[Insert title here] - 18 October 2015

If only you knew, Will... 

Will Hutton writes in the Guardian about the crisis of morale in the public sector. Amusingly, if you're into black humour, he talks of a ten-year pay freeze in real terms. If only, as I won't have had a pay rise that wasn't a real terms cut unless CPI stays as low as it currently is. It won't though...

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

It doesn't matter how wide the margin is, as long as there is one...

A win for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy over Tamil Nadu by one wicket, after a late collapse. We are top of the league, yes we are top of the league...

Talking about a liberal migration policy in Hungary...

ALDE has drawn up some proposals for a liberal migration policy for Europe, having held a workshop on the subject a week ago. I've contacted Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary, but do you have any ideas? Get in touch, and I'll let you have a copy of the resolution. Deadline for amendments is Friday, so time is short...


Vegetarians, you might want to look away now...

One of the many joys of having Ros around the place more often is that she cooks. Don't get me wrong, I can (and often do) cook. It's just that Ros is better at it, and we have more time (yes, I do help...). Tonight, a rack of lamb has been consumed, courtesy of our local farm butcher. It was delicious...

Mumbai and the Ranji Trophy - talk about a set of coincidences...

The Ranji Trophy

So, after a pretty horrible season, and a dramatic win over Baroda in the penultimate round of fixtures, it all came down to the last round. In group A, with three to qualify for the quarter-finals, Karnataka were through, whilst Baroda and Tamil Nadu, in second and third, played each other, the winner guaranteed a place and the loser, possibly.

With the intriguing points system - six points for a win, a bonus point for a win by an innings or ten wickets, three points for a draw with a first innings lead and a point for a draw otherwise, it was possible for any two of six teams to qualify.

Elsewhere, Railways needed to beat bottom of the table Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh needed to beat Bengal to stand a chance, whilst Mumbai took on probably the best state side in the country on form, Karnataka, probably needing a win to be certain.

Despite a good showing on day 1, Mumbai looked to at best have gained three points, which meant that, as the fourth day dawned, Mumbai needed the following;

• Baroda to lose to Tamil Nadu
• Railways to fail to beat Uttar Pradesh, and
• Madhya Pradesh to fail to beat Bengal

The first looked likely, the second was completely open, and Bengal were following on against Madhya Pradesh. And, would you believe it, Tamil Nadu strolled to victory, whilst Uttar Pradesh comfortably made their target to beat Railways. It wasn't looking good for Bengal though as, needing 295 to avoid an innings defeat, they were 212-7 just after lunch. Surely, a struggling team like Bengal weren't going to resist for nearly two sessions?

But, the gap closed slowly but surely, and Madhya Pradesh couldn't make the breakthrough. Mumbai and Karnataka had shaken hands on the inevitable draw, and the Bengal eighth-wicket partnership ground on through nearly fifty-four overs, until the deficit was made up and a draw agreed.

There can't be much doubt that Mumbai have been rather more fortunate than their form deserves, and a quarter-final against Delhi will probably turn out to be the end of their season. But, all credit, they took the chance offered to them, and who knows, they've got nothing to lose now...

Ranji Trophy, 9th Round, Mumbai vs Karnataka

It is one of those strange things that, in all the years I have been coming to India, I have never actually seen any live cricket. And so, I've made my way to the Wankhede Stadium, between the commercial hub and the sea, to catch the last session of the first day's play.

For the visitors, the match means relatively little, as they qualified easily for the quarter-finals, but for Mumbai, the traditional giants of Indian domestic cricket, it is a must win game, following an erratic season. Losing their opener to the minnows of Jammu & Kashmir, at home, no less, set the tone, and an inexperienced batting line-up has struggled to impose itself.

The stadium itself is almost deserted, despite free admission - there are probably no more than 350 people in a stadium that seats over 60,000 - and the seats are thick with dust, reflecting just how grim the air quality in the city is. It's noisy too, with the railway into Churchgate rattling by just behind me, and plenty of traffic noise too.

Mumbai batted first, and were 230-5 when I arrived, just before the tea interval, and have pushed on since, knowing that their best chance is to make quick runs and give themselves as much time as they can to break down a strong Karnataka batting side. Even the new ball appears to be making little difference, as the sixth wicket partnership accelerates, making their runs at more than four an over.

So, all in all, not a bad day for the home side - even the local sea eagles, perched on top of the Vijay Merchant Stand, seem to approve. We'll see though...

What do Bahrain, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Japan, Nigeria and Suriname have in common?

The answer, surprisingly, is that they will all be competing at cricket next week. Qualification for the next ICC World Cup has just concluded, with Canada, Ireland, Kenya and the Netherlands joining the big boys in 2011. So, what are Bahrain et al playing for? World Cricket League 7, the lowest tier of the international cricket pyramid. But they're not just playing for promotion to the next level, they're all kicking off the qualifying phase for the 2015 ICC World Cup.

It is entirely possible for a team to rise up through the divisions, as Afghanistan's romantic journey from League 5 to the edge of qualification for the World Cup demonstrated. So, good luck to the six teams, who can look forward to games against the likes of Botswana, Germany and Vanuatu in the next stage if they're successful...

Summer is over... at last it's time to celebrate!

I have had the dubious privilege for supporting my beloved martlets for more than thirty years, one of the cursed collection of sporting teams which suffer my backing with more forbearance than I deserve.

However, days like today make it worthwhile, as Sussex County Cricket Club swept to a thoroughly deserved County Championship, slaughtering Nottinghamshire by an innings and 245 runs as Trent Bridge... this is cricket we're talking about, for the benefit of those who are wondering what I'm on about. When Sussex won the title in 2003, the Wisden headline was '164 years of hurt, never stopped believing' and I have to admit that I had begun to despair of ever celebrating the glory of victory.

The star? Who else but Mushtaq Ahmed, apparently not good enough to play for his country yet perfectly capable of destroying a series of opposition batting line-ups in spite of a collection of strains, muscle pulls and other ailments that would have left most Premiership footballers in the treatment room for months.

But let's not fail to recognise Chris Adams, Michael Yardy, Jason Lewry and so many others whose efforts led to our best season ever, with the C&G Trophy to add to the cabinet. If only I had the time to go and take in a day or two... maybe next season...