Farewell to the ice cream war
Well that's my Ashes adventure over and instead of sweating up in the gantry at the Gabba’s Vulture Street End, I’ll soon be wading through my email inbox at Television Centre.
I will be fascinated to know what happens when round two of the ice cream war starts – a contest that could be more keenly fought than the rest of the Ashes series....
The place where us journalists tucked into our lunch at the Gabba had a freezer packed to the gills with vanilla Cornettos.
Naturally, it being hot and humid – and hammering away at laptops being thirsty work – most of us freely availed ourselves of these frozen goodies.
So imagine my horror when, on day three, I was told in no uncertain terms by the head banqueting honcho that the Cornettos were for the staff of host broadcaster only.
Fruit salad and lukewarm Sprite turned out to be a most inferior substitute.
And it was particular galling interviewing Tony Greig that same day, me watching him as he lovingly lapped at his ice cream.
By day five, some of us could take it no longer, sending a petition to the Gabba Court of Appeal.
But we were knocked back once again, and it’s 1-0 to Channel Nine.
As I walked back to the bus stop from the venue of the first Test, under the stunning trees which once grew inside the ground, I reflected on the bad press that the stewards and security officials at the Gabba had suffered.
Perhaps they shouldn’t have confiscated the Barmy Army bugle, and perhaps the Mexican waves should have been tolerated rather than suppressed.
But it’s also important to stop drunken antics getting out of hand and to make a day out at the cricket an enjoyable experience for everyone, families included.
Personally, I think it’s right to err slightly on the side of caution, and so long as the policing can be done with a smile, then nobody can grumble too much.
So it’s goodbye to the ‘Gabbatoir’. I wish my fellow TMS bloggers the very best for Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
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I just want to say, Ollie, that your blogs have been utterly pointless. Basically, you've been on a jolly at our, the licence payers', expense and I think you should seriously think about apologising to everyone who uses the Â鶹Éç website. The Â鶹Éç has deserted cricket and deserves no sympathy.
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Your blogs have been immense, something different than the others. Good Job ;)
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Pity you're leaving, but it's been great. Cheers mate.
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I agree with earlier comments its seems you have just been on a paid holiday with us paying the bills. It would have been better if Â鶹Éç spent decent money on sport on the box. Do not go on about the Boat race and the Grand Natrional and some third round match between conference clubs in the FA Cup........we want Cricket back.
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I like the light hearted approach to cricket commentary and remember gladly radio commentary about Mrs. Chumley who kindly sent in a sponge cake! Cricket is not a fast paced sport by any means, it takes five days to play a test! Relax, take a breather from complaining about license fees and probably many other things in life, and enjoy a light hearted quip about somehtting that happened during the day. If you're like any other reporter I've ever known it probab;y took you five minutes to write that and so there's plenty of time to be getting on with another story.
Bring it on Channel Nine, if things don't go to plan on the field then perhaps we'll have a chance to win something from another of our British institutions.
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I agree with the first poster, I'm amazed at the amount of Â鶹Éç staff that seem to have wangled themselves onto this junket. I'd be interested to know how many hours these guys are expected to work at our expense whilst worrying about cornettos and complaining about the heat.
The Â鶹Éç has done the right thing by buying the C9 coverage, and getting the TMS broadcasts out there. Who the hell needs all these other half-wits out there grinning at us and spending our money?
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The first person who posted has hit the nail on the head, there seems to be a whole bunch of useless and pointless people who work for the bbc in these big sporting events, worse than the sheer incompetence of these people is the fact that it is the license payer covering these clowns' expenses, what a disgrace, the world cup was the same, surely one dedicated team that knows their stuff is enough, and to think that the bbc wants to increase the license fee again, so that they can send out more incompetents on a jolly half way around the world?
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I am glad not everyone agrees with the rather humourless complaints posted re blog from the boundary. Maybe they should read all the other stuff which was written during the first test and they might realise what a good job the Â鶹Éç staff are doing keeping us informed. Personally, I really enjoyed the blogs and hope they continue!
Surely a bit of "colour" is what is needed and Ollie's blog provided that with abundance.
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The phrase 'whinging poms' comes to mind....
But I can see your point, his columns are as weak as water.
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I've got to come to the defence of Ollie here.
These blogs are in addition to all of the wonderful sporting commentary, stories and information on the main website. These pieces are rarely credited to specific reporters but I am sure a lot of them will be Ollie's work.
The blogs are, to me, an interesting compliment to the main stuff, giving a welcome look behind the scenes at one of the world's greatest sporting events. I live in New Zealand, and I devour every page on the Â鶹Éç's TMS site, the blogs included.
Finally, these blogs are completely in tune with the spirit of test match cricket commentary. They are like a virtual version of Brian Johnston's old rambles about no.13 buses and strawberries and cream.
If all you want from the site is straight facts and figures cricket talk, buy a copy of Wisden.
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Surely Oliver Brett funded his own trip! Some of you bloggers raise interesting points. By my reckoning there were about a dozen one pagers written over the last twelve or so days he has been here. Perhaps he was doing more than his input to this site indicates. If not, then please advertise these positions. I will be more than happy to spend a couple of weeks in the UK watching top class cricket for free and being well watered and fed at the Beeb's expense (without Cornettos which I am happy to buy out of my wages). And between visiting quaint little pubs, writing about wags and trying jellied eels I will gladly use my press pass to gain access to cricket players, adminstrators, media and groundstaff to gather enough info about the game of cricket to fill one page a day...Geezajob! BB
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Having spent all 5 days at the GABBA on the sunbaked Eastern Terrace, I can confirm that the policing was NOT done with anything remotely like a smile, or any common sense. Whilst the bugler and anyone trying to get the wave going were ejected, racial and homophobic abuse was tolerated.
Whilst busying themselves with stopping anyone at the gate with a small rucksack (check it in for 5 dollars and join the back of the queue) or watermellon helmet on their head, the police consistently ignored extremly abusive chants by the young and often very drunk section of the Aussie support.
One point of note, the stewards and security officials played very little role - just the routine puncturing of inflatable beach balls - it was completly a police operation. Unsmiling, behind mirrored shades, the Queensland police force ensured the Barmy Army couldn't get their own songs going until the final morning. My tip for those thinking about going to watch cricket at the GABBA....DON'T!.
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To Den post 12. Fair cop. You were there. I apologise on behalf of all true cricket fans in Australia. We don't need this rubbish from fans far less from overzealous security staff. I can't excuse this by saying this was a purely Queensland phenomenon (although it wasnt that long ago they banned Playboy magazine - albeit under a different Govt) because I sat at Manuka on the first one dayer and saw a burly security ape crash tackle a bloke who had dressed up as the Queen (complete with mauve dress, wig and pearls) and was carrying a cardboard tombstone suggesting RIP English cricket. A great hoot for all given the result. All he did was step over the fence after the game was over. There was an interesting comment from one of the bloggers (congrats) which said that there is a difference between those who love the game and those who love winning. We don't like it either. Yours in the first category...good luck in Adelaide....cheers BB
p.s. where is binbaghead? What a great name!
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Shame your junket didnt last longer....
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You're all very harsh, i'm sure Oliver didn't sit around all day doing nothing, then write a five minute blog entry.
I'm sure he watched the cricket and had a few beers as well, good onya.
Seriously though, i've enjoyed these pieces, they add colour to something most of us aren't able to watch because of the time-zones and $ky.
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Load of old tripe!
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oh shut up the lot of you. The fact is that you would pay the licence fee no matter what. Are you going to stage a massive foot vote by all disposing of your tvs and passing up the chance to watch whatever you pap you pathetic little middle englanders choose to call entertainment? I rather doubt it. The fact is that all of you need your tvs and what happens to the money is essentially beyond both your scope to understand and your means to control. I very much doubt that the 5 grand (maybe, at a push) that has been paid for Ollie to fly to Oz and stay in hotels for 40 nights + expenses would have made a massive difference to Murdoch's plans for sport domination, and at least when I watch the Â鶹Éç (at others' houses) I don't have to put up with the ghastly pap generated to appeal to your small-mindedness in the name of advertising. Instead, the Â鶹Éç produce good dramas, excellent documentaries, and the best news website ( I would say IMHO but a) i hate webspeak, b) I am not humble and c) if it is my opinion I generally consider it to be fact) in the world, but they can't afford to pay the huge premiums that commercial channels can afford to lay out in order to put sport on the gogglebox. To fly a couple of extra people over there to give us alternative reports in the daily drought that is the absence of cricket between tests and days of tests is peanuts in the scheme of things and far more worthwhile than any of your miserabel whingeing. So why don't you all get back in your boxes, read the Mail and stop your whining. No wonder we lose sport when our nation can produce such insufferable wastes of oxygen.
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It may have escaped the licence fee whingers that in fact the licence fee only covers TV watching, so therefore you can't be subsidising Oliver's trip (unless he is on TV, which i don't have, but that would mean him doing something else other than blogging)
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Real sad folks out there who dont enjoy a bit of light hearted coverage of sports. If the Â鶹Éç was to have dry boring articles only, the only reason for following the Ashes would also be lost. With England performing pathetically, the least I can look forward to is some excellent commentary and some off beat blogging on the Â鶹Éç. And as for the license money, the only time we would realise the true worth is when there would be no channel without an ad interrupting your programme every 15 minutes!!
I feel the coverage is excellent and value for money and that Ollie is just enjoying something that can be considered the perks that come along with the job. The perks are similar to Michael Palin covering the Himalaya, Sahara etc and having a sponsored trip around the world. Cant have a grudge against him for that, can you?
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Well done . Some free advice to Cricket fans , we in Australia are blesed with a Prime Minister that appreciates good sport , specialy Cricket . He is our most fanatic suporter and a firm beliver of free to air transmision of the Cricket .
Have this in mind when you vote the next time , we do!!
The fact that Â鶹Éç does not transmit direct is an insult to the people and a purely comercial shame .
Mr Blair or his replacement should be told in no uncertain terms of the consequences of this insult to the people
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As the old TV advert sang... "Just one Cornetto..."
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In my view, much of the criticism here is ill-informed. Here is just some of the work Ollie did while he was in Brisbane, not to mention being a vital point of contact for his colleagues in London.
Brisbane ratings
/dna/606/A17714946
Still room for improvement
/dna/606/A17693210
England undercooked
/dna/606/A17639184
No time for deja vu
/dna/606/A17614325
Clash of the captains
/dna/606/A17582475
Greig on Flintoff
England miss Cooley, says Greig
McGrath stands test of time
The Ashes start here
McDermott wants McGrath swansong
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