Cerberus

Had this in front of me this morning, coincidentally (I have a complete post-war set). Didn't he have a cameo in Neighbours, once? Now that's ironic. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wisden-Cricketers-Almanack-Matthew-Engel/dp/1905625022/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=1185274433004380&hvadid=74079856312670&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=41319&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-74079788130657%3Aloc-188&hydadcr=10552_2104009&keywords=wisden+2007&qid=1646422205&sr=8-1

I take it you're referring to that legendary duo Denis Lilley and Geoff Thompson? Just seen this, actually. In utter shock. Warne had fitness problems a few years ago but after meeting Liz he lost a lot of weight and really got his act together. Wonder if he'd relapsed into bad habits in the last couple of years. Still, 52 is no age at all.

I dare say it was all discussed when he died in 2008, but I was interested to see that Reg Varney missed six episodes of On the Buses. It would be interesting to know how that came about and how it was explained in the show, given that Stan was such a central character.

''Queen Elizabeth' on the BBC headlines just now. What, are we all American now? She's 'the Queen' to you, FFS.

I'm sure that Windsor could have told you this, but no British monarch (including the Duke of Windsor) has died in the second half of the year since George II succumbed on the toilet in October 1760. That's like tossing a coin and getting eight heads in a row. Though surely it can't be the winter weather, given that only four of those went before the end of February.

We were told right at the outset of this thing that nobody could get it more than once, it would be just like chickenpox. I imagine that some unlucky people have caught each variant as it came along, but even so, what an absolute lie that turned out to be. Charles and Camilla both had this back in the spring of 2020 as I recall.

Wayne Couzens down with Covid I see. Slightly contradictory report; one minute saying he's 'seriously ill' - the next 'a source' says it 'looks like he will be OK.' https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/killer-cop-seriously-ill-with-covid-in-prison-262163/?fbclid=IwAR0az9VB8AIzLRHEbIhjGCSklD7oj2IKwirr1KDGDOpo5HW0okj4figonJ0

'Actress' surely? I suspect this is a generational thing, I doubt if the likes of Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith or Judi Dench would describe themselves as an 'actor.' Glenda Jackson, possibly.

I thought there was an Omicron thread somewhere? Anyways .... encouraging sign for Britain. 219 dead reported today, but as we know Tuesday is a 'spike' day and this is well down on previous weeks. I think Worldometers has messed up somewhere though. Yesterday the UK was shown as having 2.8 million active cases and suddenly we have 3.7 million! 900,000 in 24 hours? I suspect we've been attributed a huge number previously given to France, as their numbers have dropped just as fast. The other promising sign is the 511 people on ventilators - was almost 1000 just before Christmas.

Aftab Baloch, who scored 428 for Sind v Baluchistan in February 1974 and was surely unlucky to only play two Tests, dead at 68. He toured England that year and was given room number 428 in one of the team's hotels.

Interesting ... 183,000 new cases in the UK today (not unexpected) but just 57 deaths - that coming after a four day weekend with Xmas Day falling on a Saturday. I must admit I had no idea what the deaths total would be today but given the time lag I was expecting something between 200 and 300 ... the very small total recorded seems to back up what we've been told about Omicron. What's going on in Russia and eastern Europe though, I have no idea.

Don't remember hearing him at all in the last series, rather worryingly, but Barry Cryer was on last night's show, and sounded in pretty good voice - well, for someone who had to sing 'There's No-one Quite Like Grandma' to the tune of 'Theme from New York, New York.' A very Deathlisty name though, and probably worth considering for 2022.

Hopefully, he isn't going to take it lying down.

Does anyone know where Eileen is in terms of Britain's oldest women? Must be in the top five, surely.

Heard some interesting news on the radio this morning. Sir Ranulph Fiennes (crazy name, crazy guy) is going to attempt a solo climb of Mount Everest, despite being 61, in indifferent health and with very little experience of mountaineering. It's all for charity of course, so let's wish him well, but could he be about to go the same way as Mallory and Irvine?

The point is well made though - Harvey in 1950s Australia was at least as famous a sportsman as George Best, say, in 1970s Britain. Definitely 2022-worthy.

So the Everly Mother is still around then? She was only 17 when Don was born, though I guess that was nothing unusual in 1930s Kentucky. Going to play a few EB tunes tonight though .. 'Let It Be Me' a particular favourite.

Former NZ all-rounder Chris Cairns in a bad way in Australia: https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/new-zealand-cricket-chris-cairns-suffers-major-heart-problem-reports-1272781

One of his predecessors at Derby, Brian Jackson, used to bowl what John Arlott called a 'grudging length' - which I take to mean one that hit high up the pad, and meant that the batsman was likely to get the benefit of the doubt on an lbw shout. I imagine that's what Benaud meant, and he may well have been right.

After Woolmer, Dilley and Willis, fourth of the Class of '81 to go, though he didn't play in any of that season's classic games, being involved only in the less memorable first and last Tests - his last for England, as it turned out. As mentioned above all of the Aussies are still going - and with no health issues that I know of.

Well what constitutes a 'hit' is largely a matter of opinion I suppose. COWS was played a lot in the summer of '78 though, I'm surprised it didn't go higher. Young Willz could have said 'their only UK chart entry.' A couple of months earlier it wouldn't even have been that because the official chart was increased from 50 to 75 then.

Cases are not soaring here quite as much as the doom-mongers said, though - 36,000 today, compared to 54,000 a week ago. Deaths higher than they were but comfortably under 100 a day, notwithstanding the Tuesday spike. The worst-case scenario I heard - from a Government source - suggested 200,000 new cases and up to 200 deaths a day. Still might come to that of course, the football won't have helped, but could it be that we've already peaked?

If you read the piece it's clear that bowler Mike Hendrick will be the next to go. He's not expected to see out the year, apparently. As he put it "I'm in the departure lounge but the plane hasn't quite left yet" Not sure he's sufficiently well-known enough for the Fifty but a name many of the committee would recognise, I'm sure. Cricket star's cancer message after the most important catch of his life - Derbyshire Live (derbytelegraph.co.uk)

'Tactical, yet somehow pointless, edit.'