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Radio Coverage

Dunk

Cricket Spectator
Firstly, I find it incredible that the BBC allowed themselves to be outbid for cricket radio commentary again. Its just incredible. Bad enough they lost the TV, but ... what??

Secondly, Talk Sport do it incredibly badly. I do agree that Chris Cowdrey is a pretty good commentator, and Tony Greig always makes me laugh(you have to, don't you?) but Mark Nicholas? Jack Bannister? God, he really is such a smart-****. And if I have to listen to them plugging the Daily Bloody Telegraph ever again, it'll be too soon.

I read someone slagging off Blofeld. His accent and banter used to annoy me a bit a few years ago, but hearing the crass narrative of the talksport team has made me appreciate what a gem he is. I met him at a book signing earlier this year and he was a true gent. Talk sport are like TV commentary on speed (everything's so rushed). To hear Blowers, Aggers and the rest gently setting the scene around the ground: colours, smells, sights, sounds makes me feel I'm actually in Trinidad and not stuck in some terraced house in Liverpool.

I've been wanting to get this stuff off my chest for sometime. Feel better now. Anyone got any comments?
 

Beleg

International Regular
Mate, you still are lucky. You get guys like Tony Grieg....just ask those Pakistani folks who have to listen to the local commentators trying to speak English.
 

PY

International Coach
Welcome to CW mate. :)

I've been peeved with the commentary too.

Tony Greig has been quite good I think, as has Chris Cowdrey. Not sure about Jack Bannister but he hasn't been bad. The extra guys have been good too with Tony Gray (?) and Ian Bishop etc.

However, Mark Nicholas makes me want to vomit every time I hear him. He just over-emphasises everything to a point where he made Harmison sound like a god-like bowler etc.

I couldn't agree more about the BBC commentary, TalkSport made a point of taking the p*ss out of the BBC's 'setting the scene' work in their adverts but I feel that is what makes the commentary sometimes. As you say, it makes you feel like you are sitting next to them in the stands.

Plus the fact that they have no commentary on Saturday afternoons because of the football. They don't have live coverage of any football so why bother? And also internet coverage doesn't work as it is shockingly slow so can't listen to that.
 

Dunk

Cricket Spectator
Cheers, PY.

Do you know what time they're going to start play today? I think I'll go over to my mum's to watch it on Sky.

Well... it is mothers' day, so she's due a visit.
 

PY

International Coach
Play begun 43 mins ago and England are 71/2. :)

I'd leg it to your Mum's if I was you, :D
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
PY said:
Welcome to CW mate. :)


However, Mark Nicholas makes me want to vomit every time I hear him. He just over-emphasises everything to a point where he made Harmison sound like a god-like bowler etc.

Your point being?
 

PY

International Coach
Sorry, my alter-ego posted that......Mark Nicholas is right. Harmison is a god-like bowler. :saint: :D
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
Welcome to the forums...

That was probably me slagging off Blofeld! But apart from him, the TMS team are top notch.. particularly Jonathon Agnew, there is something about his commentary that is absolutely superb... I hope in 30 years time people are comparing him to John Arlott, because he deserves that kind of career...

Talk sports saving grace are perhaps Messrs Cowdrey and Greig.. But these are sort of nullified by Mark Nicholas.. He is particularly annoying for non England fans with his constant plugging of a few players who are yet to prove themselves in the test arena...

However I will admit that Talk Sport have got better since they started in SA in 2000.... And they have to plug the telegraph, they dont have the luxury of forcing people to pay "licence fees" in order to obtain their money....

The fact of life is that the BBC are nowhere near as competitive as they need to be.. They have lost a whole load of sports.. And I still cannot understand the whole License fee concept which appears to be operational nowhere else in the world... I basically cant believe people are forced to pay a tenner a month for two mediocre terrestial channels which they have no choice about recieveing, and some radio... Anyway thats another matter...
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
Langeveldt said:
And I still cannot understand the whole License fee concept which appears to be operational nowhere else in the world
Good to see that Scandinavia is still counted as Mars to the English.

(I'm certain NRK (Norwegian broadcaster) and SVT (Swedish) both have the license fee concept, and I believe DR (Denmark) and YLE (Finland) has it too.)

As for Talksport - well - my Media Player tends to get errors when I try to listen to TMS, so I'm quite pleased that they got the rights ;)
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
PY said:
And also internet coverage doesn't work as it is shockingly slow so can't listen to that.
Not slow for those on Broadband, but still delayed (Liam informed me Trescothick was out yesterday just before he was "dropped" by Dwayne Smith (not sure if it counts as a chance or not)
 

marc71178

Eyes not spreadsheets
Langeveldt said:
Talk sports saving grace are perhaps Messrs Cowdrey and Greig.. But these are sort of nullified by Mark Nicholas.. He is particularly annoying for non England fans with his constant plugging of a few players who are yet to prove themselves in the test arena...
Which players are these out of interest?

I'd say pretty much all of the current eleven have proven themselves by now (only 1 I can think of who maybe hasn't is Jones)
 

PY

International Coach
marc71178 said:
Not slow for those on Broadband, but still delayed (Liam informed me Trescothick was out yesterday just before he was "dropped" by Dwayne Smith (not sure if it counts as a chance or not)
I have LAN connection which is quicker than Broadband sometimes and it still ends up spending half the time 'Buffering' :!(.

Something wrong with my computer? :(
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
Well Harmison (pre him taking all the wickets in the WI he used to go on and on.. Now I guess he has a right to..)

Flintoff... Im not sure he has "proved himself"... He is a good player, but he still has tonnes to learn, and Nicholas goes on like he has been sent down from heaven sometimes...
 

Linda

International Vice-Captain
So you guys get radio coverage when the team is away on tour? Thats good in itself, we get nothing. :!(
 

Langeveldt

Soutie
Linda said:
So you guys get radio coverage when the team is away on tour? Thats good in itself, we get nothing. :!(

Don't you get highlights of away test matches on TV....

We used to.. But now nothing seems to happen...

Harmison, ooz eee??
 

Linda

International Vice-Captain
Langeveldt said:
Don't you get highlights of away test matches on TV....

We used to.. But now nothing seems to happen...

Harmison, ooz eee??
Ok, I take it back, you guys are worse off than us! We get highlights on the sports news yeah...
Do you guys get the score at least?!
 

PY

International Coach
Linda said:
Ok, I take it back, you guys are worse off than us! We get highlights on the sports news yeah...
Do you guys get the score at least?!
We get very short highlights of all cricket on the news that is played by England and sometimes other countries if it is an important series or match.

What Rich (Lang) meant I think was that we don't have extended highlights anymore ie a specific programme dedicated to cricket highlights which is rather annoying. :(
 

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