Quote from: getagrip on 22 February 2015, 11:32:40 AM
Wow, two things you'll have to actually do for yourself in one day! 

Well it will probably be three but we shan't mention that 

Quote from: Fenton on 22 February 2015, 11:49:16 AM
Well it will probably be three but we shan't mention that 

I don't want to know 

Quote from: RoyWilliamson on 22 February 2015, 11:48:23 AM
Yeah, I think there should be a dedicated sports channel on free-to-view tv, as passed through a parliamentary bill, paid for with the TV licence, used in an effort to get more people active and into sports.
Drop Eastenders for a start, or shove it sideways onto a commercial channel. Cricket being a staple of the sports channel, as the sport is more open to people from a wider background. It's my opinion that amateur cricketers don't require to be as physically gifted as footballers/gymnastics/rowers/long-distance runners, so more children could be encouraged into the sport - a side benefit being they would be taught good manners and good sportsmanship (unlike football).

It won't happen. But it was something I thought of while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Too true.

It won't happen because Murdoch has more than a few politicians in his back pocket (Gove being the most slimy and odious example).

How I fondly remember in the 60s going home from school for lunch and watching half an hour of the test match with my dad - Cowdrey, Truman, Dexter, D'Oliveira et al. That was a proper English summer, even though I was living in Wales at the time.

Yeah but cricket is mind-meltingly dull.  Both to watch and play.

However, the general idea of social pressure, and media encouragement of sporting activity is a very good one.  On this publicly funded sport channel I would limit soccer coverage to 0.5% of airtime and let the 100s of other sports get a look in.  Even cricket.

To be honest I never found cricket as boring as football. It is a sport I just don't get.

Aye soccer (kissball) is dull too.  95% of the games appear to be 90 mins of midfield scuffling.  0-0: the definition of a waste of an afternoon.

Personally I stopped watching in the late 1980s when it turned from being a sport and became and amateur dramatics business.  Nowadays the women's game is far superior as a spectator experience.

There are SO MANY excellent sports out their and they just never get coverage - mostly due to the financial dominance of 'the beautiful game'.   

I like Sumo wrestling  

Channel4 used to show it on a Saturday morning in the 80s; my mother and me used to sit together and watch it. (unless it was video recorded, and I only got to watch on that day  )

They used to show Kabaddi as well

Quote from: Fenton on 22 February 2015, 03:31:35 PM
They used to show Kabaddi as well

I had to google it and found this on Wikipedia (so it might be true?)

"United Kingdom[edit]
Kabbadi was played by the British Army for fun, to keep fit and as an enticement to recruit soldiers from the British Asian community. Kabaddi was brought to the United Kingdom by Indian immigrants and Pakistani immigrants. The governing body for kabaddi in the United Kingdom is the England Kabaddi Federation UK. The UK also played host to the 2013 UK Kabaddi Cup.

Nepal[edit]
Kabbadi is considered to be one of the national sports of Nepal. Kabbadi is played and taught at a very early age in most primary schools beginning in the third grade or so in most Nepali schools. Great instructors and players have come out the Nepali Kabbadi system which is original in its teaching and form. Sange Lama and Jayadev Lama based in Queens, New York, United States are the two most famous Nepali players of all time."

Given that I live on Catterick Garrison, and there's a large Nepali community here at the moment, I'm surprised I've not heard of it before.

Quote from: getagrip on 22 February 2015, 11:27:34 AM
Murdoch poisons all his grubby little claws touch

I have nothing but hatred & contempt for Murdoch and his companies, but it's cricket that has chosen to be on Sky. Same for rugby league, english rugby union, golf and countless others.

The sports make the choice of more money, or more viewers, and can hardly complain when participation is down because veiwing figures are a tiny percent ofvwhat they used to be.

I miss test cricket and F1, but I'll never subscribe to Sky to watch them.

Apparently the RFU want the Six Nations on Sky. Thank whoever the rest won't agree.

Cheers, Martyn

I admit I do watch illegal streams of sport. The only one I was legally is the rugby on BT sport as I have BT broadband

Kabaddi and sumo should definitely be back on our TV.  Both are enthralling!  C4 dropping them, along with NFL, NBA, and all the other sports they used to show was a real shame.

Look at all the sports we could be watching!!!  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sports

Even Quidditch!

Yet we get, what?  Maybe 5 different ones?

Kissball (yawn)
Rugby
The occasional bit of tennis, golf, or cricket.
Athletics when there's a tournament on.

Pfft....

Would be delighted to see all sports of every sort sold off to SKY if I thought we'd get something worth watching in it's place.

Replacing one set of unwatchable with another ... meh!

Love Kabbadi; it's wonderfully inasne

Sports that should feature on the new sports channel

camel racing [both bactrian and dromedary]



bog snorkling


welly wanging


women's beach volleyball


and the gurning championship


if costs an issue, then the beach volleyball could be omitted.

In this order:

No,
No,
Why not, it's funny,
Go on then; let's Northerners have a go;
YES
Yeah okay after pub kicking out time.

English one day cricket is dying a death indeed.

However grass roots cricket is as strong now as its ever been. Every Sunday throughout the summer we have 200+ kids bopys and girls from the age of 5-16 playoing the game and our league fixtures for the juniors boasts 150+ games a season.

Cricket is the fastest growing female sport in the country.

Like most sports its not for everyone, but give me cricket over kissball anyday.

Quote from: Nosher on 22 February 2015, 06:39:38 PM
English one day cricket is dying a death indeed.

However grass roots cricket is as strong now as its ever been. Every Sunday throughout the summer we have 200+ kids bopys and girls from the age of 5-16 playoing the game and our league fixtures for the juniors boasts 150+ games a season.

Cricket is the fastest growing female sport in the country.

Like most sports its not for everyone, but give me cricket over kissball anyday.

Agree with all of that; love watching women's cricket; Sarah Taylor is a rare talent.

My idea for improving the International game is this:

Get rid of 20/20 and 50 over one day games. These to be replaced with a 30/30 format

All international series to be 5 test matches and 5 one day games

Series to be decided like the Womens  game

Six points are awarded for a Test victory (two points to each side in the event of a draw), and two points for a victory in any of the One Day International.The winner is the country with the most points at the end

Each country for the duration of the series is only allowed a squad of 17 players to cover both formats