So it’s the last Tuesday before ANZAC Day, but in the meantime, I celebrated another major anniversary in the history of Australian sport…

It was 15 years since Jason Gillespie brought up the first double century by a nightwatchman in the history of Test cricket, on what was his 31st birthday:

Dizzy has the lowest batting average of any player to score a double century in Test cricket – 18.73.

The next lowest is Wasim Akram on 22.64.

If you ask me, the AFL should follow the example should follow the example of Europe and form their own Super League

They should invite the best 10 clubs in Victoria, and the 8 next best from around the country and start their own football league.

Collingwood and Essendon’s guernseys, really putting the Clash in ANZAC Day Clash

Dear lord, it’s the biggest Clash I’ve seen since The Clash filmed the music video for Rock The Casbah:

How the hell did nobody at AFL House realise that was going to be a issue.

The film awards season has been so invisible in the press that I didn’t even realise that the Academy Awards are on Monday morning

I’ll give you a bit of time to process that, although I imagine your reaction will be something along the lines of Stephen A. Smith:

To the person who keeps looking up “don mckinnon pissed on field” in the search bar

I find you slightly disturbing.

In the past week there’s been 40 visits to that random little ‘It Happens’ article I wrote about the Don McKinnon Lang Park leak…. I’ve never advertised it and it’s surged past 400 views.

The reading patterns of some people just plain disturb me.

What a difference a fortnight makes

Not even two weeks back in a well-publicised incident in Bogotá, my fellow Sandgroper Astra Sharma copped one of the most incompetent umpiring decisions in the history of Open tennis (Her opponent was incorrectly awarded 2 points), denying her what should’ve been 0-40 early in the final set that she eventually lost, causing her WTA ranking to drop into the low 160s….

But, getting straight back on the horse, Sharma matched a career-best performance by reaching the Final of the one-off Charleston 250 tournament, taking on the top-seeded Ons Jabeur, and despite being a rank outsider and dropping the 1st Set 6-2, Sharma fought back to win the 2nd 7-5, then took out her maiden WTA title with a 6-1 cruise through the deciding set:

I did read on ‘the forums’ that people were wondering what on earth her winners’ trophy was, but upon further reading, it’s based on a Carolina sweetgrass basket, a traditional form of art that was brought from Africa to America by the slaves made to work on the plantations:

You know what else I enjoyed about that?

She was wearing crew socks.

The Sydney Swans have found out that life evens itself out

In Round 4, the Swans won despite kicking fewer goals than their opposition.

In Round 5, the Swans lost despite kicking more goals than their opposition.

On both occasions, the winning team kicked 17 behinds.

It’s amazing to see the Melbourne Victory suffer the worst night in their history twice in one season

They lose 6-0 to City in March, then they go one better and lose 7-0 to finally eject Grant Brebner as manager:

“This is the worst night in hour history!”

“The worst night in your history SO FAR!”

Actual captivating education from Matthew Johns about structures versus principles with rugby league playmakers

For people like me who don’t totally understand rugbaleeg, I found it captivating listening to Matty and Paul Kent:

Who’d have thought the guy that hosts the closest thing Fox League has to a light entertainment program could pull that off.

It’s almost as if he used to play….

Geelong’s Catman has retired, now simply to be known by his alter ego of Troy West

He had a fantastic run as everyone’s favourite slightly disturbing superfan, and I’d like to see someone else (Probably not Teach Kellett) continue Troy’s legacy of coating themselves in blue and white hoops and standing out among the faithful at The Cattery…

And I think Daryl Somers is the perfect candidate:

“literally identical energy”

Originally tweeted by jackson langford (@jacksonlangford)

And finally, here’s a small highlight of how the weekend’s Bowls WA Community Shield finished up before I write the Manning report tomorrow…

This was one of the ends when the Trevor Chappells played the Basso Boys, who as the name suggests, come from Bassendean – My shot that hit the jack was on the left, and who I think was named Shakesy was on the right after he hit it again:

I kid you not, we measured both shots, but the jack must’ve somehow ended up perfectly in the middle of them both, because there was quite literally nothing between them, so it was called a tied end and no score was recorded, as per the rules/laws of the game of bowls.

Ultimately the Basso Boys won the match 8-3, but in the wash-up, I can confirm that the Trevor Chappells finished as the highest-ranked team from Manning, with a mighty EQUAL 9TH PLACE.

SORRY KOCHIE, I CAN’T HEAR YOU FROM DOWN THERE IN 11TH.