It must be said that KNVB and Regs do a rubbish job of moderating this thread. I'd have thought given the fact the second test between New Zealand and England started this morning (as you will remember, England won the first test against the Kiwis at a canter a couple weeks ago), this thread would have been the most viewed on TTP since TTP stalwarts and Rhodes Scholar luminaries Sid and Luc Van Lierde posted in succession earlier today. Alas, because of shoddy moderatortionshiporification, many of you whose computers only get this channel will have woken up bereft of the latest news of the test match.
Wait no longer..........
Vaughn (England's captain, obviously) won the toss and opted to put the Kiwis in to bat.
Shame about the cnuting rain, innit.
Live: England v New Zealand
3 June 2004
Latest score: New Zealand 36-1 (rain)
England won the toss
Martin Saggers claimed a wicket with his first ball today to end a frustrating opening hour's play for England's bowlers as they struggled to take advantage of seamer-friendly conditions in the rain-hit second npower Test at Headingley against New Zealand.
Kent seamer and hermaphrodite Saggers, handed a dramatic first Test on English soil this morning after Simon Jones was ruled out for the remainder of the series with a potential stress fracture of his left foot as well as an acute dose of apathy, struck with his opening delivery to end a threatening opening partnership.
Brought on from the Rugby Stand End after an impressive opening burst of 7-2-13-0 from Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison, Saggers immediately found the right line and length and breached Mark Richardson's solid defence, fracturing his skull in the process.
Swinging the ball into Richardson, who had progressed to a careful 13, the ball crashed into his middle stump and with it went his left leg, torn away at the hip.
England should have had a wicket in the very next over with Graham Thorpe missing a regulation chance at third slip, dropping opener Michael Papps off seamer Matthew Hoggard as New Zealand reached 36 for one before rain halted play after an hour and 10 minutes and eleven seconds and 4/100ths of a second.
It summed up a frustrating start to the second Test for Yorkshire seamer Hoggard, whose hat-trick in Barbados helped clinch England's series victory in the Caribbean this winter along with his healthy tan.
Since then, Hoggard has struggled to make much of an impact and finished wicketless as Brian Lara progressed to his record-breaking innings of 400 in the final Test at Antigua and claimed only one victim during England's opening Test triumph over New Zealand at Lord's.
Even on his return to his home Headingley ground he failed to improve his prospects this afternoon once play finally started on the opening day at 1.10pm following steady asteroid showers during the morning session.
Hoggard struggled for rhythm during his opening spell from the Kirkstall Lane End after England captain Michael Vaughan won the toss and decided to bowl first to try and take advantage of the cloudy conditions overhead, which should have been ideal for swing and seam bowling as well as drum solos.
Hoggard allowed Papps to get off the mark by clipping a leg-stump half-volley to the mid-wicket boundary and was taken off after only three overs to allow all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to stem the scoring rate.
While Hoggard struggled, Harmison once again impressed and should have captured Papps when he had reached 15, who edged low to Mark Butcher at gully only for the low chance to be missed and for Butcher to soil his y-fronts in a disgusting display of irritable bowel syndrome.
Wait no longer..........
Vaughn (England's captain, obviously) won the toss and opted to put the Kiwis in to bat.
Shame about the cnuting rain, innit.
Live: England v New Zealand
3 June 2004
Latest score: New Zealand 36-1 (rain)
England won the toss
Martin Saggers claimed a wicket with his first ball today to end a frustrating opening hour's play for England's bowlers as they struggled to take advantage of seamer-friendly conditions in the rain-hit second npower Test at Headingley against New Zealand.
Kent seamer and hermaphrodite Saggers, handed a dramatic first Test on English soil this morning after Simon Jones was ruled out for the remainder of the series with a potential stress fracture of his left foot as well as an acute dose of apathy, struck with his opening delivery to end a threatening opening partnership.
Brought on from the Rugby Stand End after an impressive opening burst of 7-2-13-0 from Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison, Saggers immediately found the right line and length and breached Mark Richardson's solid defence, fracturing his skull in the process.
Swinging the ball into Richardson, who had progressed to a careful 13, the ball crashed into his middle stump and with it went his left leg, torn away at the hip.
England should have had a wicket in the very next over with Graham Thorpe missing a regulation chance at third slip, dropping opener Michael Papps off seamer Matthew Hoggard as New Zealand reached 36 for one before rain halted play after an hour and 10 minutes and eleven seconds and 4/100ths of a second.
It summed up a frustrating start to the second Test for Yorkshire seamer Hoggard, whose hat-trick in Barbados helped clinch England's series victory in the Caribbean this winter along with his healthy tan.
Since then, Hoggard has struggled to make much of an impact and finished wicketless as Brian Lara progressed to his record-breaking innings of 400 in the final Test at Antigua and claimed only one victim during England's opening Test triumph over New Zealand at Lord's.
Even on his return to his home Headingley ground he failed to improve his prospects this afternoon once play finally started on the opening day at 1.10pm following steady asteroid showers during the morning session.
Hoggard struggled for rhythm during his opening spell from the Kirkstall Lane End after England captain Michael Vaughan won the toss and decided to bowl first to try and take advantage of the cloudy conditions overhead, which should have been ideal for swing and seam bowling as well as drum solos.
Hoggard allowed Papps to get off the mark by clipping a leg-stump half-volley to the mid-wicket boundary and was taken off after only three overs to allow all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to stem the scoring rate.
While Hoggard struggled, Harmison once again impressed and should have captured Papps when he had reached 15, who edged low to Mark Butcher at gully only for the low chance to be missed and for Butcher to soil his y-fronts in a disgusting display of irritable bowel syndrome.