England batsmen "Fills their Boots" in Ashes first Test.

The great West Indian batsman George Headley years ago was reported to have told a group of Kingston Cricket Club players after a high-scoring match at Sabina Park to "Fill your boots gentlemen... especially when the wicket and the conditions are good, for there will be days when despite your skill as a batsman you will be unable to even buy a run."
Englands batsmen at the top of the order did just that in their second innings knock in the first Ashes Test played at the "Gabba" this past week. After a disappointing first innings 260 in which Cook 67, Trott 29, Pietersen 43 and Bell 76 all got good starts but failed to carry on, the England team received a predictable "roasting" from the fickle British press. Their criticisms seemed all the more justified when he limping Australians rattled up an imposing 481 built on the backs of 195 from Hussey (signalling a welcome return to batting form) and 136 from Brad Haddin. Australian cricket has been limping for the last two years, as they now appear to be brushing against the cellars of the sport with their #5 ranking at the Test level.
The English press had viewed this Ashes Series as a mouth watering affair and an opportunity for many players who have shown promise to come good "Down Under."
Facing a 221 run defecit and the unflattering prospect of being a match down at the start of the series the England openers took advantage of the conditions, the easy paced wicket as well as the inoccous and hapless Aussie bowling and flayed them for an opening stand of 188. The loss of Andrew Strauss for 110 only served to open the gates for more punishment of the hapless Aussie attack. When the England captain finally declared, England had rattled up an astonishing 517 runs for the loss of a solitary wicket. In the process the England batsmen had indeed "filled their boots." Alister Cook tasted a Test double hundred for the first time with his undefeated 235, and Trott demonstrated that he had the goods with his second century against the Aussies 135 not out.
The state of affairs must be worrisome for Aussie cricket. Ponting's captaincy was unimaginative, not to mention his own continued lack-lustre contribution with the bat. It is inconceivable that his place in the side can continue without question. Equally troubling is the parlous state of their bowling. Australian cricket selectors must soon come to the realization that the cricket cupboard is bare.

See Richard Hugh Blackford's cricket paintings at: http://www.richardhblackford.com/

So I wrote this book....

Jamaican novel - paperback 228 pages.

     The island of Jamaica boasts pristine white sand beaches, rolling hills with plush green vegetation, pulsating reggae music, and a people as vibrant as the sun. Beneath this picture though is the dark side of the island, of a society undergoing social and economic transformation that produces a myriad of challenges that affects its people in different ways.

This is the landscape that has developed Sheila Sampson, the third of seven children of Alphanso and Delceita Sampson, both ordinary working class parents from the inner city community of 33 Lane in the tough Waltham Park Road area of Kingston, Jamaica.

Despite the desire of her parents for their daughter to provide an example to her younger siblings, Sheila’s youthful exuberances leads her in a completely different direction resulting in her being ostracized from her family and forced to face life on her own and to raise two young children in trying circumstances, especially after the departure of her lover and childhood sweetheart Tony. 

      The story is set in the transient socio-political period of the late 1970’s to late 1980’s, and explores issues of honesty, integrity, spiraling criminality and the influence of drugs, money, and power.  It provides the reader with an in-depth look at how the underworld forces work to legitimize itself in a country struggling with issues of approaches to development, and how these issues affect the country’s systems and its citizens. This intriguing story is told through the experiences of Sheila Sampson "The Girl From The Lane."

 The story also portrays that in spite of hardships, there are benefits from making smart choices.

You can purchase a copy of this novel at: http://www.richardhblackford.com/