We can lose the short (well shorter but not as short as the really short) game too!!!

Tassie Thylacines almost extinct? A loss to Queensland. I guess though the team may have been in shock. How come Graham Manou was picked before Brady Jones to replace Tim Paine?

What are the Aussie selectors thinking?

Time to walk that dog again Andrew!

Tassie Selectors Shock!!!! Unchanged team

Fresh from a crashing defeat to the lowly South Australians - minnows if ever there were minnows - the courageous Tassie selectors have "resisted the temptation" to change the team for the next Pura Cup game. No, why change a losing formula?

For the game against Queensland we are unchanged. So, I suspect, will be the result.

I can only ponder how our own expat Kerryl Grey will take the news in Timor-Leste!

Still he was successful in his one man campaign to rid Tassie cricket of the influence of Dene Hills - now he is at the Australian Centre of Excellence for Cricket in Brisbane! Nice one Kerryl!

And a slightly larger fish!!!!

This was one of two caught by the master of the Valley - those with a good geographical and topographical knowledge may be able to identify this particular spot.

Click on this photo to enlarge the fish!

Fishing in the Fingal valley

Here is something to feast upon:

Click on this photo to enlarge the fish!

Tasmanian Tigers - they're a victory machine!!!

Remember the words to the old Tasmanian Tigers theme song. Well, for some time there has been something very wrong with the machine.

Not too long ago we won the Pura Milk (National Foods) Cup. Since then it has been all downhill - apart from the odd 50 over victory. If we are going to continue to play like we did in Adelaide this week perhaps we should give up our spot in the competition.

What happened to our new opening combination? Why was our middle order so poor - apart from Bailey's 90 - second innings though it was? Our bowling was ordinary - Gerard Denton was a better bowler for Victoria than for his home State.

Each year we hear that they boys have had a great pre-season. Well Tim, it is time to do better once the season actually starts.

I think the contract system has made it all too cosy - you can plod along with the odd 20 or 30 and stay in the team while being well rewarded and promoted as a celebrity - you could make a string of 100s in grade cricket and be ignored. Bring back picking on form -something that has largely disappeared from the national scene too.

I'm dreaming up a new theme song - something like

" we're gone,

we're beat,

our innings is complete,

we're no good as a team,

we're just a thylacine!"

Tomorrow of course with Painey and Hilfy in the team may be a different story altogether.

Mind you our new keeper Brady Jones now has a higher Shield average than Painey!

Bring on the T20 competition.

Spring

Just something I snapped a week ago.

Season Wrap Up

The Mighty Taroona Pirates (under 15 version) attended the Youth Presentations today - a good time to reflect on the season just gone. The only team to beat the team that won the comp and the team that stopped the second team - Huon Valley from winning the comp by coming back from the dead to draw 3 all after being 3 nil down at half time and playing the game in a swimming pool. Not a bad result - in all the Taroona team under the Master Chef Geoff were a competition POWER BROKER. A Graham Richardson of the FFA - or more a John Faulkner - solid, reliable and sharp - making the significant moves.

James the Artist Cherry won the coach's award for his all round contribution. Will the Wall Hunt picked up the best and fairest. Well Done James and Willo.

Next year the Masterchef will go around again .. another year over hot pots and pans cooking up scenarios that would astound Peter Temple. Bring it on - after a long glorious summer (Yeah Right!).