Obviously because of the Cup yesterday, this week’s Tuesday Tithbits is on Wednesday, simply because I didn’t have enough time yesterday to write up something resembling the usual Tuesday garbage, and the added problem was I couldn’t imbue my thoughts in a look at State of Origin.

Now straight off the top, in the Chalk Eaters on Monday, I made the same tired old joke from Caulfield Cup Day about Anthony van Dyck, and how certain people who don’t follow the game will ask “Anthony Van Dyck? Who’s he riding?”

Donning the Captain Hindsight cape, If I had known that poor old Tony was going to get promoted to glory due to an injury, then yes, I may not have made that joke repeatedly throughout the last 3 weeks.

But, I said what I said, and I can’t take it back.

Reminder that there won’t be a Bowls report tomorrow

The ladies are playing their Pennants today, so Jack Attack has the week off – In the meantime, here’s some moments in time from the Calcutta at Manning Memorial on Monday evening.

The great cob Darren McAullay hosted the night, with form analysis from my old neighbour Tim ‘The Toolman’ Walker:

There was a grand total of $31,800 in the pool, which was a record for the Club in the 11 years they’ve been organising the Calcutta:

Hahahahaha, we have no idea how Surprise Baby got $3400.

Just showing the appeal of the Manning experience, the creatures from Safety Bay came with their syndicate, gave themselves a virus from all the Coronas they drank, and went home.

As always, it was a funny old night, as I fell about 9 tickets short of pulling out Stratum Albion.

An EXCLUSIVE prediction for State of Origin I tonight

Cameron Munster to change his name to Cameron Munted.

Anyway, I think the Cockroaches might get this one tonight.

Tom Browne, proving that if you’re not first, you’re last

Apparently Heather Knight goes alright

So she’s now scored 146 runs in 5 games, which is still No.1 in this rain-affected WBBL season, but she did lose the lead in the wicket-takers race, given Sam Bates took 3-9 at the end of the innings, and now has 7 for the year, with Knight equal 2nd on 6.

Anyway, the Thunder are doing pretty good.

A look back at October for the site

Thanks to numerous minor factors throughout the year, like actually getting an extra 6 weeks worth of posts at the start of the year compared to 2019, and massive coincidental viewership spikes throughout the various lockdowns….

I officially bettered my pissy little total views from 2019 on the night of the AFL Grand Final.

So that was 2019, and the big one was I only had 701 search engine results.

Now this is 2020:

I can tell you that number is now 21,165 for the year, and the search engine results are up to 2,775 for the year.

I think that first Coincidences thread I wrote back on ANZAC Day in 2019, that had the reference to the Leap Year premiers, accounted for a huge chunk of those searches…..

Strangely enough, that dried up after bloody Port Adelaide ruined it in the Preliminary Final.

Anyway, this is what you call GROWTH.

Here’s another quirky Australian F1 stat after the weekend

Daniel Ricciardo joined Alan Jones in 1980 as the only Australians to stand on the podium for a Formula One Grand Prix at Imola.

Here’s the quirk.

Imola has now appeared in 28 seasons of the World Championship, and is best remembered for hosting the San Marino Grand Prix for the best part of 26 seasons….

But Ricciardo and Jones stood on the podium in the only years where Imola DIDN’T host the ‘San Marino’ Grand Prix.

Obviously this year it was run as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and back in 1980, Imola hosted the Italian Grand Prix, because Monza was being refurbished.

It remains the only time that Monza hasn’t hosted the Italian Grand Prix in the 70-year history of F1.

Two fantastic finishes on Country Cup Wednesday

Superb racing at the traditional Wednesday out at Kyneton, with yet another edition of the Kyneton Cup coming down to a driving finish, in what must be the third time in the last four editions – Mongolian Marshal got the nose down on the line.

Last year I backed Double You Tee (Who ran 3rd in this edition) and he got nutted on the line… this time I’ve bloody well backed Bartholomeu Dias, and he’s somehow gone down by a nose.

25 minutes later, this was the finish in the rescheduled Goulburn Cup, as young Tommy Sherry on Chat lost yet another feature race in a photo finish, this time to Al Mah Haha.

Protest that, you buggers.

2020 has done a number on South Australian cricket

In the space of about 3 weeks of this Sheffield Shield season:

Ashton Agar scores an unbeaten century and takes a 5fer in the opening match.

Then, in an event rarer than Haley’s Comet, Tim Paine scores a century against them…

Travis Head spared them the pain of defeat.

And completing this trilogy of terror….

Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski shattered the all-time record for the greatest partnership in Sheffield Shield history.

They should be thankful that Head managed to cancel out the last two beatings with some magnificent centuries, because their bowling attack is a batsman’s wet dream.

Mitch Wishnowsky might be the best player on the 49ers right now

And with all the injuries they’ve suddenly picked up, I’m not kidding.