An old-fashioned sporting holiday

Holiday in New Zealand.  Away from the internet, SKY Sports, PremierLeaguePass.  Sports coverage via Radio Sport only, and even then through a healthy wall of static.  Occasionally there was a newspaper, but that was the Herald, and its quaint use of graphics that did not always make sense.

For example, how did Corey Anderson score 25 off the 5 balls he faced from Rampaul in Queenstown if he hit four 4s and no 6s ?

So it was like following it from afar, with all the memories that invoked.  Some thoughts.

Another curious moment for Jesse Ryder.  A man famous for making the papers for no good reason, such as being in Singapore when his IPL team were at a party in India.  Here, in ODI number 3451 he hit the sixth fastest ODI century of all time, and it barely got a mention.

He will never play another sheet anchor innings like that.

How are we meant to get emotional about the retirement of Kerry O’Keefe when he hasn’t been heard on our radio for a couple of seasons?

You know how a lot of people (mainly Aucklanders strangely) pine for the days of the so-called Basin Reserve Boxing Day Test tradition?  If there was one this year there would have been just over one day’s play possible.

The tennis commentators make the most of the annual fortnight in the spotlight.  They are enthusiastic, positive and look after their sponsors with meticulous care.

But they need to remember that whether it be Bill Clinton, Rihanna, Justin Beiber or some Moldavian tennis player, the “What do you think of New Zealand so far?” question is always a toe-curler.

Did anyone seriously believe Andy Murray was going to come to Auckland at the last minute?

So an old-fashioned holiday with sporting coverage coming in an old fashioned way.  Not quite.  The holiday was bookmarked by the passing of Alan Richards and the introduction of station manager Lee Piper to the Radio Sport cricket commentary team.

Now there’s a metaphor.