meeting for trainer Peter Moody. The knockabout Queenslander had three horses nominated to run. The first of those three to run was a two year old Bel-esprit filly named Black Caviar. The stable had a good opinion of the filly after an impressive recent Cranbourne trial win, but as always, were keen to see whether she could reproduce that form on the track. The filly went on to win the race by a widening  5 Lengths.  Sixteen wins later, by a combined 58.3 lengths and a cool $4million dollars in prize money, the golden girl of Australian racing is about to embark on a preparation that may just be a springboard to the pool of absolute greats.

 
Black Caviar was no fluke. Bred by Rick Jamieson, prominent breeder and owner, Black Caviar is the result of many hours pouring over pedigrees, breeding theories and inspecting horses. Out of sire Bel Esprit and the first foal to mare Helsinge, Black Caviar has what is known as a double cross to Vain.  Vain – the horse that many regard as Australia’s greatest sprinter – in fact plays a significant part in this great mare’s pedigree.

How has Black Caviar become so dominant though? How is it that this great mare can seemingly canter around the topline sprinters in this country in a matter of strides, before exploding away to her customary 4 or 5 length victories easing down ?

Black caviar possesses an incredibly large stride of about 8.4m when in full flight. This genetic gift allows her on average, about 24 strides for every 200m she runs. The average horse will take 30 strides per 200m. If you add this up over 1200m, a distance Black Caviar has won over fourteen times, she will on average take 36 less strides then her opponents, or a massive 280m! An incredible statistic that may go a long way in understanding just why she has been able to dispatch her rivals with such ease!

Vain, who dominated racing from 1968-1971 where he won 12 of his 14 starts including five group ones has widely been considered Australia’s greatest sprinter. Pat Hyland [jockey of champion Vain throughout the 60s], has been asked since the arrival of Black Caviar whether she is in fact the greatest he has seen. Whilst he isn’t willing to compare the two horses, Hyland said that there is one similarity that both Vain and Black Caviar possess, and that’s that they put their opposition away very quickly, an ability to blow rivals away through sheer sustained brilliance.
 
Vain extended his brilliance out to 1600m, winning what is now known as the Emirates Stakes, held on the penultimate day of the Melbourne Spring Carnival, and stamped himself as the greatest sprinter Miler Australia had seen. Now 40 years on we have seen many dominant sprinter/milers, from greats such as Manikato, Sunline, Super Impose, Lohnro, Northerly & Miss Andretti, but never have we seen the dominance that Black Caviar displays.
 
Black Caviar will extend to 1400m for the first time this preparation. She will contest the Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes at Caulfield in the coming weeks, and unless something goes amiss, you would assume she will continue her dominance of Australian racing.
This, however races the age old question? What is the criteria for greatness? Versatility? Consistency? Longevity? It seems that in Australia, it is widely agreed that to be recognised as a complete horse, a truly great champion, you must extend out to the Cups distances of a mile and a quarter (2000m), Mile and a half (2400m) or the Melbourne Cup distance of two miles (3200m). Will Makybe Divas three Melbourne Cups always remain a greater achievement than if Black Caviar goes on to win 20 or 21 straight but confined to the sprinter/miler distances of 1200-1600m ? Or will Kingstown Town, and his remarkable fourteen group 1s, including all the big weight for age races ensure he is remembered as the greatest horse ever?

 It is an argument that will keep many a conversation bubbling and opinions will change from generation to generation, but whether comparing Makybe Diva and Phar Lap, Kingstown Town and Black Caviar or Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar, the answer is irrelevant.
The phenomenon that is Black Caviar is captivating a country. A country that is obsessed with sporting perfection, who in the last few weeks hasn’t marveled at the brilliance and determination of Novak Djokovich, applauded as Michael Clarke saluted for his triple century at the SCG, or gasped as Black Caviar lengthened that stride of hers and swept past her rivals with ease for a 17^th time.
A sport that only captures the imagination of most punters on the first Tuesday in November, the mighty mare has attracted all and sundry back to enjoy the ride each and every time she steps out on the track.

Connections of the mighty mare met at the Emerald Hotel in South Melbourne last Friday to discuss her future if she is to be successful in her next two starts. The likely path will be one more race in Melbourne, the Lightning Stakes or Newmarket Handicap before a trip to Sydney for the T.J Smith Stakes in April before embarking on her maiden voyage overseas to Royal Ascot, a path well-trodden in recent time by Australian horses.

Astute horseman Peter Moody knows just how precious each day is with this once in a lifetime horse, and although he carries the weight and expectation of a nation on his shoulders each and every race, the horses’ welfare has, and always will, come first.

 “ We want to see her 110% so that (if) at any stage along the way I don’t think that’s the case I wouldn’t hesitate to one, stop the preparation, and two, recommend retirement to the owners.” He said during the week

As her pursuit for perfection takes a new twist, the country will now share the saddle with Jockey Luke Nolen, willing her in every giant stride toward further greatness.

Let’s hope its Champagne and Caviar all around in Ascot!

The Bern Ultimatum

Seven years ago,  Bernard Tomic was a bright eyed, star struck 12 year old when he met his idol in Roger Federer, at Melbourne Park, as he prepared to defend his 2004 Australian Open title. Already a two time major winner, Federer was about  to spend the next seven years re-writing the record books and establishing himself as arguably the greatest tennis player ever to live. Tonight, that same bright eyed 12 year old is to do battle with his former idol and has wasted little time in establishing a reputation for himself.

The last time Tomic and Federer met, it was a much more modest affair, on the picturesque grass courts of Royal Sydney Golf Club for the Davis Cup tie late last year.  Tomic managed to push Federer to  four sets on that occasion, an impressive feat given Federers imposing record on grass.
Federer comes into tonights match extremely fresh, having  only played a total of 6 sets this championship. Tomic however, has endured two gruelling five set matches, and a four set match, which raises the question, yet again, of his mental and physical toughness.
Can the nineteen year old possibly lift again? This time to the heights of his former idol and world number one Roger Federer, who has breezed past his opponents to date.
Federer however, has remained reserved in his assessment of the fourth round battle, labelling Tomic an enigma.

“ Tomic is obviously young and somewhat of a mystery, maybe just because he is changing his game and progressing along? “

This isn’t the first statement of its kind this tournament however, with Andy Murray describing Tomic’s game as “full of junk”, in that, not referring to it as bad tennis, quite the contrary. Murray described Tomic as the type of player that everyone hates to play, full of lobs, slices, drop shots and trickery. Jim Courier describing  it as “strange but effective”.
Just what edge  does Bern’s  game brings to the ATP. His unusual style and unpredictable nature has his competitors second guessing his approach to each game. Combine this with his largely untapped natural talent, incredible tennis I.Q that belies his birth certificate, and it raises the question, just how far can it take him ?

Nobody that watched Friday nights marathon third round clash between Tomic and 13^th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, could deny the entertainment, that is a mere formality in a match between two players with such unconventional styles. You could have been excused for thinking that Channel 7 had scheduled an impromptu debate between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbot, such was the spin each player unleashed throught the match.

“ It was like playing a mirror, jesus… it was like playing myself!”, Tomic quipped post match.

The two had met on three occasions previously, with Dolgpolovs flair and finesse too much for the developing Tomic. Friday night however, that steely grit that Tomic has played with all Championship, the resolve and good old fashioned ‘aussie ticker’ saw him outplay the 13^th seed. This combination is one that could see his world ranking of 34 dissipate into single figures by years end.

As each world number 1 is crowned, we embrace a new style play required to be the best. Over the many years we have encountered such contrasting styles, from Pete Sampras’ power serve that made him unbeatable for much of the 90s, to Federer and his incredible technical skill and all round finesse or more recently Novak Djokovick, who spent much of 2011 undefeated. A remarkable achievement given Federer and Nadal’s  dominance in previous  years.

In an era dominated by baseline players that impart heavy topspin on their balls with great power, will it be Bernards ‘unusual but effective’ style that takes him to the top of World Tennis? Or will he have to adapt to the more ‘conventional’ method that has been mastered by the Top 4 players in the world?

Will 2012 be the year of the emerging talents ? Will the style of tennis required to be the best in the world change again ? Or will the Fed express quietely remind young Bernard tonight, as elegantly as he only knows how, just why he was world number one for 285 weeks? Will he demonstrate just how far Tomic still is from the top few players in the world.

Regardless of the result, Bernard Tomic has now stood up and proved himself to Australia.  He has matured into a determined young player, and whilst still yet to completely lose that sense of goofy arrogance, which i cant help but think is a product of his fathers autocratic coaching style, he is an emerging Aussie champion, and a champion i would urge everyone to get behind.

BP

The Elephant in the Boardroom

“Sports that embrace sports betting are like heavy smokers. Yes it is pleasurable at first and a seductive source of revenue. Drag it down deep, there you go, and blow rings at the wowsers that fear for you. But the longer it goes and the more heavily it is inhaled, the more likely it will turn cancerous. Attacking first at the fringes, minor players agreeing to do little things – until it metastases’ to the point of test results that tell the tale and it is obvious to all that the very soul of the sport is now malignant.”

This ominous message from Peter Fitzsimons is an unfortunate, but very accurate depiction of the current Australian sporting landscape.

Whether you are a regular Saturday punter, partial to a multi bet on the footy, or a once a year Melbourne cup specialist, the growth of Sports betting in Australia has been there for all to see, in more ways than one.

With this growth has come the unfortunate by product of corruption and illegal betting that is threatening the very integrity of our sports. Cases have been popping up across the country in recent times, from the much publicised Ryan Tandy case, to Collingwood footballers betting on their own match and even Essendon assistant coach Dean Wallis found guilty of betting on games.

The ever growing list of incidents has not been ignored however, with Senator Mark Arbib (Federal Minister for Sport) a key player in stamping out corruption and illegal betting in our sport.
Senator Arbib has established an anti-corruption commission announcing an agreement to establish a “betting integrity group”, with representatives from each sporting body in an attempt to tackle the corruption.

With these safety nets now in place and the government, sporting bodies and betting agencies all monitoring the potential corruption and illegal betting on games, surely it is safe to take your kids down to Centrebet Stadium in Penrith to watch the Panthers take on the Centrebet Manly Sea Eagles ? And herein lies the real problem!

The real elephant in the room is not the various exotic bet options, nor is it the billions of dollars traded each year on foreign illegal betting markets. The real issue is the relationship that our sporting bodies now have with these major bookmakers and betting agencies, and the affect it will have on the next generation.

The AFL reportedly has a deal worth estimated $2Million dollars per year with Betfair and the TAB. Within the clauses of these deals, the betting agencies aggressively outline the way in which their product is to be exposed, and with this comes the regular betting updates from commentators, the odds fixed directly under the score on scoreboards at grounds, and on our TV screens in full view of impressionable kids and teenage eyes. The next generation will reach the legal betting age having been so exposed to these odds and relentless advertisements that a Betfair or TAB account will soon be as common as a NAB or ANZ account!

Senator Nick Xenophon echoed the sentiments of Fitzsimons earlier comments – “The almost symbiotic link between sport and sports betting agencies will turn out to be a cancer on our sports”

The productivity commission said that in 2010, 424 000 online sports wagering accounts were active in Australia, up a staggering 73% on 2006 figures.

This alarming increase will ultimately fall on deaf ears though with the boards at Sporting clubs across the country now looking toward these betting agencies as a major source of income.
Scott Penn, chairman of the Manly Sea Eagles has openly embraced the betting agencies as a means to a viable financial future after signing a $1 Million dollar deal with Centrebet, and saying – “Sports betting agencies will ultimately become the second largest revenue earner to television rights”.

We only have to rewind the clock back 20 years and as we sat at the cricket all around the country we were surrounded by advertisements for Benson and Hedges on each boundary. We watched on as Tina Turner sang ‘Simply the Best’ at the Grand Final of the ‘Winfield Cup’.
20 years on we are now surrounded by, and inundated with advertisements for Betfair, Centrebet, Sportingbet, TAB signs at these events.
Surely the government can show some initiative and realise the link between these toxic advertisements will have just as serious repercussions on our society, before it is too late.

What are the odds on a new generation of problem gamblers?

 

BP

Big Bash League or Big Cash League ?

Whether you have been Thunderstruck by Chris Gayle’s power hitting, Scorched by Herschelle and Hoggy, or Star struck by Warney and Liz, nobody can argue with the overwhelming and somewhat surprising success of this fledgling competition.

Sell-out crowds from the West Coast to Hobart have ensured that this ‘’hit and giggle’’ competition is here to stay!

It was only 12 months ago that the Big Bash League (BBL) concept was first bandied about Cricket Australia offices in Melbourne. Born out of substandard crowds and flailing television ratings from the now defunct KFC Twenty20 (T20) national competition, it was clear that T20 cricket in Australia needed a serious shake up.

The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and using a formula that has also seen T20 flourish throughout the English County scene, Cricket Australia went about creating a franchise based competition that would not only create a more international and exciting brand, but more importantly, bring the crowds back to cricket.

Mick McKenna, boss of the BBL, described his visions for the competition as:

“Movie length cricket, loaded with pyrotechnics and featuring eight city based teams that will prove a palatable appetizer for the longer formats”.

In that, describing exactly what the BBL has become, an unashamed financial tool from Cricket Australia to bring people back to the game.

The link between Test Cricket and T20 is one often discussed, however usually to demonstrate how exciting and appealing T20 is to the younger generation, and the appeal it holds for women and people less inclined to the game. Test cricket however, much to the dismay of ‘cricket purists,’ has been given a use by date, labelled a form of the game that simply cannot exist in a society that demands a result, a society that due to increasing time demands simply cannot entertain the thought of a 5 day match, for a game that has transcended generations. That link however, and the T20 revolution, could very well be the oil that revitalises the old test cricket engine.

Consider this…There were no significant improvements in the television ratings for the two match test series versus New Zealand late last year, compared to previous years or series.

The BBL was subsequently launched after months of marketing fuelled hype and has coincided with the four match test series versus India. The crowds and television ratings for the BBL have been up a staggering 65% and 95% respectively on last year’s KFC T20 figures. An amazing figure given the timeframe each franchise had to establish themselves.
The television audiences for the Boxing Day test in Melbourne and the test in Sydney have risen by 35% on the corresponding Ashes series last year. An extra 35% may not seem like a ground breaking figure, but when Cricket Australia generates 60% of its annual revenue from media rights, every television in every house, man cave, pub or office helps! With the BBL due to renegotiate its Television rights deal later this year for the 2012/2013 season, continued growth and support is sure to be noticed and the bargaining power and potential payday for Cricket Australia will be invaluable for cricket at all levels.

The BBL is not only bringing people back to the shorter form; it is bringing people back to Cricket. It is generating interest in a game that in the last 5 years has struggled to justify its tag as ‘Australia’s favourite sport’. It is attracting a new demographic, and more importantly a new generation of supporters and consumers.

Perhaps Mr McKenna is onto something, and the link between T20 and Test Cricket isn’t so black and white after all…..

 

BP