One of my favourite writers is actually Alison Graham, TV editor of the Radio Times. If you don't know the publication, that isn't an oxymoron - the magazine was founded in the 1920s to cover the fledgling BBC radio service. Still run by the BBC, it now covers all British TV and radio. Her funniest work was the now sadly erstwhile "Soap and Flannel" coverage of the top British soap operas, but her previews and weekly TV column are brilliantly written, entertaining and often thought-provoking. Of course, you're never going to agree with everything a critic says. And, as befitting someone who's TV preferences I feel tend to veer more towards style than substance, I sometimes wonder if she spins a roulette wheel to decide which opinion she's going to have, before wrapping her wonderful writing style around it. Ah, the curse of having those empty column inches to fill!
This week, she's gone for the particularly contentious, rejoicing at the axing of Where the Warm Heartbeat Practice Is - or is it just called Heartbeat? - the zenith of those cosy Sunday night dramas. A few years ago she remarked on the torrent of disagreement she received when criticising the show.
Oh, and there's a little aside about Wimbledon: "Tennis commentary is the most pointless of all sports' commentaries. What's to say about two people who thump a ball with metronomic tedium, to and fro, across a net?"
As pointless as writing millions of words about a few moving pictures on the front of a box, perhaps?
Monday 19 July 2010
Friday 16 July 2010
Reasons To Be Cheerful?
So, it was an even bigger "must-win", and "should-win", tie than team GB's previous few Davis Cup match-ups; but this time they obliged. Britain is safe from relegation - for now - to the lowest possible tier of the competition. With a perfect 5-0 win last weekend, they're free to continue playing at the dizzying heights of Euro-Africa Zone Group Two. If things go well, they could play, at the end of next year, for promotion to Euro-Africa Zone Group One.
Which means it's hardly a cause for spectacular celebration. Accordingly, the festivities were a little subdued - from the team and the crowd - as Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski secured the tie victory by winning the doubles rubber on Saturday. They knew they'd done what they had to do, hopefully part of a building block.
With no south stand or additional rows to the east stand - those temporary seats are taken away at the end of the Aegon International - the remaining seating never looked more than sixty percent full, and that was probably a generous estimation. BBC local radio was told that around 2000 of the 5000 available tickets had been sold.
Considering July weather is as unpredictable as the rest of the year in Britain, the weather was the same as the last Davis Cup tie to be held in Eastbourne (July 2006) - far hotter than the June tournament's been in the last twenty years. In '06 I was in the east stand, and a slight lack of sun lotion on my wrist led to my first sunburning in Britain since I was a child! This time I was in the west stand, and later in the afternoon, given all the empty seats, was able to move up into the shade.
The "tennis village" of shops also wasn't as large in terms of number of stalls as during the Aegon International, but there was still some decent memorabilia on sale.
So, a pretty good weekend for all who attended. And the few Turkish supporters, who were barely visible in the crowd, probably didn't have too many expectations of a tie win. Though they might have harboured realistic hopes Turkish no. 1 Marsel Ilhan would beat James Ward in the second rubber. Although he'd lost to Ward in two close matches earlier this year, he's ranked 200 places higher than the Brit, and recently qualified for Wimbledon and reached the second round. But Ward showed some of the great form that saw him beat Feliciano Lopez and Rainer Schuettler at Eastbourne three weeks before.
The criticism of British tennis goes on, of course, and justifiably. Brit Richard Bloomfield, who had a terrific run to the semi-finals of the ATP tournament in Newport last week, has joined the seemingly endless number of people to question the LTA's running of the British game.
But Ward, Fleming, Skupski and Jamie Baker look like impressive late bloomers, albeit at a modest level. It was particularly cheering to see Baker play his first Davis Cup since the World Group match against Argentina in early 2008. Although Britain lost the tie, Baker impressed with his wholly unexpected victory in the dead rubber, defeating Agustin Calleri on clay in Buenos Aires. But his progress was shockingly derailed by life-threatening illness. Now thankfully recovered, he's risen back up from 1000 in the world to just outside the top 250.
Right now, and in the immediate future, Britain of course need Andy Murray if they're to do anything noteworthy in the Davis Cup. And there's no chance of being back in the World Group before 2013. But at least there are tiny signs of some back-up for Murray in big ties, providing he plays.
Which means it's hardly a cause for spectacular celebration. Accordingly, the festivities were a little subdued - from the team and the crowd - as Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski secured the tie victory by winning the doubles rubber on Saturday. They knew they'd done what they had to do, hopefully part of a building block.
With no south stand or additional rows to the east stand - those temporary seats are taken away at the end of the Aegon International - the remaining seating never looked more than sixty percent full, and that was probably a generous estimation. BBC local radio was told that around 2000 of the 5000 available tickets had been sold.
Considering July weather is as unpredictable as the rest of the year in Britain, the weather was the same as the last Davis Cup tie to be held in Eastbourne (July 2006) - far hotter than the June tournament's been in the last twenty years. In '06 I was in the east stand, and a slight lack of sun lotion on my wrist led to my first sunburning in Britain since I was a child! This time I was in the west stand, and later in the afternoon, given all the empty seats, was able to move up into the shade.
The "tennis village" of shops also wasn't as large in terms of number of stalls as during the Aegon International, but there was still some decent memorabilia on sale.
So, a pretty good weekend for all who attended. And the few Turkish supporters, who were barely visible in the crowd, probably didn't have too many expectations of a tie win. Though they might have harboured realistic hopes Turkish no. 1 Marsel Ilhan would beat James Ward in the second rubber. Although he'd lost to Ward in two close matches earlier this year, he's ranked 200 places higher than the Brit, and recently qualified for Wimbledon and reached the second round. But Ward showed some of the great form that saw him beat Feliciano Lopez and Rainer Schuettler at Eastbourne three weeks before.
The criticism of British tennis goes on, of course, and justifiably. Brit Richard Bloomfield, who had a terrific run to the semi-finals of the ATP tournament in Newport last week, has joined the seemingly endless number of people to question the LTA's running of the British game.
But Ward, Fleming, Skupski and Jamie Baker look like impressive late bloomers, albeit at a modest level. It was particularly cheering to see Baker play his first Davis Cup since the World Group match against Argentina in early 2008. Although Britain lost the tie, Baker impressed with his wholly unexpected victory in the dead rubber, defeating Agustin Calleri on clay in Buenos Aires. But his progress was shockingly derailed by life-threatening illness. Now thankfully recovered, he's risen back up from 1000 in the world to just outside the top 250.
Right now, and in the immediate future, Britain of course need Andy Murray if they're to do anything noteworthy in the Davis Cup. And there's no chance of being back in the World Group before 2013. But at least there are tiny signs of some back-up for Murray in big ties, providing he plays.
Wednesday 7 July 2010
Davis Comes To Town
So, Eastbourne isn't quite done with world class tennis events this year. Just three weeks after the Aegon International, and the Davis Cup has come to town. It's the first time the prestigious men's team event has been hosted in the town since Great Britain faced Israel in a Euro/Africa Zone Group One tie in July 2006. GB needed to beat Israel to avoid a relegation play-off. They lost.
Four years on, if they lose to Turkey, Britain will be relegated to the lowest possible tier: Euro/Africa Zone Three. It's scarcely believable that the country that gives the world Wimbledon - and, of course, makes considerable money from the Grand Slam event - should be in such a position.
The Davis Cup is more low-key in its preparations than the Aegon International. Devonshire Park was still open to the public yesterday, as both the British and Turkish teams practised ahead of Friday's opening rubbers.
There isn't the buzz surrounding the event that there was in 2006. Much of it surrounded Andy Murray, whose singles rubber win against renowned Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram was not only his first career win from two sets down, but also his first ever five sets triumph.
This time there aren't the star names to excite the crowds, and there's louder disappointment at the continued stagnation of the British men's game below - well below - Mr Murray. But Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski are becoming quite a useful doubles pairing - 2 ATP titles and the Eastbourne final among their highlights in the last year - and James Ward played way above expectations at the Eastbourne singles event. But, even though few fervent tennis fans outside Turkey can tell you much about the Turkish players, British fans know only too well that no opposition can be written off.
Four years on, if they lose to Turkey, Britain will be relegated to the lowest possible tier: Euro/Africa Zone Three. It's scarcely believable that the country that gives the world Wimbledon - and, of course, makes considerable money from the Grand Slam event - should be in such a position.
The Davis Cup is more low-key in its preparations than the Aegon International. Devonshire Park was still open to the public yesterday, as both the British and Turkish teams practised ahead of Friday's opening rubbers.
There isn't the buzz surrounding the event that there was in 2006. Much of it surrounded Andy Murray, whose singles rubber win against renowned Israeli doubles specialist Andy Ram was not only his first career win from two sets down, but also his first ever five sets triumph.
This time there aren't the star names to excite the crowds, and there's louder disappointment at the continued stagnation of the British men's game below - well below - Mr Murray. But Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski are becoming quite a useful doubles pairing - 2 ATP titles and the Eastbourne final among their highlights in the last year - and James Ward played way above expectations at the Eastbourne singles event. But, even though few fervent tennis fans outside Turkey can tell you much about the Turkish players, British fans know only too well that no opposition can be written off.
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