And we are off. The race for the final BCS National Championship before the inaugural four team play-off next year has began in earnest.
Week One in College Football is a rare monster, not as traditional as Opening Day in Baseball, not as glamorous as week 1 of the NFL season yet due to the ESPN monster it is just as hyped an event. These are the stars of the NFL future, although amateur by definition they are as feted as former college now NFL stars Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.
Last year was Year One of Johnny Football and the huge rotation of Jadeveon Clowney's monster hit in January led to him being earmarked as the next Lawrence Taylor or Ray Lewis. Fittingly, it was Clowney and his side, South Carolina Gamecocks who opened up the College Football season at home to North Carolina Tar Heels. The Gamecocks scored on their opening drive, a huge 65 yard TD pass from Conor Shaw to Shaq Roland gave the #7 ranked Gamecocks a lead they never relinquished, winning 27-10. The Tar Heels offered little on offence, a blessing considering Clowney's sub-par performance where he had no sacks and only three first half tackles. An upset stomach was apparently too blame, although the humidity at the 6pmEST kick-off could be as much at fault.
National Champions, Alabama Crimson Tide opened on neutral territory at the Georgia Dome versus the Virginia Tech Hokies. Although the scoreline looks lopsided 35-10, the Tide were helped by Christian Jones scoring a kickoff return TD, a punt return TD and a reception TD for 256 total yards. The Hokies exposed a new offensive line for Alabama who lost three four-year starters to the draft this year; they packed the box with eight defenders prompting confusion and panic for QB AJ McCarron who finished with 10-23, 110 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. The same packed box allowed RB TJ Yeldon 75 yards of the 96 total rushing yards.
They may be National Champions but even champions have some weaknesses that were exposed and need rectifying before next week's huge match-up versus Texas A&M Aggies and Johnny Manziel.
Following on from his NCAA squabble about signing for paid autographs, Manziel was punished with having to sit out the first half of their home opener versus Rice. At half time the Aggies needed him as they held a slender 28-21 lead over the unfancied Rice Owls. Manziel answered the call with three TD passes to help them come out 52-31 victors. Manziel seems to have this aura about him off the field which cannot be put into question in spite of his off-the-field behaviour.
Oregon may have lost Chip Kelly to the Philadelphia Eagles, but for new Head Coach Mark Helfrich it is the same old story as they decimated Nicholls State College 66-3 with three players having 100+ yard games rushing including QB Marcus Mariota had 113 yards in addition to his 234 passing yards. The Ducks had 772 total offensive yards and remain favourites for the Pac 12 title this season with Mariota an under the radar Heisman selection.
Fresh for bowl eligibility this season, Urban Meyer hopes to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the National Championship after going undefeated last season. They opened on Saturday with a 40-20 home victory over Buffalo Bulls. Braxton Miller went 15-22, 178 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT but the impressive performance was RB Jordan Hall who had 2 TDs for 159 yards off 21 carries. However, there were moments of worry for the Buckeyes that many better teams would have taken advantage of.
However, that is why many ranked sides open up against easy opposition to give them the opportunity to iron out any creases on both sides of the ball in a real game time situation. Some choose to open with a tougher opponent such as LSU Tigers who played Big 12 TCU at Cowboys Stadium and proved victorious 37-27 for a big non-conference win before the conference slate begins. QB Zach Mettenberger went 16-32 for 251 yards, 1 TD and crucially no turnovers for the senior man, as his side had 448 total yards. TCU led by Gary Patterson have been touted as a side who can step up and mix with the big boys of the SEC, whilst they did themselves justice they only had 259 total yards so to lose by only 10 points was some marker of their intentions and the grit in the side. This close encounter was the game of the weekend.
And just behind was Georgia 35 Clemson 38 with two good QBs Aaron Murray and Taj Boyd trading blows but with Boyd coming out on top. Clemson reside in the ACC but are now in the Championship talk after defeating an SEC side. Boyd - who along with Teddy Bridgewater (see below) is NFL bound - had 270 yards passing and 3 TDs and also ran for two close to goal TDs for five in total. Murray had 323 yards passing but one crucial INT with no TDs; and again he came up short in the big game versus a ranked opponent being sacked four times in the process. The Tigers of Clemson made sure their roar was heard on Saturday, expect them to replace Georgia as the #5 ranked side in country come Monday with the new rankings.
Sunday night, another Heisman favourite Teddy Bridgewater the No.1 ranked QB prospect for the NFL draft in 2014 started his campaign with his Louisville Cardinals as they attempt to seek perfection to get to the National Championship. They made short work of the Ohio Bobcats winning 49-7 at home with Bridgewater going 355 passing yards and 5 TDs. Louisville play in the ACC, a weak conference in comparison to the SEC, Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12, they also have a weak schedule so need to run the table and hope teams lose games to their advantage.
Monday, 2 September 2013
Crocodile Shoes
Released on DVD for the first time on Acorn Media UK, Crocodile Shoes written by and starring Jimmy Nail was a hit TV series that first aired in September 1994 on BBC.
Nail plays Jed Sheppard a factory metal worker who is facing redundancy and so faces a life-changing decision to pursue a passion of country music and make a dream career in Nashville. Helped by the only man who believes in him by his manager Ade (James Wilby) they encounter loan sharks, record companies and women who bring their own unique brand of obstacle to overcome.
The drama has aged well in nearly 20 years; the music industry is all about image still, double crosses still persist and the drama is clear as day.
The show is helped by Wilby's fragile performance as Ade. In the first episode, 'The Tape' it is predominantly Ade's story at the centre of the narrative with Jed a subsidiary to the need for Ade to find a big hit. This is usually apparent in people's first screenplay, where they take a backseat or need some established actor to take the reins and pressure off - think Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Wilby is as much importance as Jimmy Nail here, and their chemistry and partnership as a traditional odd couple; North v South, education v street smart, blonde v dark is all too apparent and to the form here.
Nail is his usual brooding, imposing self with a Ronseal character; yet there are many a good actor in the series of name actors; Alex Kingston, Melanie Hill, Amy Madigan, Burt Young and Brian Capron, who played evil Richard Hillman on Coronation Street.
Anyone with a fondness for decent British drama will appreciate this Clement-La Frenais influenced piece and be pleasantly surprised by the soundtrack of country songs performed by Jimmy Nail but written by renowned Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout.
Crocodile Shoes is out on DVD Monday 2nd September from Acorn Media UK for £29.99RRP
Nail plays Jed Sheppard a factory metal worker who is facing redundancy and so faces a life-changing decision to pursue a passion of country music and make a dream career in Nashville. Helped by the only man who believes in him by his manager Ade (James Wilby) they encounter loan sharks, record companies and women who bring their own unique brand of obstacle to overcome.
The drama has aged well in nearly 20 years; the music industry is all about image still, double crosses still persist and the drama is clear as day.
The show is helped by Wilby's fragile performance as Ade. In the first episode, 'The Tape' it is predominantly Ade's story at the centre of the narrative with Jed a subsidiary to the need for Ade to find a big hit. This is usually apparent in people's first screenplay, where they take a backseat or need some established actor to take the reins and pressure off - think Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Wilby is as much importance as Jimmy Nail here, and their chemistry and partnership as a traditional odd couple; North v South, education v street smart, blonde v dark is all too apparent and to the form here.
Nail is his usual brooding, imposing self with a Ronseal character; yet there are many a good actor in the series of name actors; Alex Kingston, Melanie Hill, Amy Madigan, Burt Young and Brian Capron, who played evil Richard Hillman on Coronation Street.
Anyone with a fondness for decent British drama will appreciate this Clement-La Frenais influenced piece and be pleasantly surprised by the soundtrack of country songs performed by Jimmy Nail but written by renowned Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout.
Crocodile Shoes is out on DVD Monday 2nd September from Acorn Media UK for £29.99RRP
Thursday, 29 August 2013
College Football Kicks Off
The 2013 College Football Season begins in earnest with the Battle of the
Carolinas kicking off the wall-to-wall ESPN coverage as the first weekend begins
with a five day weekend long in America.
The South Carolina Gamecocks are ranked No.6 in the pre-season rankings led by defensive end and key focal point playmaker Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney who was sixth in the Heisman trophy voting last year, made headlines with his hit of running back Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl.
The hit – where Smith’s helmet went flying after impact – made Clowney a global talking point due to the ferocity of the hit. Steve Spurrier has handled his star player with better care than Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M has with Johnny Manziel; whose off-field antics have provoked much discussion about his ability to handle the limelight. Manziel will sit out the first half of the Aggies’ opening game versus Rice University.
Clowney has got better in the close season, working on his skill set and making himself a better player, according to other defensive end Chaz Sutton:
The South Carolina Gamecocks are ranked No.6 in the pre-season rankings led by defensive end and key focal point playmaker Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney who was sixth in the Heisman trophy voting last year, made headlines with his hit of running back Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl.
The hit – where Smith’s helmet went flying after impact – made Clowney a global talking point due to the ferocity of the hit. Steve Spurrier has handled his star player with better care than Kevin Sumlin of Texas A&M has with Johnny Manziel; whose off-field antics have provoked much discussion about his ability to handle the limelight. Manziel will sit out the first half of the Aggies’ opening game versus Rice University.
Clowney has got better in the close season, working on his skill set and making himself a better player, according to other defensive end Chaz Sutton:
“Any game we go into we just want to prove we can
get to the quarterback quick and fast in a game,” Sutton said. “We just want to
set the tone with our front four and be that way all night.”
South Carolina though still have options on offence
although a slight injury concern over highly rated receiver Bruce Ellington will
be one of concern. The offense has to be the sort as marshalled by Trent Dilfer
for the Baltimore Ravens in 2001 during their famous Super Bowl run when Ray
Lewis’ defence rode shotgun over NFL offences. Junior Dylan Thompson will be
expected to make mistake free, efficient passing and get good field position to
allow Clowney, Sutton et al to work their magic on the defensive side.
Expectations are for the Gamecocks to win, and get
some momentum before a huge clash at No.5 Georgia next week (who themselves play
rated Clemson of the ACC on Saturday). The Gamecocks are touted to win the SEC
East thanks to a favourable schedule where they only face Arkansas and
Mississippi State of the SEC West avoiding Alabama, Auburn and Johnny
Football.
Although they should beware of North Carolina QB
Bryn Renner who has thrown for 54 touchdowns in the last two seasons and is in
charge of a high tempo offense, new head coach Larry Fedora employed at Southern
Miss.
In the other curtain-raising game for the West
Coast, #24 ranked USC Trojans travel to Hawaii hoping to have a better season
than last year when they did not meet expectations and not helped by an injury
suffered to Matt Barkley.
Barkley, receiver Robert Woods and safety T.J.
McDonald have all left for the professional ranks. Yet they still have the No 1
receiver in the country in Marqise Lee and running back Silas Reed, with the
option of two young sophomore quarterbacks in Max Wittek and Cody Kessler.
Kiffin will hope he has a better season, the Trojans
lost five of their last six games and lost the Sun Bowl to Georgia Tech to
finish 7-6 after starting the season ranked #1. In the Pac-12 where Oregon and
Stanford are expected to duke it out, expect the Trojans to spring a few
surprises again with a favourable schedule with Stanford having to come to the
Coliseum in November.
It’s felt a long time since Alabama won the National
Championship in January, now the five month bull rush can begin. And its the end
of an era, this will be the last season of the BCS rankings before the four team
play-off begins in 2014.
Thursday, 22 August 2013
Dinamo Tbilisi v Tottenham 1st Leg review
Tottenham Hotspur started their European campaign in far flung former Soviet state of Georgia to play the League champions Dinamo Tbilisi, the day after Arsenal had defeated Fenerbahce convincingly in Turkey 3-0.
Tottenham did a thoroughly professional performance in Georgia by completing a comprehensive 5-0 away victory which puts them in the group stage of the Europa League barring an unbelievable meltdown at White Hart Lane next Thursday.
Yet why were the Lilywhites so dominant and what did we learn:
1. Andros Townsend is here
The young Spurs trainee graduate finally matured into the fully fledged first team player many knew he had the talent for. Following on from his creditable loan spell at QPR where he became one of the few players in that squad to gain some credit. In Tbilisi he bossed the right wing, played with a mixture of speed and finesse to leave defenders in his wake as his expertly taken opening goal showed. He then set up the 2nd and 3rd due to some precision passing and crossing.
2. Robert Soldado's movement
The Valencia player who scored 24 goals in La Liga last year showed his brilliant movement to find space in the penalty box for both of his vertiable tap ins to make it three in two games to start his Spurs career. Spurs need a player who can score goals regularly without the peaks and troughs usually associated with Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor.
3. Lloris is solid
But for the French No.1 Tottenham might well have conceded on this away trip and the complexion of the tie might have changed if Lloris did not palm away a goal bound shot when Spurs were leading 1-0. His solid punching and claiming of crosses hid some defensive frailties.
4. Coming up Roses (going forward)
For all the great goals Danny Rose may score, his defensive weakness was very clear to see at times. Most of Tbilisi's attacks came down the right wing as Rose continues to improve his positioning, and also the pace of some attacking play led to both Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul back pedalling and some panicky defending; this is mitigated by of the three man midfield, not one of Dembele, Paulinho or Capoue really sits deep. Against players like Mata and Cazorla this will become apparent.
5. Rest is good
The chance to start Harry Kane and Tom Carroll, and to rotate the squad will be good next Thursday with the 2nd leg three days before the North London derby where freshness will be key for a huge battle.
Tottenham did a thoroughly professional performance in Georgia by completing a comprehensive 5-0 away victory which puts them in the group stage of the Europa League barring an unbelievable meltdown at White Hart Lane next Thursday.
Yet why were the Lilywhites so dominant and what did we learn:
1. Andros Townsend is here
The young Spurs trainee graduate finally matured into the fully fledged first team player many knew he had the talent for. Following on from his creditable loan spell at QPR where he became one of the few players in that squad to gain some credit. In Tbilisi he bossed the right wing, played with a mixture of speed and finesse to leave defenders in his wake as his expertly taken opening goal showed. He then set up the 2nd and 3rd due to some precision passing and crossing.
2. Robert Soldado's movement
The Valencia player who scored 24 goals in La Liga last year showed his brilliant movement to find space in the penalty box for both of his vertiable tap ins to make it three in two games to start his Spurs career. Spurs need a player who can score goals regularly without the peaks and troughs usually associated with Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor.
3. Lloris is solid
But for the French No.1 Tottenham might well have conceded on this away trip and the complexion of the tie might have changed if Lloris did not palm away a goal bound shot when Spurs were leading 1-0. His solid punching and claiming of crosses hid some defensive frailties.
4. Coming up Roses (going forward)
For all the great goals Danny Rose may score, his defensive weakness was very clear to see at times. Most of Tbilisi's attacks came down the right wing as Rose continues to improve his positioning, and also the pace of some attacking play led to both Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul back pedalling and some panicky defending; this is mitigated by of the three man midfield, not one of Dembele, Paulinho or Capoue really sits deep. Against players like Mata and Cazorla this will become apparent.
5. Rest is good
The chance to start Harry Kane and Tom Carroll, and to rotate the squad will be good next Thursday with the 2nd leg three days before the North London derby where freshness will be key for a huge battle.
Friday, 16 August 2013
Patriots v Buccaneers Pre-season Preview
It is Week 2 of the Pre-season and the New England Patriots host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro tonight in a game now highlighted and made important by the sudden injury scare over Tom Brady's left knee on Wednesday. With Brady returning to practice the next day wearing a knee brace, he expects to start tonight on home turf and maintain the Patriots perfect start to pre-season.
However, the Buccaneers will not be an easy game as they are team of unique talent on both sides of the ball. Here is my breakdown of what to watch out for:
1. Tom Brady's Reps:
With Brady suffering his knee injury, you can expect him to start and want to put on a show for the home crowd, yet the necessity to preserve him for Week 1 v Buffalo Bills will be key. Expect the offence to follow the same trend as against the Eagles last week: two drives one governed by Stevan Ridley and one by Brady hooking up with his young receivers.
2. Bucs run defence
The Bucs had one of the best run defences last year, and so will be tested versus the strong running back core of Ridley, Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden. Likewise, the front seven of the Patriots defence will face the muscle hamster of Doug Martin.
3. Patriots secondary
The infamous Patriots secondary will get a real test tonight versus two quality wide receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams.
4. Eyes on Ballard
Jake Ballard will be now getting some more on-field in-play work as the Patriots attempt to continue a two tight end scheme but with Ballard sharing the field and load with rookie free agent Zach Sudfeld. With Daniel Fells unlikely to suit up due to persistent injury and with Rob Gronkowski not back until the regular season; it is time for Ballard to repay the faith shown in his selection off waivers by the Patriots last season.
5. Receivers miss Revis
The young receiving core of Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce and Kenbrell Thompkins will have a chance to further the positive impression they have made so far without the threat of fear of visiting (Darrelle) Revis Island who is still out and is expected to be back for Week 3 of pre-season (when the Bucs visit Miami).
6. Cards to the chest
Oddly, this is a pre-season game dress rehearsal. These two teams play each other for real in Week 3 of the regular season again at New England on September 22nd, so perhaps expect the match to become a bit more of a training run through in the second half as Coaches Bill Belichick and Greg Schiano pull starters and do not show too much of any schemes before that regular season encounter.
Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood
However, the Buccaneers will not be an easy game as they are team of unique talent on both sides of the ball. Here is my breakdown of what to watch out for:
1. Tom Brady's Reps:
With Brady suffering his knee injury, you can expect him to start and want to put on a show for the home crowd, yet the necessity to preserve him for Week 1 v Buffalo Bills will be key. Expect the offence to follow the same trend as against the Eagles last week: two drives one governed by Stevan Ridley and one by Brady hooking up with his young receivers.
2. Bucs run defence
The Bucs had one of the best run defences last year, and so will be tested versus the strong running back core of Ridley, Shane Vereen, LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Bolden. Likewise, the front seven of the Patriots defence will face the muscle hamster of Doug Martin.
3. Patriots secondary
The infamous Patriots secondary will get a real test tonight versus two quality wide receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams.
4. Eyes on Ballard
Jake Ballard will be now getting some more on-field in-play work as the Patriots attempt to continue a two tight end scheme but with Ballard sharing the field and load with rookie free agent Zach Sudfeld. With Daniel Fells unlikely to suit up due to persistent injury and with Rob Gronkowski not back until the regular season; it is time for Ballard to repay the faith shown in his selection off waivers by the Patriots last season.
5. Receivers miss Revis
The young receiving core of Aaron Dobson, Josh Boyce and Kenbrell Thompkins will have a chance to further the positive impression they have made so far without the threat of fear of visiting (Darrelle) Revis Island who is still out and is expected to be back for Week 3 of pre-season (when the Bucs visit Miami).
6. Cards to the chest
Oddly, this is a pre-season game dress rehearsal. These two teams play each other for real in Week 3 of the regular season again at New England on September 22nd, so perhaps expect the match to become a bit more of a training run through in the second half as Coaches Bill Belichick and Greg Schiano pull starters and do not show too much of any schemes before that regular season encounter.
Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood
Monday, 22 July 2013
Lee Westwood's Downfall
Lee Westwood is one of the best golfers in the world, a former World Number One player, multiple time winner of a victorious European Ryder Cup team where he has become talismanic as his countryman, Ian Poulter.
Yet one thing still remains missing from the Englishman's resume, a golfing major. In recent years, Westwood has been knocking on the door only for the door to be firmly shut. Yesterday at Muirfield, he probably had his best chance ever of winning, leading by two strokes after the third round, Westwood knew if he could go round in level par or maybe a shot or two under par it would take something pretty magical from someone else to overcome him.
As luck would have it, even if Westwood did go round in level par it would only have been good enough for a play-off with eventual winner Phil Mickleson, whose final round 66 was the best round of the week and rightly deserving of winning his first Claret Jug.
Unlike last year, when Adam Scott's personal implosion of bogeying the last four holes gave the title to Ernie Els, this was more a matter of Mickelson winning the trophy rather than Westwood losing it. Yet the question must be asked what does Westwood have to do to get the monkey off of his back, and why does he keep falling short.
Westwood did not do the things right, he missed fairways off the tee, failed to make greens in regulation and yet he made putts to save par when he needed to. So often his putting has let him down, for once it empowered him and it was his play off the tee - wayward and rash - which cost him his chance.
This is now 63 majors without a success, is Westwood destined to be like Colin Montgomerie the best player year-in, year-out who cannot win the big one.
Golf is as much a sport of exterior circumstances, as opposed to your own play. The performance of fellow competitors can affect your own performance, if you notice a leaderboard changing and a certain player making a charge of birdies it can cause you to become distracted.
Westwood may have been guilty of thinking that maybe this was not going to be his day, which leads to bad decision making and poor shot selection, leading to negative thought patterns such as blaming yourself when really an excuse can be made that the weather was not the best for Westwood's game. His tendency to hit the ball high and long was not best suited to the windiest conditions of the week, in contrast to Friday and Saturday when the dry still wind led to him being able to control his ball flight. Look at Mickelson, who used the elements to his advantage due to his imagination.
Westwood could have gained momentum from several par saving putts, yet it all came a cropper when he found a bunker on a Par 3 which took two strokes to escape from, leading to a bogey saving putt. Yet a stroke was dropped, meaning the overnight leader came closer to the chasing pack, so Mickelson who was five strokes adrift all of a sudden looked capable of getting close. Mickelson birdied four of the last six holes, the same six holes that people claimed were the hardest of the course.
Westwood needed to remain in control of his emotions and avoid making mistakes, perhaps emulating a hero of his - Nick Faldo's memorable Par 71 round in 1987 which led to his first major would have been the way to go - yet once dropped shots came before the turn and thereafter it was an uphill battle. Even the sight of playing partner Hunter Mahan making an eagle 3 on the par 5 9th must have been disheartening.
With the continual attempts to regain momentum suffering due to bad shots and failure to find the fairway, doubt can start to creep into any erstwhile competitor with the same questions of 'Will I ever win? What can I do different?' repeating themselves in your mind.
Westwood is still capable, and the employment of Sean Foley (Tiger Woods' swing coach) may well add a few strings to his bow, yet the chances are coming shorter yet the success of players after the age of 40 (Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson) in being able to win majors can fill him with confidence.
The only question is, how much of a battering has his confidence taken after this recent collapse at the final hurdle?
This was my first blog for www.impresscoaching.co.uk, the link is here
Yet one thing still remains missing from the Englishman's resume, a golfing major. In recent years, Westwood has been knocking on the door only for the door to be firmly shut. Yesterday at Muirfield, he probably had his best chance ever of winning, leading by two strokes after the third round, Westwood knew if he could go round in level par or maybe a shot or two under par it would take something pretty magical from someone else to overcome him.
As luck would have it, even if Westwood did go round in level par it would only have been good enough for a play-off with eventual winner Phil Mickleson, whose final round 66 was the best round of the week and rightly deserving of winning his first Claret Jug.
Unlike last year, when Adam Scott's personal implosion of bogeying the last four holes gave the title to Ernie Els, this was more a matter of Mickelson winning the trophy rather than Westwood losing it. Yet the question must be asked what does Westwood have to do to get the monkey off of his back, and why does he keep falling short.
Westwood did not do the things right, he missed fairways off the tee, failed to make greens in regulation and yet he made putts to save par when he needed to. So often his putting has let him down, for once it empowered him and it was his play off the tee - wayward and rash - which cost him his chance.
This is now 63 majors without a success, is Westwood destined to be like Colin Montgomerie the best player year-in, year-out who cannot win the big one.
Golf is as much a sport of exterior circumstances, as opposed to your own play. The performance of fellow competitors can affect your own performance, if you notice a leaderboard changing and a certain player making a charge of birdies it can cause you to become distracted.
Westwood may have been guilty of thinking that maybe this was not going to be his day, which leads to bad decision making and poor shot selection, leading to negative thought patterns such as blaming yourself when really an excuse can be made that the weather was not the best for Westwood's game. His tendency to hit the ball high and long was not best suited to the windiest conditions of the week, in contrast to Friday and Saturday when the dry still wind led to him being able to control his ball flight. Look at Mickelson, who used the elements to his advantage due to his imagination.
Westwood could have gained momentum from several par saving putts, yet it all came a cropper when he found a bunker on a Par 3 which took two strokes to escape from, leading to a bogey saving putt. Yet a stroke was dropped, meaning the overnight leader came closer to the chasing pack, so Mickelson who was five strokes adrift all of a sudden looked capable of getting close. Mickelson birdied four of the last six holes, the same six holes that people claimed were the hardest of the course.
Westwood needed to remain in control of his emotions and avoid making mistakes, perhaps emulating a hero of his - Nick Faldo's memorable Par 71 round in 1987 which led to his first major would have been the way to go - yet once dropped shots came before the turn and thereafter it was an uphill battle. Even the sight of playing partner Hunter Mahan making an eagle 3 on the par 5 9th must have been disheartening.
With the continual attempts to regain momentum suffering due to bad shots and failure to find the fairway, doubt can start to creep into any erstwhile competitor with the same questions of 'Will I ever win? What can I do different?' repeating themselves in your mind.
Westwood is still capable, and the employment of Sean Foley (Tiger Woods' swing coach) may well add a few strings to his bow, yet the chances are coming shorter yet the success of players after the age of 40 (Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson) in being able to win majors can fill him with confidence.
The only question is, how much of a battering has his confidence taken after this recent collapse at the final hurdle?
This was my first blog for www.impresscoaching.co.uk, the link is here
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Cycling to the Ashes
Oli Broom was a chartered surveyor, but he found the idea of making money for other people whilst failing to save money for himself was disheartening. He was the right side of 30 still and wanted one more adventure before he finally settled down with a family and a full time job.
The idea for an adventure came to him from his friend Becca one night, why not cycle to the Ashes and especially the first test in Brisbane in November 2010. Cycling had been a passion of his since his year in Spain when he dreamed of cycling down to the southern border and across the Northern part of Africa. The idea of doing this trek would be an adventure and rekindle his fitness which had long been lost under some city desk.
With little or no money in his savings, and little or no sponsors it seemed like he had no hope of gaining the necessary funds. However, light came in the form of main sponsors Betfair and Mongoose cricket coupled with the support of the Lords Taverners.
The book which has been released during another intense Ashes summer yet the greatest cricketing rivalry ia a light at the end of the journey, a reason to get to where he is going. Cricket is paramount to his journey and yet it is as much a book about cycling, traversing and encountering people who have little or no knowledge of the sport, yet respect his passion and desire in this seemingly impossible journey
Cycling to the Ashes is that rare book that is part memoir, part satire and part travelogue, helped by the cynical Englishman lost abroad facet we have seen from Michael Palin or Alan Whicker before him. When he encounters an Australian backpacker in South East Asia, Oli finds out that he is travelling around for one year and does not know where he will end up, Broom makes the observation that he could not do that sort of journey without a sense of purpose or direction. Broom's resilience and stubbornness are apparent in equal abundance; the tenacity to get to Brisbane in time is a marvel.
What becomes apparent is how fortuitous Broom has been or how willing he has been to trust strangers when he is more of a stranger in these strange lands; at one point going to Goa for a few days and leaving his bike unattended with a man who owns a dhaba, a roadside cafe. He comes back to a bike cleaner than ever before, this is just one of many episodes where people offer lodgings and food just because he looks tired. Broom is amazed at the Samaritan he finds in passing strangers.
India seems to cost Broom is sanity at one point, odd considering that cricket is a religion in that over-populated country and how small he felt in a country of 1.3 billion people. The breakdown he suffers at a sign saying Kolkata 997km is very strong, in marked contrast to the elation he feels when he finally sees the first sign of Brisbane 1695km. A photo of himself with this sign shows him in a new light, it may seem like a lot but it seems so near to him after nearly 13,000km pedalled already.
Broom writes with a real fluency and happiness recalling his experiences, none more so than when he is remembering his encounters with his friends in every country none more so than Laszlo, a Hungarian man who becomes his best friend, filming his times in Eastern Europe setting him up with film-makers in Turkey and Africa, before meeting up with him for the last 1000km or three weeks into Brisbane.
You wonder how Broom would have done the trip had he been truly alone, but sometimes the power of community and friendship can help one man do things he never thought he could do, that were beyond the realms of possibility. Some people (and those people are probably the Neanderthals who thing that football is the one and only) may think why do this just to see a cricket match. Myself, being a cricket fan for so long can attest to that, cricket is the sport that taught me about the globe, places to travel to and all for a game that may not end in a result.
Oli Broom has written a wonderful book full of incident and accidents without a hint of allegation or circumstance - the book is funny and touching in equal measure, and the feat all the more astonishing and memorable considering he did not know how far he would go, and so it becomes a tale of one man exceeding himself and going further than he thought.
Cycling to the Ashes is out now from Yellow Jersey Press for £16.99 in Hardback
www.cyclingtotheashes.co.uk
www.olibroom.com
The idea for an adventure came to him from his friend Becca one night, why not cycle to the Ashes and especially the first test in Brisbane in November 2010. Cycling had been a passion of his since his year in Spain when he dreamed of cycling down to the southern border and across the Northern part of Africa. The idea of doing this trek would be an adventure and rekindle his fitness which had long been lost under some city desk.
With little or no money in his savings, and little or no sponsors it seemed like he had no hope of gaining the necessary funds. However, light came in the form of main sponsors Betfair and Mongoose cricket coupled with the support of the Lords Taverners.
The book which has been released during another intense Ashes summer yet the greatest cricketing rivalry ia a light at the end of the journey, a reason to get to where he is going. Cricket is paramount to his journey and yet it is as much a book about cycling, traversing and encountering people who have little or no knowledge of the sport, yet respect his passion and desire in this seemingly impossible journey
Cycling to the Ashes is that rare book that is part memoir, part satire and part travelogue, helped by the cynical Englishman lost abroad facet we have seen from Michael Palin or Alan Whicker before him. When he encounters an Australian backpacker in South East Asia, Oli finds out that he is travelling around for one year and does not know where he will end up, Broom makes the observation that he could not do that sort of journey without a sense of purpose or direction. Broom's resilience and stubbornness are apparent in equal abundance; the tenacity to get to Brisbane in time is a marvel.
What becomes apparent is how fortuitous Broom has been or how willing he has been to trust strangers when he is more of a stranger in these strange lands; at one point going to Goa for a few days and leaving his bike unattended with a man who owns a dhaba, a roadside cafe. He comes back to a bike cleaner than ever before, this is just one of many episodes where people offer lodgings and food just because he looks tired. Broom is amazed at the Samaritan he finds in passing strangers.
India seems to cost Broom is sanity at one point, odd considering that cricket is a religion in that over-populated country and how small he felt in a country of 1.3 billion people. The breakdown he suffers at a sign saying Kolkata 997km is very strong, in marked contrast to the elation he feels when he finally sees the first sign of Brisbane 1695km. A photo of himself with this sign shows him in a new light, it may seem like a lot but it seems so near to him after nearly 13,000km pedalled already.
Broom writes with a real fluency and happiness recalling his experiences, none more so than when he is remembering his encounters with his friends in every country none more so than Laszlo, a Hungarian man who becomes his best friend, filming his times in Eastern Europe setting him up with film-makers in Turkey and Africa, before meeting up with him for the last 1000km or three weeks into Brisbane.
You wonder how Broom would have done the trip had he been truly alone, but sometimes the power of community and friendship can help one man do things he never thought he could do, that were beyond the realms of possibility. Some people (and those people are probably the Neanderthals who thing that football is the one and only) may think why do this just to see a cricket match. Myself, being a cricket fan for so long can attest to that, cricket is the sport that taught me about the globe, places to travel to and all for a game that may not end in a result.
Oli Broom has written a wonderful book full of incident and accidents without a hint of allegation or circumstance - the book is funny and touching in equal measure, and the feat all the more astonishing and memorable considering he did not know how far he would go, and so it becomes a tale of one man exceeding himself and going further than he thought.
Cycling to the Ashes is out now from Yellow Jersey Press for £16.99 in Hardback
www.cyclingtotheashes.co.uk
www.olibroom.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)