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borisbubbles · 5 years

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Eurovision 2010s: 85 - 81

85. Norma John - “Blackbird” Finland 2017

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[2017 Review here]

What a beautiful gothic swansong. ❤ Man, I don’t even need to tell you how robbed “Blackbird” really was. The song is (Edgar Allan) Poetry come to life. Leena delivers a gorgeous, haunting, ethereal voice that sends leaves me stunned in silence. It’s not my type of Eurovision song, at all, but it’s one of the best in its genre.

Of course, what bloats Norma John’s ranking even further is that they are also ROBBED NQ ANGELS. I have already liberally spoken about the baffling decisions made by the 2017 SF1 juries, but Jesus-fucking-Christ on a bike: Tamara = musical torture + a *FAILED* a cape throw: 62 points!!! Martina = endless jazz tedium + hideous yellow & purple lights: 81 points!!! Norma John = a time-transcending loss ballad + perfect vocal delivery: ...41 points??? . . . The ubiquitous bullying of Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest DISGUSTS ME and I’ll continue opposing it by giving their entries the spotlight they DESERVE! 🤗

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84. Molly Sterling - “Playing with numbers” Ireland 2015

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Yet another robbed NQ angel. 😭 The one time I love an Irish entry and it gets christerigged out of the finales. LeSigh. “Playing with numbers” holds a special place in my heart because it’s the 1 ~great~ Irish entry we’re getting every decade. Seriously, I... should totally keep my anti-Ireland rants for the addendum since this update is Ireland’s funeral, but honestly, is “THEY FUCKING SUCK!!!” really that much of a spoiler? Seven victories my ass. 🙄

Anyway, back to Molly. It’s a similar deal to Joan Franka and Norma John to me: “Playing with numbers” feels like a genuine song by an earnest singer, telling a real story, and I’m INVESTED in their life, happiness and success.

However, two more things set “Playing with numbers” apart for me. One, Molly is an INTROVERTED INDIE GIRL 😍, which is one of my favourite Eurovision tropes (e.g.: Ieva, Blanche, Michela, Tinkara, Francesca, all of whom are still alive in this ranking). Two, Molly takes the pleasant-sounding but otherwise insipid sentimentality often found in Irish entries and turns it into a fresh, root-worthy experience. Which is impressive considering how generally indifferent I am to the Irish sound. And now for the seamless transition into this:

Was this Ireland’s worst decade? I am not sure, actually. Ireland is one of my least favourite eurovision countries in general, but the worst Irish decade between the 2000s and this one. The 2000s had a higher high (”ET CETERA” 😍), but also three of the worst entries of ALL TIME (Millennium of Love, Dervish and D*st*n th* T*rk*y), so they were probably worse. Regardless, with 80% of the entries being bad or boring, Ireland is EASILY my least favourite country in this decade (though in my ranking they mathematically outrank Croatia, proving once and for all that maths is a total waste of time [in rankings]). With their tendency to qualify in mostly weak years (2013 excepted), Europe tends to agree. Hopefully they can capitalize on the KEiiNO craze by sending an ethnobanger in 2020, but watch them try to flimsily copy “Proud” and flop. 🙄

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83. Luca Hänni - “She got me” Switzerland 2019

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After Eleni had set the world ~en fuego~ last year, the least one could expect was a slew of trashy reggaetons that paid tribute at her altar to slayage. Of the many pretenders, Luca was by far the most faithful adaptation. “She got me” is literally (literally literally) genderswapped “Fuego”. 😍

However, because there already was a precendent for me to like here, I found it generally easier to get into Luca than Eleni. Fortunately, I also managed to appreciate Luca for Luca. I expected him to be a meatheaded oaf and was ready to roll my eyes at his fukboi’esque stupidity. Thank fuck I was wrong, because, a of all the dumb jock of the year was in fact Chingiz (again, this man celebrates via flexing) and b of all Luca proved himself a hyperactive bromosexual spazz with NO attention span whatsoever. 😍 OBSERVE his hilariously clunky ~DiRtYdAnCinN~

Luca also provided the #1 Interview Moment of 2019 (not featuring Godper Santl), which was this hilariously awkward exchange with an Icelandic reporter on Hatari’s payroll who asks him whether his song is about the oppression of women (0:76), after which Luca SUDDENLY has to “go to the toilet” (aka ask permission)

Later, the same reporter then calls his song a Hegelian dialectic (02:24) and Luca’s reaction can only be described as ‘experiencing a human bluescreen of death’, after which he’s swiftly whisked away by a handler. 😍

and the Swiss HoD has to step in (Actual quote: “It’s the accent, he cannot understand you right” 😍) and take over and it turns into deepest discussion about feminism. 😍 while Luca obliviously spazzes out in the background as his memory chip is updated <3

All of this was more than enough to endear me to Luca AND pull “She got me” into the Love zone, exactly like Eleni did a year ago. However, when you have to rate a great entry that borrows everything from another great entry...

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82. Eleni Foureira - “Fuego” Cyprus 2018

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[2018 Review here]

...it is important to remember that the original is always better. And yes, Eleni and Luca are just two sides of the same genderflipped coin and you won’t convince me otherwise:

Both are infectuous reggaetons with a playfully flirtatious undertone, Both are trashfests with hilarious lyrics (”When she go low / She go solo” is the new “You got my pelican fly-fly-flying”) Both feature even more hilarious attempts at “singing” Both were the poulains of Sacha Jean-Baptiste, carried into top five because they’re ~worth it~ [/l’oréal] Both convinced jurors of their worth, despite being (g)utter trash.😍🤭

However, I prefer Eleni for several reasons. Firstly, yes she is the original ~mediterrenean trashpop diva~ entry and none of the copycats improved on her formula (well, Michela did but “Chameleon” has outgrown its “Fuego Clone” label, more on that when I get to her in a few updates).

Secondly, um, Eleni is a f’cking goddess?

What a hair-flippingly gracious force of FIERCE. 😍 I’m glad she got to return this year for the epic Song Switch interval act: Spamming gifs here since I am currently out of embedding credit:

What a star. I am BALD and STRAIGHT!! Her rank is limited by the fact that I still am not ~Fully In Love~ with her song, but more than anything Eleni proved herself as an indisputed performance queen and I cannot wait to see her cameos in the future editions yet to come.

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81. The Common Linnets - “Calm after the storm” The Netherlands 2014

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Lmao I forgot it took like 46 seconds to get to the song because of Basim’s giant banner <3

Anyway, Common Linnets, Common Linnets :snaps fingers: 🤔 what is there to write that hasn’t been said or written many times, by people more passionate about them than I am? Well, I love that Ilse and Waylon rolled with an authentic country song instead of the baseborn country pop the Netherlands is famous for. (Check this Walzing Matilda sound-a-like out, courtesy of ms. DeLange). The Linnets have stellar chemistry, especially for two people who can’t stand each other irl:

The act is a cinematic masterpiece, framed beautifully by Hans Pancake’s critically acclaimed motion-picture-like style. It transforms “Calm after the storm” into an oasis of tranquility, which still holds up to this very day.

So, overall, I would say “Calm after the storm” is a pretty great entry. It’s a well-composed song, lacking in campness, avoiding incompetence, not requiring mind-blowing artistry or loud-as-fuck circus gimmicks to reach it’s full potential. It is competent and well-produced. The perfect entry for anyone who watches Eurovision for the music.

However, um... I am not one those people. I love trashy pseudo-ethnic schlager bangers.I love underappreciated indie darling. I love the staging circus of Eurovision. I love personality quirks and unprofessionalism. I LOVE shit like Gasper Santl calling out bad journalism in front of the assembled press or Al Bano walking on the 76 stage and INSTANTLY forgetting his lyrics. Eurovision is made perfect by its imperfections.

So for ~me personally~ "Calm after the storm” doesn’t offer me enough, and we’re close to entering the endgame of this ranking. You need to step up your game, because at this point, having a great song will no longer be good enough to avoid the cut.

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Netherlands #Cyprus #Switzerland #Ireland #Finland #Norma John #Blackbird #Molly Stirling #Playing with numbers #Luca Hänni #she gotta have it #Eleni Foureira #Fuego #Common Linnets #Ilse Delange #waylon smithers #Calm after the storm

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nickireadstfc · 7 years

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The King’s Men, Chapter 2 – Welcome Back, I Guess

In which the squad is reunited in the usual heartfelt fashion, Andrew has inquiries about learning curves, we finally find a hashtag for Abby, and Neil gets a makeover.

Sounds good? Then it’s time for Nicki to read The King’s Men.

Hello hello hello! It’s been almost exactly three months since I last updated this trainwreck of a blog, holy shit. I have no one to blame but my own lazy ass.

But none of that matters because – here we are! The hellride continues, fucking finally.

In other news: We hit 1,000 followers during hiatus!

Wowzie. I’m still stunned by the number of people who want to read my bullshit antics.

So, if you’ve only found this blog during my hiatus – welcome! If you’ve been around for this shitshow since the beginning – welcome back!

Here’s to the rest of the series.

(Oh boy.)

[Neil] needed his teammates to think he was okay. That meant going about the day as if Christmas had never happened. He bought himself time to lock his thoughts down by going for the world’s slowest run down Perimeter Road.

Neil, I love you, I truly do. You are a brave, defiant, proud soul, armed with a battalion of wit and a truly unbreakable spirit.

But you are also an absolute, absolute cockhead.

DO NOT JOG WHEN YOU JUST HAD EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY BROKEN, YOU MASSIVE FUCKING SHITBRAIN.

Neil’s body is apparently an inkling smarter than his mush brain, because it immediately punishes him by making him fall asleep in the library. Serves him right.

And how does he wake up? By my absolute, absolute favourite line in this book so far.

Fingers digging into the back of his skull startled him awake. (…) “Is your learning curve a horizontal line?” Andrew asked. “I told you yesterday to stop making my life difficult.”

IS YOUR LEARNING CURVE A HORIZONTAL LINE, holy shit. Andrew, my boy, my man, never ever ever let me doubt your sass capabilities.

(Not that I ever did, because honestly.)

This may not only be my favourite line in this book so far, but also my favourite line Andrew has ever let past his small rage-filled lips. Is your learning curve a horizontal line.

Tattoo this on my body, paint this on my walls, print this on a blanket and bury me in it.

On a more somber note – this is how our boy Neil wakes up, en detail:

Fingers digging into the back of his skull startled him awake. He grabbed for a gun, for a knife, for anything close enough to buy him room to flee, and sent the computer mouse skidding across the table.

Does that violent, alert way of waking up ring any bells? Like, any?

The Neil/Andrew parallels are real, you guys, and I am so here for it.

Andrew and the gang fetch Neil to drive to the stadium for fun Fox reunion times, and in the car, Neil makes an interesting discovery:

A car key was fastened to the adapter head with a rubber band. (…) Either Andrew had confiscated Nicky’s copy or he’d gone out and gotten Neil one of his own. Neither option made much sense to Neil. He’d only used Andrew’s car because Andrew needed a second driver in his absence.

Oh… my… actual… fuck. How can anybody be this OBLIVIOUS. Harry Potter who?

Whether Neil realizes it or not, they are now Car Sharing Boyfriends™ and I am loving the fuck out of this development.

Upon arriving at the Foxhole, Abby confiscates Neil in order to look him over, meaning we’re in for some good good healthy Abby lovin’ in this time of stress.

“You won’t ask [about the contact lenses and the hair]?” Neil said.

“I’ve seen you scars, Neil. I’m not as surprised as I should be to find out they’re not the only things you hide. I want to ask, but you told me once already not to pry.”

Excuse me, why is Abby such an actual angel descended from the heavens. We do not deserve her and her absolute kindness. No one does.

(Lies. Neil does. Neil needs that shit.)

And because Abby is a kind and responsible woman with her head screwed on, she benches Neil for a week until he is at least marginally better – which of course, Mr Dramatic Cockhead over here does not enjoy.

“A week,” Neil echoed. “That isn’t fair.”

“No,” Abby said, and cupped his face in her hands. “This isn’t fair. None of this is.”

The pain in her voice killed Neil’s argument in his throat.

Ouch.

“Sometimes I think this job is going to kill me,” Abby said. “Seeing what people have done, what people continue to do, to my Foxes. I wish I could protect you, but I’m always too late. All I can do is patch you up afterward and hope for the best.”

Oh, ouch.

And then –

Abby folded her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. (…) The only people who’d ever hugged Neil were his teammates, and those were quick squeezes throughout a good game. His mother had pulled him close before, (…) but she’d never held him like he was something to be sheltered.

Abby, I have never loved you more than in this very moment.

I wanna make a joke about any of this, but I can’t. I’m crying.

Just – #hugsoutforabby

We’ve been searching for three books, and now we finally found a hashtag. Excuse me while I dry my tears with it.

And not enough with that – the Best Hug Ever also makes Neil think on some important stuff:

[His mother] was gone. Even if she was here, she wouldn’t have comforted him for this. She wouldn’t have held him like he was a hard breath away from shaking apart. She’d have cleaned his wounds because they couldn’t risk being slowed by infection, but she’d hit him for choosing the Foxes over his own safety.

Breaking news: Mama Josten is an actually awful human being, and Neil finally experiencing what real motherly love feels like makes him realize that.

To that, I have nothing to add.

(I do have some hands that Mama Josten can catch if I ever come across her.)

As Neil is released from Abby’s care, he finally meets up with the Foxes, and the usual heart-felt greeting formalities are exchanged – that is to say, Andrew punches the fuck out of Matt for hitting Kevin (Neil intervenes and easily stops Andrew, because, well, obvs), Nicky has exactly 0% sympathy for Matt, Matt calls Andrew crazy and Nicky a monster, and the goalie BFFs have a warm reunion by means of a curt two-second head nod.

So, you know, same old, same old.

Wymack quirked a brow at Matt, then looked to Neil and Andrew.

“Didn’t we have a talk about not killing your teammates?”

When. When has a talk like that ever worked, David.

“[Allison] is not crying,” Neil said.

Nicky grinned. “Five bucks says she is.”

Neil should have brushed it off. Maybe a month ago he would have. (…)

Neil kept the edge out of his voice, but barely. “Don’t you dare bet on someone’s grief.”

HECK YES.

My boy Neil’s development of Not Taking Any Bullshit Anymore has already begun last book and continues to grow, and I am so here for it.

Shortly before Wymack can commence his usual motivation talk, a lil unexpected something happens: As Andrew takes out a knife (which is not unexpected), Neil has War Flashbacks to his father (which is neither), but as he makes a comment about it – Renee drops in.

“I’ve never understood why he likes knives.” (…)

[Renee]’d stopped mid-sentence to stare at Neil, but the Renee studying him wasn’t the Foxes’ redeemed optimist. Her sweet smile was gone and the too-blank look in her face reminded Neil of Andrew. (…)

[Renee and Andrew] stared each other down, soundless and still, oblivious to the bewildered looks their teammates sent between them.

Uhm. What?

I thought we were done with backstory on Renee’s part. Don’t tell me my sweet murder princess has past beef with Mr Chop Chop himself. DO NOT.

What is happening.

But, alas – the moment passes, and Wymack finally starts giving them the ol’ Listen Up, Fuckers, Here’s How We’re Gonna Not Die This Season Speech.

Heads up: They’re most definitely gonna die this season.

The good news: The only reason they’re only most definitely gonna die is because the USC Trojans, the Edgar Allan Ravens and U of Penn – you know, the Three Main Fuckers – are up against each other before semi-finals, meaning one of them will bite it before they have a chance to bite the Foxes.

Yoo-fucking-hoo.

Neil “I’m Fine” Josten, of course, tries to make his case for being let off the health leash once again, but is quickly silenced by, well, every present person with half a brain.

Also – this.

“A fierce season and ample tragedies means we’re the talk of the town, and this year people might actually root for the underdog. The board want us to encourager that fever with more publicity. Expect more cameras at games, more interviews, and more nosiness in general.”

Oh yeah, because that has always worked out so goddamn well.

Let us reward your charming talent for attracting death threats every time you do so much as smell a camera by supplying more cameras.

“If I could ban some of you from ever opening your mouths in public, I would, but this is out of my hands.”

At least Wymack agrees.

And last order of today – Mission How To Get Neil To Look Less Like An Actual Punching Bag, which is elegantly solved by everything that solves every problem in a good high school/college movie:

A makeover.

Yup, you read that right, Allison swoops in like an makeup goddess descended from the high Sephora heavens (which, like – she is) and covers up Neil’s bruises like an absolute badass.

10/10 would learn how to contour and colour-block again.

Neil took [the mirror] from her outstretched hand but let it rest glass-down in his lap. Allison motioned for him to take a peek. Neil shook his head. (…)

“Not scared of Riko, but scared of your own reflection?”

Clearly, Allison has never looked into the mirror after a night spent getting thoroughly fucked up.

Or like, she just looks naturally flawless even after partying her brains out, which is honestly the more plausible answer.

Also please give me all the fanarts of Neil getting makeup tips and talking about boys with Allison, Renee and Dan, please and thank you.

Neil was tired and sore and not at all looking forward to his week off the court, but for a moment none of that mattered.

“We’re okay,” he said to the empty hall. “We’re going to be okay.”

And I’m not.

Happy fucking holidays to all of us! No matter what you’re celebrating - if aynthing at all - I wish you a wonderful time and I hope you’re all well.

Updates will - this time for real - continue in the new year. It’s my resolution, and for once I’m actually set on pulling through with it.

Have a lovely time everyone, take care.

And as always: If you like what I do here and you want to help me continue writing fun things for you, please consider buying me a coffee. Every lil bit helps, getting me through uni and all that jazz. Thanks so much!

#tfc #tkm #aftg #nicki reads tfc #I UPDATED #IT'S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE #no seriously - I wanted to have this up before the holidays as a sort of early present for all #thank you for sticking with me through this #I love you

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frontproofmedia · 3 years

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Emanuel Navarrete KOs Christopher Diaz to Retain Featherweight World Title

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Published: April 25, 2021

KISSIMMEE, Fla.— WBO featherweight world champion Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete knows how to add an exclamation point. The Mexican star knocked down Puerto Rican contender Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz four times, closing the show in the 12th round of an action-packed battle Saturday evening at Silver Spurs Arena. It was the first successful featherweight title defense for Navarrete (34-1, 29 KOs), who also reigned as WBO junior featherweight world champion. After the knockdown in the 12th, Diaz's trainer, Nelson Rodriguez, threw in the towel.

Navarrete said, "I think we did put on a worthy performance (of Mexico vs. Puerto Rico) because ‘Pitufo,’ I knew he was tough, I knew he was strong. And I knew he could hit hard, but he surpassed all my expectations. He brought out all the best in me and so I’ve got a lot of respect for Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Diaz.

"I was really impressed by ‘Pitufo’ because every time I hurt him, every time I dropped him, he came back stronger. He was a beast in there because he kept coming at me. He kept getting better even though I kept hurting him, and as the fight progressed, you’d expect him to get weaker but he kept getting stronger. I just couldn’t understand it. So I have the utmost respect for Christopher ‘Pitufo’ Diaz and what he did tonight."

Diaz (26-3, 16 KOs) entered the fight having won two straight since a decision loss to Shakur Stevenson in a non-title bout. He landed 183 punches on Navarrete, but he was unable to seriously hurt the seasoned champion. Diaz said, " I’m very disappointed. I wanted to win. It’s a title shot. But next time. He’s a great fu----- fighter. He hit hard. We went to war. I made my best fight. I was in shape. Everything was good. "I’m not a weak fighter. I always bring my heart with me. I came here to fight. I said I want to box but that guy, he’s a problem. We come here to fight, too. He caught me. My coach loves me like a son, and he stopped the fight." In other action: Super Middleweight: Edgar Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs) UD 8 Demond Nicholson (23-4-1, 20 KOs). Scores: 79-68 and 79-69 2x. There is a first time for everything. “The streak” is no more, but Berlanga is still undefeated. Berlanga, who had 16 consecutive first-round knockouts entering the night, was extended the eight-round distance by Nicholson. He dropped Nicholson four times en route to the near-shutout, and the reading of the scorecards was academic. Berlanga knocked down Nicholson with a left hook in the second round, a right hand in the third round, a left hook in the fifth round, and a right hand just before the bell sounded to end the eighth. Berlanga said, “I feel amazing. It’s kind of fu---- up I had to go to the judges with all the people here. I know they wanted a first-round knockout, but I enjoyed getting the experience. "It was an awesome experience for me. I caught him with an amazing shot at 10 seconds of the last round. I wanted to get him out! But I didn’t, but I got the experience, especially in front of my Puerto Rican people. It was good.” Junior Welterweight: Josue Vargas (19-1, 9 KOs) UD 10 Willie Shaw (13-3, 9 KOs). Scores: 98-92 and 99-91 2x. Vargas, the Puerto Rican-born contender who now fights out of the Bronx, New York, survived a rough patch when he was buzzed in the opening round. He then proceeded to outbox Shaw, a native of Oakland, California. Vargas has won 13 consecutive bouts since a controversial disqualification loss early in his career. Lightweight: Joseph Adorno (14-0-2, 12 KOs) MAJORITY DRAW 8 Jamaine Ortiz (14-0-1, 8 KOs). Scores: 76-74 Ortiz and 75-75 2x. War. Eight rounds of fistic war. Adorno and Ortiz fought to a dead heat but combined to give boxing fans what will ultimately stand as one of 2021's best fights. Adorno knocked down Ortiz with left hooks in the second and seventh rounds, but when Ortiz wasn’t on the canvas, he was muscling Adorno on the inside and ripping him with combinations. After nearly being knocked out in the seventh, Ortiz dominated the eighth round, sweeping the stanza on all three judges’ cards to salvage the draw. Featherweight: Orlando Gonzalez (17-0, 10 KOs) UD 8 Juan Antonio Lopez (15-9, 6 KOs). Scores: 78-74 and 79-73 2x. Puerto Rico’s Gonzalez didn’t have it easy against Lopez, but a determined effort and a boost from the partisan crowd was more than enough. Welterweight: Xander Zayas (8-0, 6 KOs) TKO 1 Demarcus Layton (8-2-1, 5 KOs), :56. Zayas tied his personal record for the shortest evening of his career, dispatching Arkansas native Layton in under a minute. A left hook started the onslaught, then another sweeping left planted Layton to the canvas. Referee Emil Lombardi saw enough and waved off the bout. Zayas said, “This was amazing, something I was looking forward to for a long time. The last time I fought in front of a crowd, it was in Puerto Rico. Doing it here in Kissimmee, in front of my Puerto Rican fans, was memorable. First-round knockout, what else can I ask for?” Junior Featherweight: Jeremy Adorno (5-0, 1 KO) MD 4 Ramiro Martinez (2-1-2, 1 KO). Scores: 38-38, 39-37 and 40-36. Adorno had the most difficult evening of his young career, returning from a 15-month layoff to edge Texas resident Martinez. Adorno was stunned in the second and fourth rounds, but his volume and clean punching told the story of the fight. Junior Lightweight: Jaycob Gomez (2-0, 2 KOs) KO 1 Mobley Villegas (3-2, 2 KOs), 2:38. Puerto Rican phenom Gomez prevailed in less than a round, ending matters with a three-punch combination that put Villegas down for the 10-count.

(Featured Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank via Getty Images)

#HF #Emanuel Navarrete #Christopher Diaz #Top Rank Boxing #Espn

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pavspatch · 4 years

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Hyde Cricket Club — the CLL Years

I PUBLISHED this retrospective of Hyde Cricket Club’s time in the old Central Lancashire League five years ago. After so long, and given the situation we’re having to endure, maybe it’s worth a second read.

Thanks to my friend and mentor Martyn Torr, I covered Hyde’s fortunes for 14 years. In 2000 I was asked to contribute to Lee Brown’s centenary history of Hyde CC “Station Yer Fielders Down by the Shed”. There wasn’t room for everything I wrote, so here’s the uncut version.

It was originally dedicated to my friend Paul Kennaman who died at the ridiculously early age of 56, and who constantly proved himself one of the CLL’s most reliable opening batsmen. But I think he’d be happy so share it with the one and only Pete Hardman who died last year.

AS the 1981 season dawned, sport had a prominence in Hyde which it had not enjoyed since the 1950s. Not only was the cricket club about to test its mettle against the giants of the Central Lancashire League but Hyde United had spectacularly emerged from the doldrums.

After 20 years of achieving little they had led the Cheshire League throughout the season, only to have the championship snatched away by Nantwich Town in the last game. Success in the Cheshire Senior Cup eased the pain a little.

The crowds at Ewen Fields got bigger and bigger as the town rediscovered its taste for success. It was in an atmosphere such as this that Hyde CC prepared for its first season in the fast lane of club cricket.

Preparatory work had been going on throughout the winter. Extra seating was added to the Werneth Low ground, more shrubs and trees were planted, and the pavilion and scorebox were repainted. Local businesses backed the club financially, not only for ground improvements, but so that it could meet its new obligations, such as the purchase of grade-A balls.

Hyde’s club’s most important move was to acquire the services of its professional, Kiwi Bruce Edgar, a man who is still remembered with affection and respect. Before the mid-1980s, when the CLL was taken over by West Indies fast bowlers, he dominated the competition, and while it would be wrong to say he won the title single-handedly, he was certainly the key ingredient in Hyde’s success.

Edgar had visited England two years earlier, with the New Zealand Test side, making an immediate impact. The “Complete Who’s Who of Test Cricketers” (1987) said that he “played the rampant England fast bowlers with a cool assurance, a very straight bat, and the timing of high-class player in the making.”

In the months before travelling to Hyde, Edgar had achieved an average of 60.25 against the West Indies, and scored 529 runs in the Shell Trophy for an average of 52.9.

However, Edgar was only was one component in an antipodean line-up which also included fellow Kiwi Peter Holland, a medium-pace bowler, and teenage batting prodigy Errol Harris, a Queenslander who would play for Tasmania.

An air of expectancy hung over the town, yet the first day of the season was a huge anti-climax. Hyde should have been home to Rochdale, on Sunday, April 26, but the entire programme was wiped out by snow and the games had to be replayed a month later. Out of eight matches, play got under way in only one — Castleton Moor and Ashton managing eight overs.

When Hyde finally took the field, the following Saturday (May 3), they issued a clear signal that they would be a force to be reckoned with and defeated Crompton by 52 runs.

Batting first, they were put on the road to victory by Edgar, who carried his bat for 91. Yet the home bowlers had caused problems and Hyde were looking decidedly shaky when Ian Shaw claimed a hat-trick, removing Holland, David Thomasson and Roy Wilde. Suddenly, the visitors has slumped from 81-1 to 87-5. Fortunately, rescue came in the shape of Mike Greaves, who helped Edgar steady the ship. Hyde closed on 146-8.

When Crompton replied they were unable to cope with the bowling of Peter Holland and Alan Berry, and were removed for 94 — giving Hyde all five points.

Crompton v Hyde

HYDE Edgar not out 91

Harris c Rigby b M. Shaw 8

Marshall st Stanworth b I Shaw 16

Holland b I Shaw 3 Thomasson b I Shaw 0 Wilde st Stanworth b I Shaw 0 Greaves b Jeffries 22 Hardman lbw b L.Whittle 0 Berry run out 3 Sigley not out 0 Extras 8 Total (for eight) 146 Jefferies 13-1-36-1, M Shaw 7-0-20-1, McKune 5-0-13-0, L Whittle 14-8-47-1, I Shaw 9-3-21-4. CROMPTON Fitton run out 15 Turner c Hardman b Ghilks 1 Stanworth c Ghilks b Holland 35 Jefferies c Sigley b Edgar 2 M.Whittle c and b Holland 16 Widdup b Holland 0 Rigby b Holland 0 L.Whittle c Ghilks b Berry 1 M.Shaw b Berry 11 I.Shaw not out 6 McKune b Berry 0 Extras 7 Total 94

Greaves 1-0-2-0, Ghilks 6-3-13-1, Hardman 5-1-9-0, Berry 17-9-21-3, Edgar 7-2-25-1, Holland 8-1-17-4.

Hyde were off to a winning start and, when they were not being frustrated by bad weather, picked up points on a regular basis. Even so, it was not until the second half of the campaign that they were considered title-challengers. Continually in fourth or fifth place, at the start of August they were nine points adrift of leaders Middleton.

The defining moments of the season came on the weekend of August 22/23, and in the form of pace bowler Gary Wilkinson. Both games were away from home — at Oldham and Heywood respectively — and Wilkinson, a 22-year-old who had not even been in the first team at the start of the season, destroyed both clubs.

At The Pollards, he returned figures of 14.3-4-28-9. The following day, at Heywood, he did even better by returning 9.3-3-27-9. Thanks to his efforts, and the fact that Middleton lost to Walsden, Hyde were suddenly six points clear at the top of the table.

Wilkinson thoroughly deserved his moment in the limelight. He commented: “How can you describe it? It was like a dream. Doing it once was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, but doing it twice is unbelievable. I just don’t know what to put it down to. Before, I had been bowling reasonably but not getting much return. Then, all at once, it came together. When you take three or four wickets you gain half-a-yard of pace. The atmosphere is electric, everyone expects a wicket, and the batsmen are tentative and nervous.”

Hyde won four of their next six games, setting up a title decider on Sunday, September 13, when Middleton visited Werneth Low Road. Whoever won would claim the league championship. Interest in the game was such that around 1,000 people packed into the ground.

Batting first, Hyde were given a good start by Edgar and Harris, who added 81 runs for the first wicket before a great diving catch by Alan Fletcher removed the New Zealander for 32. Play now began to go Middleton’s way, and Somachandra de Silva and Keith Courtney seized the initiative. Peter Holland was out for a duck and it seemed likely Harris might lose his nerve. However, after reaching 50, he moved into a higher gear. Buoyed by his example, the rest of the team rallied, and there were effective contributions from Paul Marshall, Mike Greaves and Roy Wilde before Hyde were all out for 171.

In reply, Middleton were quickly reduced to 13-4 before Rick Purser and Keith Courtney stemmed the tide. Courtney was ultimately run out by Edgar, but Steve Earnshaw and Dave Freeman helped Purser take their side within sight of victory. It was only some very effective bowling by off-spinner Alan Berry that prevented Purser getting enough of the strike to make sure the visitors won.

After five months of cricket, the destination of the title hung on the last ball. Middleton, on 170-8, needed two runs to win. Hyde skipper Peter Hardman put everyone on the boundary — wicketkeeper Andy Swain included. Berry sent down the delivery, Davey was unable to get bat to ball, and Hyde were CLL champions in their first season in the competition. It was a delighted Peter Hardman who received the trophy from league president Mr WL Varty.

Hyde v Middleton

HYDE Harris st Lomax b Courtney 68 Edgar c Fletcher b Courtney 32 Holland lbw De Silva 0 Marshall st Lomax b Courtney 14 Greaves c Ogden b Davey 11 Brown b Davey 9 Wilde c Lomax b Courtney 18 Gifford b Davey 0 Berry b Courtney 1 Hardman b Davey 1 Swain not out 4 Extras 13 Total (all out) 171 Davey 11.3-1-37-4, De Silva 20-8-54-1, Courtney 16-2-67-5.

MIDDLETON Carnegie c Edgar b Holland 6 Fletcher b Berry 3 Mooney lbw Holland 4 De Silva lbw Berry 0 Courtney run out 31 Purser not out 46 Earnshaw b Holland 24 Freeman run out 35 Ogden b Holland 0 Davey not out 2 Extras 19 Total (for eight) 170 Holland 24-6-87-4, Berry 24-6-64-2.

The league’s elite, the clubs around Oldham and Rochdale, were stunned. The status quo had been blown apart by the comers-in from North-East Cheshire. Expressing its surprise at what Hyde had achieved, the Oldham Chronicle summed up the mood of general astonishment by attributing Hyde’s success to the three overseas players, saying Edgar had “strikingly emphasised why he is considered a world-class player.” The newspaper also found room to praise Paul Marshall and Alan Berry, the latter having come very close to selection for the league team. Incredible though it would have seemed at the time, Hyde had already reached their zenith as a Central Lancashire League club. From now on they were on a downward path and, although there would still be the occasional high spot, the club was to become embroiled in a fight for survival.

In some ways, Hyde were victims of their own success. Bruce Edgar was so central to the title-winning side that other clubs began to look for top-notch professionals. However, whereas Edgar was a batsman, the wealthier CLL sides began to look for fast-bowlers — preferably lethal ones from the West Indies. Oldham won the 1982 championship with another batsman, Larry Gomes. But over the next few years players such as Andy Roberts, Carl Rackeman, Neil Phillips, Dirk Tazelaar, Franklyn Stephenson, Joel Garner and Les Lambert were to ply their trade, and to frightening effect.

The destroyer-in-chief was former Glamorgan paceman Ezra Moseley. The diminutive Barbadian made his debut for Littleborough in 1985 and wreaked havoc in the CLL for the next five years. Indeed, during the 1985 season Littleborough were to field a Test-standard attack, with Moseley as pro and Aussie Mike Whitney as overseas amateur.

Success in league cricket began to be a matter of being able to pay out large amounts. The scramble for big-name, big-money players probably reached its peak in 1987 when Rishton signed West Indies legend Sir Viv Richards. Hyde were unable to compete in this spending frenzy. They could not afford star players, and the fast bowling in the CLL was to reach such an intensity that they struggled to recruit talented amateurs.

By the time the 1982 season started, the club had undergone many changes. Peter Hardman had retired as captain — to be replaced by Mike Greaves — and Edgar’s replacement as professional was the big-hitting Jim Allen. Born in Montserrat, Allen was a member of Kerry Packer’s cricket circus, and of the Combined Islands team that won the Sheffield Shield. He had also spent the previous two seasons as a very successful professional for Werneth.

The league had changed its rules to restrict clubs to one overseas amateur, and Hyde’s choice was Sri Lankan spinner Annersley De Silva. Brian O’Reilly moved to Werneth Low from Denton St Lawrence, and a clutch of young players came through — Russ Hamer and Mike Bolger chief among them.

Recognising the difficulties that lay ahead, skipper Greaves commented: “We don’t intend to be rubbing rags for anyone but, realistically, we don’t expect to be among the honours this season. We are going for a younger, home-grown team, but when Jim Allen arrives, anything can happen.”

In fact, Allen was to score more than 1,200 runs, but Hyde were to find the season a struggle. In only their second game, away to Royton, they were all out for 15 runs — the club’s lowest total since the war.

Fortunately, there was a brief spell of success in mid-season, and Hyde managed to avoid finishing bottom of the league. That fate was to befall them the following year.

By that time, Greaves had resigned because of work commitments, and Mervyn Riley returned to Werneth Low Road to assume the captaincy of the first XI. He had spent time playing in the Bolton Association, and two years as pro for Lancashire and Cheshire League side Irlam. Allen was retained as paid man, and Sri Lankan Basil Perreira became overseas amateur. Unfortunately, although Perreira could tweak a ball to great effect, he did not live up to the high hopes places in him. The club suffered another blow when Alan Berry joined Denton St Lawrence.

This time round, Allen managed 790 runs, although he scored two centuries, including an unbeaten 145 in the home defeat by Rochdale. Given the general youth and inexperience of the rest of the side it was not enough of a contribution, and the club finished bottom of the table, nine points adrift of Stockport.

In comparison with the previous two campaigns, 1984 has to be judged a success. Although Hyde were to finish fourth from bottom, they made a good start and, at the end of May, were sixth. Riley remained as captain, but there was a new professional — Rajesh (Radi) Patel who was born in Kenya of Indian parents. A right-hand bat and medium-fast swing bowler, he had played for Lancashire’s second XI, and twice for England under-19s. A former paid man at Friarmere and Atherton, Patel had twice been voted best professional in the Bolton Association.

Errol Harris, the young star of 1981, returned to Werneth Low Road, where the side was further strengthened by the acquisition of opening batsman Paul Kennaman, from Glossop League Newton.

The first few weeks of the season supplied some memorable moments. In the opening game Harris made an unbeaten 108 against Werneth, and on May 19 Tony Ghilks returned figures of five wickets for 16 runs, off 13 overs — including seven maidens — as the club took three points off Royton. The high point of the season came on May 20 when Hyde beat title-favourites Oldham, whose paid man was former Nottinghamshire fast-bowler Franklyn Stephenson. He took 8-55 as Hyde were removed for 155, but was unable to contain Harris, who posted 107. Against the odds Oldham were all out for 149, and other wins were to follow — most notably at Rochdale, on June 9, when Hyde claimed three points as Alan Berry took 4-16 to restrict the home side to 118-8.

Unfortunately, the good form petered out and Hyde began to slip down the table. Harris continued to fire on all cylinders, scoring a third century (107) against Ashton, in early July. He finished the season with 978 runs, finishing top of the amateur batting averages and winning the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy.

Patel became the subject of controversy. As the campaign progressed, a growing number of people began to complain about his style of batting. They said he was too slow — showing more concern for his average rather than the team’s total. Patel’s supporters countered by saying he had to be cautious as Hyde’s batting was very brittle once the first four wickets had fallen.

Despite this, the 1984 season seemed to suggest that the club had something to build on. While Hyde might not have been among the CLL’s elite, they were capable of holding their own. With Harris set to return, joined by fellow Queenslander Trevor “Tank” Barsby as the new professional, there was cause for hope. Yet, all too soon, it would become clear these hopes were misplaced. The 1985 campaign was highly turbulent, and the start of the most traumatic five-year period in the club’s history.

Yet, as the campaign began, the outlook was far from bleak. The line-up had been strengthened, not only by the 21-year-old Barsby — who had scored almost 500 runs in nine games for Queensland, and with whom he was to win the Sheffield Shield, in 1995 and 1997— but also by the acquisition of Glossop all-rounder Andrew Dyson. Pace-bowler David Schofield moved to Werneth Low Road from Denton West, and high-scoring batsman Bill Quinn — four times leading amateur for Saddleworth League Flowery Field — joined Hyde after a record-breaking season in the Glossop League with Mottram. A young Mark Stringer became part of the squad, and the cycle of changes was completed by the appointment of Alan Berry as captain after Merv Riley moved to Stalybridge.

Hyde did not get off to a winning start, but the right-handed Barsby showed himself to be a productive batsman. He scored 76 in the opening game at Norden, and made 57 in the home clash with Rochdale.

With a month of the season gone, it seemed that while Hyde would not be challenging for honours they were capable of a respectable position. But the club was then rocked by the first of a series of crises. Barsby learned that his father was seriously ill, and immediately returned home. Harris was appointed professional in his place, but was to hold the post for only four weeks.

The Harris who returned to Hyde in 1985 no longer commanded the crease as he had done in 1984, or even in 1981. He struggled to find form and by the time he was sacked — following the defeat at Radcliffe on June 22 — had managed only one half-century in 14 games. As the weeks progressed it became clear Harris was no longer happy at Hyde, and even with three months of the season to go, his conversation continually returned to the fact that he was keen to go home.

Even though Harris was not the success everyone had hoped for, it appears that his dismissal came as the result of the way he behaved off the field, rather than on it. This fact was attested to in a statement issued by club chairman Geoff Oldham: “Although Errol has not developed in recent seasons as quickly as the club would have wished, the club’s decision has not turned on the number of runs scored, and the number of wickets taken. Instead, the club has been concerned that the job of professional was not being performed, off the field of play, entirely in accordance with the club’s normal contract.”

In an attempt to plug the gap left by the departure of both overseas players, the Hyde committee brought in Glenn Jackson, a pace bowler and middle-order batsman from Antigua, as the new overseas amateur. Stan Fletcher filled in as paid man as the search began for someone to take the role on a full-time basis.

The choice was John Bell who had come across with Carl Rackeman and played a few games in the second XI at Oldham where Rackeman was pro. An Aussie in the Ken Rosewall mould, Bell had spent 1984 playing in The Netherlands, where he topped the batting averages. He later became Queensland state coach. Prior commitments meant he was only able to stay at Werneth Low Road until mid-August, but he proved popular, and the fact he was in his forties lent some experience to a very young side.

Bell’s best performance came at Milnrow, on July 13, when he scored 145 and took two wickets for 22 runs.

Asif Mohammed was hired for the game at Radcliffe, on August 24, but spent the entire afternoon in the pavilion. Because of rain, only 10 balls were bowled. Then, for the last three games — two of which were wash-outs — Hyde had the services of the man who would be their professional for 1986: Ray Berry. Aged 23, he had been a successful batsman at Blackpool, and had played for the MCC. There was insufficient time for him to make an impact, and Hyde finished bottom of the table. The following year, however, he was to prove a very welcome acquisition, as the club enjoyed a brief respite before it was again beset by problems.

It quickly became apparent that the club had done a very good piece of business in securing Berry’s services. They still struggled to win matches, but Berry could almost always be counted on to do well. While other clubs were paying small fortunes to hire players such as Ezra Moseley or Carl Hooper, Hyde had found a man who was not only good, but “cheap”.

Berry brought with him bowler Dave Newton, who soon hit the headlines by taking eight wickets for 30 runs as Hyde skittled out Castleton Moor for 94, in the third match of the season.

Unfortunately, the visitors had the perfect riposte in R Malumba, who returned figures of 6-48 as Hyde crumbled to 90 all out. Newton was never able to repeat the performance, and began to bowl fewer and fewer overs because of a back injury caused, he said, by having insufficient time to warm up before matches, having travelled from Blackpool.

Dyson also spent a long time injured, after sustaining a badly bruised elbow, and Dave Schofield strained his back. The outcome was that in many games Hyde had to rely on a spin attack of pro Ray Berry and skipper Alan Berry. It did prove costly, but Ray Berry claimed 49 wickets over the season.

Halfway through the campaign, Hyde acquired an overseas amateur. Sohail Babar, an 18-year-old Pakistani leg-spinner was a friend of Anwar Khan, who was then pro at Norden. He made his debut at Royton, on June 28, and as he said he was not much of a batsman, he was put in at number 11. Yet he finished as the team’s highest scorer, making an unbeaten 40. His last-wicket stand with Andy Swain denied Royton full points, and Hyde finished on 133-9 chasing the home side’s total of 145.

The following day, Ray Berry gave his bravest performance of the season, in the face of some extremely hostile bowling by Oldham paid man Les Lambert, who took nine wickets for 45 runs. Chasing 195, Hyde were all out for 106, but the man Lambert could not remove was Berry.

Even after sustaining an injured hand and bruised ribs, Berry made 51, and his 50 was greeted with a standing ovation.

Looking a certainty to break the 1,000 run barrier for the season, Berry suffered a two-game blip in which he was out for five and 11, before making 53 in the final match — a home defeat of Middleton — when he scored 53 to finish on 1,044 runs.

There was general delight at Werneth Low Road that Berry agreed to stay on for 1987 but, as with Errol Harris, two years before, he was not the same player on his return. Possibly he was ill at ease with the captaincy of David Schofield, who had taken over from Alan Berry. There was certainly a clash early in the season when Berry declined to play for the club in a six-a-side competition at Lytham. Whatever the reason, the runs failed to flow and in mid-June Berry asked to be released from his contract.

The club acceded to his request, which chairman Peter Hardman said had come out of the blue, adding: “No one was expecting Ray’s call, and he gave no indication of his reasons for wanting to leave.” However, it was clear that Berry was no longer happy as a Hyde player. In stark contrast to his form of the previous year he had scored only one half-century.

It was a major blow but, within days, it seemed the club had landed on its feet. Two players arrived, asking if they could get a game. Aamer Malik, who was to play for Pakistan against England the following autumn, was taken on as professional. Mansoor Rana, son of umpire Shakoor Rana who was involved in the infamous clash with England skipper Mike Gatting at Faisalabad, in the same series, was named overseas amateur after assuring the club he had played no first-class cricket in the previous 12 months.

The two made their debuts at Norden, on June 20, and it seemed Hyde had made a couple of dream signings. Although Norden were to win the game, Aamer made 75, and Mansoor 43. The day after, it was 88 and 68, respectively, in a four-point home defeat of Stockport. At Royton, the following week, Aamer scored 85 as Hyde took another four points.

People began to believe anything could happen, and they were proved right, although not in the way they expected. A claim was made that Mansoor had turned out in a first-class fixture. It was said he had appeared for the President’s XI against the West Indies — a game in which Norden pro Gus Logie had played. The Central Lancashire League called a meeting to rule on the matter and, despite it being the custom to defer to The Cricketer magazine in deciding what constituted a first-class game, decided Mansoor was ineligible. The player insisted otherwise, saying he was in England for nothing more than a holiday, but to no avail. Mansoor was banned, Hyde lost the eight points won while he was playing, and were fined £5.

It is unclear how badly Aamer was affected by the incident, or by being force to play without his friend, but he failed to reproduce the fireworks and Hyde began to suffer some heavy defeats. After winning at Heywood, on July 4, when John Buckley made an unbeaten 79, despite being up against Curtly Ambrose, Hyde were not to taste victory again.

Against Ashton, chasing 182, the last five batsmen were out for two runs, so that the side closed on 178. Carl Hooper took 8-6 as Hyde were rolled out for 34 against Werneth, and the club managed only 58 runs in the last game of the season, at home to Heywood.

Following Mansoor’s departure, Hyde briefly had the services of Khaled Mahmood, an ex-Lahore City Whites player who was the youngest man to play first-class cricket in Pakistan. He was an off-spinner of undoubted talent but left after a month.

Despite the traumas suffered in 1987, Hyde started the next campaign full of the usual enthusiasm. They had great confidence in new pro Mike Rindel — a left-handed all-rounder from South Africa who had played for Stockport the previous year. Early on, the confidence seemed justified.

At home to Radcliffe, in the first match of the season, Hyde won by 33 runs. Rindel scored 76, and took five wickets for 32. Andrew Marshall — signed from Denton West — made 59. Victory was sealed when Mark Stringer took a superb flying catch to remove Daly and after the game there was general satisfaction that Hyde had completed an effective job on the type of club they had to beat if they were to be a power in the league.

The following week, things got better. Hyde achieved a four-point victory at one of the CLL’s strongest sides — Oldham — and for once it was of no consequence that they were up against a top West Indies player, in this case Collis King. Rain washed out the next day’s game at Walsden, and Hyde were top of the table.

But it was a false dawn. Rindel was taken to hospital with peritonitis and although he returned after only a couple of weeks — when Anton Ferreira substituted — he became another Hyde professional to lose his appetite for the game.

Although a player of great ability, who went on to represent South Africa in one-day internationals, and who is considered unlucky not to have played for the Test side, he became something of a square peg in a round hole. He struggled to fit in with the mood in the dressing-room. He also had problems at home, and as the season drew on it became clear his mind was not focused on the task facing him at Werneth Low Road.

Yet there were some bright spots. Andrew Marshall proved an excellent addition to the squad and made 617 runs. Hyde also enjoyed their best run in the Wood Cup since 1981. They disposed of Stockport and Rochdale to qualify for a semi-final tie at Oldham, and there were high hopes they would go through.

In a rain-affected match, Oldham batted first and made 185-8. Steve Lovatt then teamed up with deputy pro Mansoor Eliah to have Hyde reeling at 18-5 but thanks to overseas amateur Peter Smith they went on to reach a respectable total of 147. Smith, from Geelong in Victoria, was a right-handed fast bowler but, on this occasion, he made good with the bat. Single-handedly stemming the Oldham tide, he hit half-a-dozen fours and a six on his way to making 53. It was an innings which showed Hyde could have won if all sections of the team had performed. Sadly, inconsistency was the club’s trademark during those days.

Smith’s services were lost, soon after, when he had to return home. Hyde finished second-bottom and changes were demanded. Schofield stepped down as captain to be replaced by Marshall. There was also talk of signing West Indies player Jeff Dujon as paid man but when the season began the professional was Scott Hookey. Other new faces in the squad included former Droylsden pro Gordon Chin.

Hookey, a tall, lean batsman, had played Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales and the previous season had scored runs for fun playing for Darwen. The overseas amateur was Queenslander Graeme Hogan, an avuncular red-haired Aussie pace bowler who was quite possibly the most popular overseas player to turn out for the club. He had been recommended by Errol Harris and arrived on the Low having taken three wickets for 50 runs from 11-overs in a one-day game for the Queensland Country XI against Pakistan.

It was a very talented squad but as was so often the case at Werneth Low Road the whole was less than the sum of the individual parts. The 1989 season has to be one of the worst ever endured by Hyde CC, who floundered from crisis to crisis.

Hookey, for all his ability, came with a reputation for being difficult to handle, and he lived up to it. Although he scored 976 runs, he would surely have made many more had he not treated the amateur bowlers with such contempt, trying to smash most deliveries out of the ground. He was constantly at odds with skipper Marshall, who clearly found the captaincy to be a much tougher proposition than he had bargained for.

Things got so bad that by the start of July the club resolved to sack Hookey. However, before that could be done, the committee found itself grappling with a much more pressing problem. During the home game with Milnrow, on July 2, Marshall and Mark Stringer almost came to blows on the field. Following David Schofield’s dismissal of Milnrow pro Chetan Sharma, the two players became involved in a tussle and had to be separated. A furious Marshall sent off Stringer, but the matter was far from closed, and the club’s disciplinary committee was convened. The following night, Marshall was banned for one game while, at a separate meeting, Stringer was given an indefinite ban.

Club secretary Albert Hill issued a statement saying: “Mark Stringer will not be considered for selection in any match involving Hyde CC until such time as he can satisfy the club committee with regard to his future conduct.” He was not to play again that season, which was a pity because he could have been a major asset. A highly gifted all-rounder, he had provided some impressive performances since joining the club in 1985, including an 8-27 return against Crompton, in 1987.

Incredibly, Stringer’s dismissal was not the only one in the league at that time. Walsden player Paul Gale was sent off after throwing the ball at Werneth paid man Carl Hooper.

The Hyde dressing room was badly divided and players like Paul Marshall, his brother Andrew J Marshall, and John Buckley, chose to leave. It seemed things could not get any worse but, by the end of July, Hyde were once again hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. This time the club was hauled before the league for allegedly subjecting Ashton pro Rizwan uz-Zaman to racial abuse, in the Werneth Low game in July. A disciplinary committee exonerated Hyde after both umpires had been consulted, but the club was fined because of an off-the field clash between Peter Hardman and Ashton captain David Lees, after Lees had initially refused to grant Hyde a substitute when Gordon Chin was delayed.

When the season finally ground to a halt, with Hyde bottom of the table, there was a collective sigh of relief. But there had been some high spots among the many lows, many of them supplied by Hogan. Capable with bat and ball, his finest hour came against Radcliffe, on May 28 — a game which has to be one of the most amazing to have involved the club.

There was a suggestion of what might be to come, early on, when Hyde batsman Dave Shaw was hit on the hand, and dropped his bat on the wicket. Incredibly, the handle fell between the stumps, and the bails were undisturbed. Shaw’s shout of “I don’t believe it!” could be heard around the ground.

The Werneth Low side went on to make 211 all out, 98 of the runs being supplied by Hookey — his third half-century in successive games, and comprising five sixes and nine fours. Radcliffe then quickly assumed the whip-hand, and seemed to be cruising to victory when Hogan was recalled to the attack with three overs left.

His response was stunning. He removed Entwistle with his first delivery — caught behind by Andy Swain — and Patel was clean bowled by the next ball. Then, in the penultimate over, he took a catch off Hookey’s bowling to remove Brady.

Radcliffe had lost three wickets in two overs but with another three in the pavilion, and needing only seven runs to win, were very much the favourites as Hogan bowled the final over. Leech and Ashworth managed singles off Hogan’s first four deliveries, and then a two, which meant Radcliffe needed one run for victory. Leech faced, and was clean bowled with the last ball of the game, leaving the scores tied.

The season closed with a shell-shocked Hyde bottom of the CLL table. It had been an extremely difficult campaign, both on and off the field. The established players were failing to come up with the goods, while Hyde’s record, and the prevalence of fast bowlers in the Central Lancashire League, meant it was extremely difficult to attract new players or bring through young talent.

Within little more than two years the club was to decide its future lay beyond the CLL but in 1990 the officials decided to go for broke. In a mood of if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, the Hyde committee appointed a West Indian fast bowler as pro, the man in question being Barbadian former Gloucestershire man Victor “Vibert” Green.

Not surprisingly, there was a mood of renewed hope as the season opened. Despite the horrors of the previous year, there was now a belief that the club would able to compete with sides such as Littleborough and Oldham on level terms. But they were to do so without Andrew Marshall as captain. He had quit the club and was replaced by wicket-keeper Andy Swain.

Hyde received an additional boost in the shape of Aussie all-rounder Martin Faull, who was recommended by former Flowery Field professional Rob Zadow. Faull, who played for Zadow’s Tea Tree Gully club, near Adelaide, was to accumulate 779 runs over the season, and later played 30 games for South Australia. He was accompanied to Hyde by his friend David Crouch, who proved a very effective second-team player.

John Buckley and Paul Marshall returned to the Low, and the club was raring to go. Yet the first game — away to Norden — proved a massive anti-climax. Chasing the home side’s total of 191-6, Hyde crumbled to 62 all out, and 41 of these runs were scored by Nick Brown. The destroyer was Australian paid man Peter Gladigau, who took seven wickets for 15 runs.

It seemed that disaster was beckoning but the side gave a much better performance against Werneth who, at one point, were reeling at 26-5 before being rescued by David Ainsworth and Clayton Weems who added 111 runs for the sixth wicket. Hyde took eight points from the next three games and, on June 2, won a four-pointer at Royton.

Queenslander Dean Tuckwell posted 101 as Royton scored 207-4, but Hyde responded with 213-4 — 101 of the runs coming from Faull. After making only 28 from the first 50 balls he faced, the Aussie scored 31 from the next 20, and the entire knock was off 120 deliveries, and contained three sixes and nine boundaries.

The first five-point win came at Crompton, on June 16, and in mid-July Hyde were celebrating their first 10-point weekend since 1981. Ultimately, they were to win four five-pointers on the trot, Green making an unbeaten 104 at Walsden.

Some more good results followed but, when the season ended, Hyde were in no better than eleventh place and with fewer than half the points acquired by champions Rochdale. It had been an enjoyable season, and a most refreshing contrast to the previous campaign, but for many at Werneth Low Road it proved that Hyde were never going to be able to compete with the top sides.

Demands that the club should stop spending money on professionals, and instead devote its resources to youth development, were to become louder and more frequent. Hyde’s days in the CLL were numbered. Within a year, members would vote to join the Cheshire County League.

Hyde kept faith with pace bowling in 1991 by bringing back Peter Smith. In the three years since he had been overseas amateur, he had filled out, developed a mean streak, and begun to figure in Victoria’s Sheffield Shield side. He was, in fact, to play twice for his state, with Tom Moody being his first victim in a game against Western Australia. But his Sheffield Shield career was to be cut short by injury and he took up coaching.

Smith brought with him fellow Victorian Peter Mahon, a competent 31-year-old all-rounder from Melbourne who proved very capable as an overseas amateur. Andrew Swain remained as captain — his last season with the club before emigrating to the USA — and Andrew Marshall came back.

Ironically, just as Hyde were beginning to think of quitting the Central Lancashire League, the other CLL outfits were moving away from their dependence on top names. Fewer West Indians were available because the Test side was touring England. However, a much bigger disincentive was the fact that star players were beginning to ask for £15 to £20,000 a season, which was beyond even the CLL’s wealthiest clubs. The only Test player in the league in 1991 was Ajay Sharma, who had signed for Ashton.

Once again, Hyde were at the wrong end of the table all season, but they did enjoy one afternoon of glory. At Stockport, on May 26, Smith led them single-handedly to victory. After Hyde had managed only 117 runs, he returned the incredible figures of 19 overs, five maidens, nine for 41, to skittle out the home side for 93.

The following autumn, the die was cast. The Cheshire County League announced a plan to expand to two divisions, and a meeting was called to decide whether Hyde should apply. The debate raged back and forth, but it soon became clear that the vast majority of members wanted to leave the CLL.

Overall the club was tired of trying to compete in a league in which professionals had such a pivotal role. Members had had enough of paying out large sums to men who had usually failed to come up with the goods. At that time Hyde were unable to compete with sides like Norden, Oldham and Littleborough, and the feeling was that the money paid to professionals should be invested in youth development and improved facilities. Such moves would once again make Hyde CC a club players wanted to join — a winning outfit rather than one whose name conjured up visions of heavy defeats.

Hyde’s final Central Lancashire League season began on April 26, 1992. Australian bowler Craig Ingram, a 21-year-old who played district cricket for the Collingwood team, and was a member of the Victoria squad, was employed as professional. Peter Mahon returned as overseas amateur and captain. It was a post he held until early July when, disappointed with his form, and the attitude of some players, he resigned. Hyde finished the season led by Peter Hardman — the man who had been skipper in their first season in the CLL.

Yet again, the club finished bottom, but the season proved highly successful for Paul Kennaman who made a succession of high scores, including an unbeaten 100 at Stockport, on August 16, which made him the only English amateur to score a century for Hyde in the Central Lancashire League. Also against Stockport, but in the home fixture, on July 26, Benito Giordano took three wickets for eight runs, off three overs.

Hyde’s last match in the CLL was played at Werneth Low Road on Sunday, September 13. The visitors were Royton, who suffered a 52-run defeat at the hands of a side featuring three players from Hyde’s first Central Lancashire League campaign in 1981 — Peter Hardman, Alan Berry and Mike Greaves.

Hyde v Royton

ROYTON Brierley c C Kennaman b Mahon 42 Daley c and b Berry 34 Punchard c Torkington b Mahon 25 Webb not out 52 Bamford c P Kennaman b Berry 7 Murray b Berry 15 Woodward not out 2 Extras 1 Total (for five) 178 Torkington 5-1-31-0, Giordano 1-0-14-0, Berry 23-4-80-3, Mahon 15-7-28-2, Clarke 4-0-24-0. HYDE Busby b Daley 51 P Kennaman c and b Punchard 65 Clarke run out 15 Mahon c Daley b Hopkinson 28 Marshall not out 4 Greaves b Daley 0 Giordano c and b Hopkinson 12 Torkington not out 2 Extras 3 Total (for six) 180

Daley 13-3-44-2, Hopkinson 13.4-1-48-2, Punchard 11-0-39-1, McCrae 2-0-20-0, Rostron 8-2-28-0.

Professional Overseas Amateur Captain 81 Bruce Edgar Peter Holland Peter Hardman Errol Harris 82 Jim Allen Annersley de Silva? Mike Greaves 83 Jim Allen Basil Perreira Merv Riley 84 Radi Patel Errol Harris Merv Riley 85 Trevor Barsby (Apr-May) Errol Harris (April-May) Alan Berry Errol Harris (May-June 20) Glenn Jackson Stan Fletcher (June 30) John Bell (July-Aug) Asif Mohammed (Aug 24) Ray Berry 86 Ray Berry Sohail Babar Alan Berry (From June 28) 87 Ray Berry (Apr-June) Mansoor Rana (June) David Schofield Aamer Malik Khaled Mahmood (July) 88 Mike Rindel Peter Smith David Schofield Anton Ferreira (May 7, 14) (Apr-July) 89 Scott Hookey Graeme Hogan Andrew Marshall 90 Victor Green Martin Faull Andrew Swain 91 Peter Smith Peter Mahon Andrew Swain 92 Craig Ingram Peter Mahon Peter Mahon

Peter Hardman

CENTURIES Aug 7, 1982 Jim Allen 112no Milnrow (H) Jul 23, 1983 Jim Allen 109 Heywood (H) Aug 7, 1983 Jim Allen 145no Rochdale (H) Apr 29, 1984 Errol Harris 108no Werneth (A) May 20, 1984 Errol Harris 107 Oldham (H) July 7, 1984 Errol Harris 107 Ashton (A) July 13, 1985 John Bell 145 Milnrow (H) July 20, 1986 Ray Berry 100 Walsden (A) July 8, 1989 Scott Hookey 104no Unsworth (A) June 2, 1990 Martin Faull 101 Royton (A) July 22, 1990 Vibert Green 104no Walsden (A) Aug 16, 1992 Paul Kennaman 100no Stockport (A)

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enterinit · 5 years

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New Xbox One Games for February 25 to 28

New Xbox One Games for February 25 to 28.

Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind (February 25)

Re Mind—The other tale that unfolded during the climax of KINGDOM HEARTS III. Determined to rescue Kairi, Sora travels to the Keyblade Graveyard a short time before the final battle was to take place. Lacking a corporeal form, he traces the hearts of the seven guardians of light. Through experiencing their personal battles firsthand, Sora is about to discover truths that he has never before imagined.

Infliction Extended Cut (February 25)

Wander through an interactive nightmare set within the confines of a once-happy household. Uncover the heartbreaking mystery hidden within messages, artwork, household objects, and other vestiges of domestic life all while struggling to survive encounters with an entity that relentlessly stands in the way of finding absolution.

Two Point Hospital (February 25)

BUILD, CURE and IMPROVE! Design stunning hospitals, decorate them as you like, cure very unusual illnesses and manage troublesome staff as you spread your budding healthcare organization across Two Point County. Two Point Hospital includes two DLC - "Bigfoot" and "Pebberley Island." Design and build your own hospital Build up a hospital from nothing to a masterpiece as you design the most beautiful – or functional – healthcare operation in the whole of Two Point County. Cure unusual illnesses Don’t expect Two Point County to be populated with your usual types of patients. In this world, you’ll experience Two Point's trademark quirky illnesses; from Light-headedness to Cubism – each requiring their very own special type of treatment machine. The County's the limit Your first hospital is where it begins, but what next? https://youtu.be/ATxBPTj8fvU

Wasteland Remastered (February 25)

Originally released in 1988, Wasteland brought the post-apocalypse to video games and inspired a genre. Play one of history’s defining RPGs with completely overhauled graphics, sound, and expanded musical score. The year is 2087, nearly a century after an all-out nuclear war turned vast swaths of the Earth into a radioactive hellscape. You are a Desert Ranger, a band of stalwart lawmen who are the only hope left in what was once the American southwest, and good people’s last defense against hunger, sickness, ravaging raiders, and mutants. Now something more secretive and sinister is menacing humanity, and it's your job to investigate. Recruit help and follow leads—the choices you make will shape the world around you. Choose wisely, your life and the lives of those you’re sworn to protect depend on it. Features: Wasteland Remastered retains the spirit of the original game while updating visuals and audio.The original game’s physical storybook is available in-game, fully illustrated and with full voice over.An expanded musical score from the "Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic" release.Old bugs that have been around since Reagan was president have been fixed.Survive the apocalypse from the comfort of your couch with full game controller support.Quality of life improvements that make the post-apocalypse a little friendlier. https://youtu.be/W6KF4xc-cd4

Ark: Survival Evolved – Genesis – Part 1 – (February 25)

Continue your quest for survival and unlock a whole new chapter in the saga of Ark: Survival Evolved with the Ark: Genesis Season Pass! This Season Pass gives you access to two new huge expansion packs and one exclusive in-game cosmetic pet. Further the Ark storyline while adventuring through unique and diverse biomes via an all new mission-based game mechanic. Discover, utilize and master new creatures, new craftable items and structures unlike anything you have seen yet.

Mega Man Zero / ZX Legacy Collection (February 25)

Six classic titles in one compilation: Mega Man Zero 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as Mega Man ZX and ZX Advent. In addition to the original games, this package includes an artwork gallery, music player, special filters, and much more. Casual Scenario Mode and a Save-Assist feature are available for those who would like to enjoy the story at their own pace. Players can also try their hand at the new leaderboard-based Z Chaser Mode, an exclusive new mode created just for this set of games.

Hayfever (February 25)

Help Thomas the Allergic Mailman gather all his lost letters in this challenging and unique 2D platformer! In Hayfever, the player takes control of Thomas – a young postman with a strong work ethic. There is just one tiny little issue… Thomas suffers from terrible (and we mean TERRIBLE) allergies. It is up to the player to use Thomas’s allergies to help him traverse a dangerous world, turning his weaknesses into strengths! Different allergens have different effects on Thomas – radically changing how he interacts with the world. Regular pollen allows him to build up a big sneeze to propel himself through the air. Smog, on the other hand, makes him swell up like a balloon. Peanuts… Well, peanuts are a WHOLE other story. Features: Quirky retro-inspired graphicsDemanding, sneeze-driven mechanicsFour worlds, spanning all four seasons140 levels, with 240 letters to collect (legend has it that collecting enough letters unlocks extra, extremely challenging levels…)Allergy-fueled gameplay ranging from pollen and smog to nuts!An A.M.A.Z.I.N.G soundtrack

Sayonara Wild Hearts (February 25)

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a dreamy arcade game about riding motorcycles, skateboarding, dance battling, shooting lasers, wielding swords, and breaking hearts at 200 mph. As the heart of a young woman breaks, the balance of the universe is disturbed. A diamond butterfly appears in her dreams and leads her through a highway in the sky, where she finds her other self: the masked biker called The Fool. Journey through a custom-written pop soundtrack, chase scores, and set out to find the harmony of the universe.

Edgar – Bokbok in Boulzac (February 26)

You are eccentric outcast Edgar, living in the woods with your chicken and beloved squash crops. Unfortunately, a sudden disaster forces you out of your shack and towards the bright lights of the big city, Boulzac, where an 800 year old fire rages beneath the surface, and weird things are afoot. Explore a strange and comic universe, meeting its unhinged (and unforgettable) inhabitants and discovering ancient secrets. Unveil the surreal conspiracy holding Boulzac together. Trek above and below the light city. Enjoy whip-smart dialogue, surreal adventures and satire. Equal parts whimsical and dark: you’ve not met a cosmic horror like this before. It is developed by La Poule Noire, a cooperative that aims, through its productions, to make fun of social trends. In Edgar, conspiracy theory is at the heart of the plot.

Grizzland (February 26)

A seamless open world platformer presented in a retro style and filled with old-school challenges. Explore without pointers to uncover secret areas, equip yourself with unique items and skills, even the ability to shrink and enlarge or explode and recombine. Only through self-discovery will you overcome enemy dinosaurs in epic combat and find the truth of Grizzland.

Ganbare! Super Strikers (February 26)

An innovative mix between tactical RPG and soccer. Win matches to level-up and earn new equipment that will allow you to learn special abilities, boost your players’ stats or protect yourself against altered status effects, such as Sleep, Silence or Poison. Assume the role of a small-town soccer team in Japan on their way to victory. Perform well enough and you will be selected to join the National Team where you will need to play alongside old rivals in order to conquer the world.

One Finger Death Punch 2 (February 26)

You’re surrounded, outnumbered and must use any weapon you can get your hands on to dismantle your opponents in a flurry of kung fu. That’s the essence of OFDP2, the world’s fastest brawler. It features the original’s unique two-button mechanics where speed and precision are key in this whirlwind fighting frenzy, as players maintain control over the 26 different unlockable skills, frenetic gameplay, and classic kung fu-inspired animations.

House Flipper (February 26)

House Flipper is your chance to become a one-man renovation crew. Buy, repair, and remodel devastated houses to give them a second life and sell them at profit. What you’ve got at your disposal is a set of tools and parts to hammer, drill, nail and screw things together, and do whatever is necessary to fit, fix or clean up. Then experiment with interior designs and decorating styles you like with hundreds of items that to choose from. https://youtu.be/nh4zuyi7vVM

Vasilis (February 26)

Vasilis is a hand-drawn adventure game. Vasilis, the main character, has lost her husband Peter in the rebellious city center. The city has plunged into chaos by constant riots, and almost every day something is burned or someone is killed. Having been abandoned by the government, the center is now dominated by local workers and students, who were able to build four towers that bring life back to those that have died. Vasilis is a game which focuses on characters and story. It is divided into five chapters in which the player will deal with riots, cults, and cruel war events.

Castle of No Escape (February 26)

Explore a mysterious castle full of monsters and secrets on a quest to collect treasure (that will also protect you from the curses on your way) and crush the main boss. The game won’t let you exit the castle, no matter how you try; technically you can win, but there is no end.

Castle of No Escape 2 (February 26)

Prepare yourself for the dangers of the cursed castle where countless heroes have tried and failed to destroy the ancient spell held in its walls where hundreds of monsters roam, guarding the sword shards — the last known thing to be capable of defeating the demonic castle’s owner. Plan your steps carefully, because save points don’t exist in the Castle of No Escape.

Yakuza 0 (February 26)

The glitz, glamour, and unbridled decadence of the 80s are back in Yakuza 0. Play as Kazuma Kiryu and discover how he finds himself in a world of trouble when a simple debt collection goes wrong and his mark winds up murdered. Then, step into the silver-toed shoes of Goro Majima and explore his “normal” life as the proprietor of a cabaret club. Fight your way through Tokyo and Osaka by switching between three different fighting styles instantaneously and beating up all manner of goons, thugs, hoodlums, and lowlifes. When you’re not fighting, kill time in 1980s Japan. From discos and hostess clubs to classic Sega arcades, there are tons of distractions to pursue in the richly detailed, neon-lit world.

Spartan Fist (February 28)

Fight your way to fame, fortune and glory in this first-person puncher rogueltke as you work to retrieve the fabled Spartan Fist. Playing as Emma Jones, a down-and-out detective working to earn her keep, you’ll tap your inner badass as you punch dudes so hard they explode. Navigate through an arena that’s different each time you play and delve into a whimsically gritty and colorfully punk pixilated world while fighting your way to the top.

One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (February 28)

Dive into a dynamic fighting game experience with beloved characters from the first season of “One Punch Man.” Play as your favorite hero… or become one! Create your own hero avatar and choose your own set of powers and abilities with edge of your seat fighting and dynamic 3v3 fighting featuring events as seen in “One Punch Man” such as meteors and other heroes. Pre-order to receive early access to play as Saitama (Dream Version), Saitama (Black Suit) outfit, Saitama (Jersey) outfit, and Saitama Mask avatar part. https://youtu.be/1Qf8K7K6GaY

Stab Stab Stab! (February 28)

A brutal, physics-based, couch multiplayer fighting game where you stab your friends until they pop. Play as explosive fleshbirds with razor sharp beaks through vicious combat as you battle your friends in versus mode or team up in survival mode against the mindless hordes of cronenbirds across 12 unique and deadly arenas.

Bucket Knight (February 28)

Even knights must pay taxes, loans, and alimony. Help an unnamed, brave knight in his sacred mission to find the Holy Grail (and make some money). Explore dungeons, slay enemies, avoid traps, stay alive and get rich in this classic styled run-and-gun platformer. Read the full article

#Games #XboxOne

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winterolympicssports2018-blog · 6 years

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Frankie Edgar defeats Cub Swanson via unanimous decision in Atlantic City

Click here for More Olympics Updates https://www.winterolympian.com/frankie-edgar-defeats-cub-swanson-via-unanimous-decision-in-atlantic-city/

Frankie Edgar defeats Cub Swanson via unanimous decision in Atlantic City

Former UFC champion Frankie Edgar picked up a key decision win over Cub Swanson, just seven weeks after suffering the first knockout loss of his career.

Edgar (23-6-1) outclassed Swanson (25-9) on the feet en route to unanimous 30-27 judges’ scorecards. The 145-pound bout co-headlined UFC Fight Night at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, in Edgar’s home state of New Jersey.

It was not the prettiest fight of Edgar’s career, as the action occasionally stalled throughout. It was still one of his most impressive wins, however, considering the circumstances. In addition to a knockout loss to Brian Ortega in March, Edgar was also dealing with the recent loss of his father and grandfather.

Frankie Edgar outworked Cub Swanson on the feet en route to a bounce-back unanimous decision victory Saturday night in Atlantic City. Patrick Smith/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

“I just lost [my father], my grandfather — this was a tough go,” Edgar said. “Thank God, I’ve got my family. My kids are here. This is the first fight they’ve seen.

“I see everybody putting stuff up, only 13 percent or 15 percent come back [to win after a knockout] — I don’t believe in any of that. I’m not going anywhere.”

Whether it was simply an off-night or a bad stylistic matchup, Swanson, 34, looked hesitant in the three-round loss. According to Fightmetric, he was only outstruck in the bout 50 to 60, but most of his attempts were the jab or other long-range strikes with little power behind them.

This fight was a rematch of a bout between the two in 2014. Although the result was similar — Edgar won the first meeting by fifth-round submission — the rematch played out very differently. Edgar dominated Swanson with takedowns in 2014. This time, he outworked him on the feet.

Edgar, of Toms River, New Jersey, has won seven of his past nine bouts. He was scheduled to challenge Max Holloway for the featherweight championship in March, but Holloway withdrew with an ankle injury and was replaced by Ortega.

Frankie Edgar has called for the winner of the July 7 bout between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega, the latter of whom handed Edgar the first knockout loss of his career seven weeks ago. Patrick Smith/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Holloway and Ortega are now scheduled to meet at UFC 226 on July 7 in Las Vegas. Edgar, 36, has called for the winner.

Willis hangs on for win against Sherman

Heavyweight Justin Willis (7-1) held off a late rally by Chase Sherman (11-5) in the final round to earn a unanimous decision and improve to 3-0 in the Octagon.

Willis, of San Jose, California, was on the verge of a knockout win on several occasions in the first round. He wobbled Sherman with a counter left hand early in the fight, and then dropped him moments later with the same punch.

Sherman, 28, showed off an incredible chin and a lot of heart, however, eventually working back to his feet and slowing Willis down along the fence. He fell victim to the counter left again in the second round, before rallying in the final frame.

A tired Willis found himself on the end of a string of short elbow strikes by Sherman, but it was not enough to turn the scorecards. A former collegiate football player, Willis has now defeated Sherman, Allen Crowder and James Mulheron in his UFC career.

Branch stuns KO artist Santos with overhand right

Middleweight David Branch (22-4) stunned hard-hitting Brazilian Thiago Santos (17-6) with an overhand right, leading to a knockout finish at 2:30 of the opening round.

A New York native, Branch popped Santos with the right hand as he walked him back into the cage. The former WSOF champion dropped several hammerfists to put a stamp on the finish, before referee Gary Copeland managed to intervene.

It’s just the sixth knockout finish of Branch’s career, and his first since 2014. Santos, 34, came into the bout with 12 career knockouts. This is his third loss by KO.

Former interim title challenger Kevin Lee turned in one of the best performances of his career Saturday night in Atlantic City, defeating Edson Barboza via TKO at 2:18 of the fifth round. Asked who he wants next, Lee replied, “It’s Khabib time, baby.”

“We worked that overhand coming over the top and rolling underneath,” Branch said. “He was really hard to get to. We had to be tricky and loop those punches. I think he was expecting them to come down the middle.”

Branch improves to 2-1 since re-signing with the UFC last year. He dropped a high-profile TKO loss to Luke Rockhold his last time out, in September.

Sterling cruises to decision, calls for Cruz

Bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling (15-3) handed Brett Johns (15-1) his first professional loss, in the form of a dominant unanimous decision. All three judges had it a sweep for Sterling, 30-27.

Sterling, of Cortland, New York, was never close to a finish, but he dominated Johns in grappling exchanges en route to an obvious win on the scorecards. According to Fightmetric, Sterling racked up more than six minutes of control time on Johns, and outstruck him 111 to 57 overall.

Johns’ boxing combinations had some success in spurts, but the outcome of the bout was never really in doubt. It’s a big turnaround win for Sterling, who suffered a highlight-reel knockout loss to Marlon Moraes in his prior appearance in December.

The 28-year-old called out former champion Dominick Cruz immediately after the bout.

“There’s a time when your idols become your rivals. Dominick Cruz, let’s do this!” Sterling said.

Hooker impresses, knocks out ‘legend’ Miller

New Zealand lightweight Dan Hooker (16-7) became just the second man to knock out Jim Miller (28-12) in an MMA fight, as he rocked the 34-year-old veteran with a knee just three minutes into the opening round.

Hooker, 28, dropped Miller with a knee to the chin, and followed up with a right hand after Miller fell to the canvas. Hooker showed a great deal of respect for Miller in the aftermath, opting to calmly stand in the neutral corner as opposed to celebrating.

“All respect to Jim Miller. He’s a legend of the sport, and it was an honor to fight him inside the Octagon,” Hooker said. “Jim Miller is a legend. That’s it.”

Miller, who fights out of Sparta, New Jersey, has now lost four in a row. Prior to this skid, which dates back to February 2017, he had never lost more than two bouts consecutively.

Despite his obvious respect for Miller, Hooker looked confident and aggressive in the early going. He utilized his four-inch height advantage well, applying the jab regularly. Hooker has now won three in a row and six overall in the UFC. In his postfight interview, he called for a bout against Paul Felder, who was actually holding the mic as a commentator for the UFC.

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olivereliott · 4 years

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Here’s the new BMW R18, with specs, prices and more

It’s been ten months since BMW Motorrad threw the wraps off the Concept R18 prototype. Today we’re finally getting a clear look at the production cruiser, ending weeks of rampant speculation and spy shots.

The R18 plays on two levels. On one hand, it’s a bid from BMW to tackle the cruiser (ergo, the US) market. On the other, it’s a nod to the boxer motor’s heritage—even more so than the wildly popular R nineT.

The price for the showroom bike will be $17,495 (standard model) or $19,870 (upmarket ‘First Edition’) in the US, and €22,800 in Germany for the ‘First Edition’ only. So the cost of the R18 is on a par with much of Harley’s cruiser range, including the Low Rider S, FXDR and Fat Bob models—plus the Indian Chief.

As expected, the R18 looks good… apart from a few niggles. The images confirm a lot of what we’ve already pieced together from the extensive teaser campaign, and the customs from Custom Works Zon and Revival Cycles. Keen eyes will also spot a number of parts that were already on the two concept bikes that BMW themselves released.

When the first cruiser concept broke cover at the Concorso d’Eleganza last year, BMW design boss Edgar Heinrich cited the iconic 1936 R5 as the R18’s primary design inspiration. The connections are immediately clear; the general line of the frame, the shape of the 16-liter fuel tank, and the classic black paint with white striping. All point to the Bavarian marque’s history.

A closer look reveals some tasty details. The way the swing arm tubes loop around the final drive hub is a clear copy of the R5 design, and so is the exposed drive shaft. Even the valve covers mimic the basic form of those on the R5, as do the fishtail tips on the exhausts. And, just like back in the day, the roundels on the tank are screwed on rather than stuck on.

The 49 mm front forks are wrapped in period correct fork covers, while the rear shock is completely hidden within the frame architecture. The R18 gets spoked wheels too; 3.5 x 19” in the front, and 5.0 x 16” out back. The front brake setup features twin 300 mm discs, and there’s a single 300 mm disc at the rear.

Thanks to the sheer mass of the motor, the R18 is a physically large bike, with a wheelbase of 1,731 mm. At just over 68 inches, that’s almost two inches longer than the current Honda Gold Wing.

It’s porky too, with a curb weight of 750 pounds (345 kilos). Sure, it is a cruiser, but that wet weight figure is 51 pounds more than a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy… and that’s saying something. On the upside, it’s 18 pounds less than Indian claims for a fully fueled Chief Dark Horse.

The weight probably won’t deter hardcore cruiser fans or larger riders, and the engine itself is attractive. It’s the biggest boxer BMW have ever made, with a capacity of 1,802 cc. It’s also clearly tuned for cruising: at 91 hp (67 kW) it makes less power than the 110 hp (82 kW) R nineT.

The R18 mill makes over 50% more torque than the R nineT though, with 116 ft-lb peaking at 3,000 rpm. Most of that torque is available as a thick slab of grunt between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm, making it comparable to the 109 ft-lb pumped out by the Fat Boy’s Milwaukee-Eight 107 and the 119 ft-lb of the Indian Chief.

The top speed is 112 mph (180 kph)—which suggests it’s electronically limited—and BMW is quoting a 0-62 mph figure of 4.8 seconds.

The air- and oil-cooled motor uses BMW’s modern four-valve design, but also has a throwback overhead valve drive with two camshafts per cylinder. The crankshaft has an additional bearing at the center, to help control vibration. It’s also worth noting that the motor, air box and six-speed transmission weigh 244 pounds (110.8 kilos) collectively.

BMW have crammed in a few useful rider aids too. ABS and switchable automatic stability control are standard, as are three flickable riding modes: Rain, Roll and Rock (groan). There’s also ‘MSR’—an electronically controlled anti-slip feature to prevent skids under heavy acceleration or over-enthusiastic downshifts. Heated grips and hill start assist will be available as optional extras, along with a reverse gear, driven by an electric motor.

But despite the tech, and aside from the decidedly modern-looking oil cooler, there are hardly any superfluous bits and pieces cluttering the layout. Having to meet regulations tends to ruin perfectly good concepts, but BMW have done an admirable job with the R18.

The side covers and extended rear fender are well executed, and we can even live with the chrome-covered air box intakes. But that bulbous fishtail exhaust, which has undoubtedly swollen to accommodate emissions control things, is borderline comical.

We also miss the lower headlight and narrower bars of the Concept R18, which have given way to a high, wide and mostly chrome arrangement. Admittedly, it looks like a comfortable setup for anyone looking for a cruiser, especially when paired with a relatively low 690 mm seat height.

But those specific riders might not get along with the BMW’s foot peg placement. With two big cylinder heads sticking out, fitting forward pegs is impossible. BMW say that the ‘laid back’ setup is optimized for comfort and control. But even though they’re technically correct, it could be a deal breaker for some customers.

Kudos to BMW for a neat cockpit though; there might be a lot of chrome, but all the wiring runs inside the handlebars, and even smaller parts like the handlebar clamps look great. The speedo’s a mostly analog affair, with a small digital display. And there’s LED lighting all around, with the rear turn signals double up as taillights, neatening things up more.

As with the R nineT, BMW are hoping customers will customize the R18. So they’ve made certain parts modular. The rear fender struts are removable, and the valve cover and engine breastplate can be swapped out without needing an oil change. And the hydraulic lines and handlebar wires are all plug and play.

There’s already an extensive catalog of bolt-on parts, including offerings from partners Roland Sands Design, Vance & Hines, and Mustang Seats. Some of the more whack options include ape hangers [above], and a bizarre front turn signal setup that resembles a mini handlebar, with LED signals in the shape of bar-end mirrors.

But there are also various handlebar and luggage options, and some slick machined parts. Plus there’s a 21” front wheel option, if that’s your thing.

One customized example [below] shows exposed forks, lower handlebars and a seat that’s a dead ringer for the vintage Denfeld unit. Along with a slim rear fender that hugs the wheel, and a side-mounted plate bracket, it’s a stunning example of the R18’s potential—and a step closer to the look of the R5.

BMW will be selling the R18 as a limited ‘First Edition’ initially (some markets will get a standard version too). It gets metallic paint, more chromed bits and extra trim. But it also comes with an owner’s box that includes period correct roundels with brass lettering, brass screws, a screwdriver and a pair of gloves for assembly.

We reckon that’s a nice touch—and there’s a book about BMW Motorrad’s 100-year history in there too.

Interview: Edgar Heinrich, BMW Motorrad Head of Design

In today’s regulated world, building a modern cruiser that’s also a homage to a legendary vintage bike is a challenging prospect. So we pitched a few burning questions at Edgar Heinrich [above] to get his take on the R18’s design.

Bike EXIF: Help clear this up for our readers: the R18 was 100% completed before you handed it over to CW Zon and Revival Cycles to customize, and before Unique Custom Cycles began work on the Concept R18 and Concept R18 /2, right?

Edgar Heinrich: “To develop an all-new bike, including a brand-new engine, takes more than four years. So when the four concept bikes were revealed, the series production bike was already on its way onto the production line.”

“The concepts were very important milestones: they helped prepare the storyline, and they provided indispensable feedback to the development team from potential customers. Most importantly was the fact that the overwhelmingly positive feedback gave us confidence and security in our quest of entering new territory.”

Was there room for the concept and custom bikes to have an impact on the final product, or was it pretty much locked down?

“The feedback was important and highly appreciated, but the basics had been cast in form long before the concept bikes became public.”

“We were curious as to how a big boxer would be perceived in the custom scene. CW ZON did an amazing job with the first custom—even beyond expectations by winning Best of Show at Mooneyes. So did Revival Cycles, by staging this monumental engine within a fragile-looking titanium frame. The customizers had free rein with their creations, and they couldn’t have done it any better!”

“Unique Custom Cycles played a significant role, as Ronna Norèn is a long-time friend and was there all along the R18’s development. He provided input and advice during the creation process, being a renowned specialist in the cruiser field. The Concept R18 was executed by UCC, yet designed by the BMW Motorrad design team in Munich.”

There are shades of the historic R5 here, but this is specifically designed as a bigger, more heavy-duty cruiser. Do you think that BMW’s classic style translates well into a cruiser style, or were there challenges here?

“It’s obvious that we dove into our history here. I think before the R nineT family, this legacy had been neglected. In the old days, there were no segments or such differentiators; there were only ‘naked bikes,’ as we would define them today.”

“We believe that a contemporary cruiser is about pure riding pleasure, about simplicity and reduction, and less about performance.”

“Hence, linking this with our legacy of the R5 from 1936 is obvious, restoring those clean and perfect proportions, visual purity, honest materials; but also interpreting this unique architecture with the transverse flat twin engine, clutch, gear box, and the shaft drive aligned with the bevel-gear final drive, resting in the double loop frame. As it used to be in previous times.”

“Altering one part would mean altering the whole concept. This set-up is unique, technically and visually absolutely beautiful, and it connects effortlessly with our heritage. My friend Ola [Stenegärdl used to say: ‘Today it is easy to make things complicated, but is very difficult to keep things simple.’ Spot on!”

Whenever a manufacturer releases such an impactful prototype, and then a production bike later, there are inevitably gripes about how the production model doesn’t look like the prototype…

“Very true! A concept’s nature is to elevate the character and emotion of the standard product. That’s a bit of a curse, too. The focus lies on finding the right balance between raising emotions and curiosity, yet not disappointing when unveiling the series production bike.”

“As for the R18, I think we were lucky, by having the main components already finished for production: engine, frame, swing arm, tank, etcetera. We just had to add custom fenders, forks, and other, smaller components—always being aware to preserve the basic character of the bike. But the core was all there.”

In general, what were your biggest design challenges?

“The biggest challenge was the clean look of the bike. But this is a general problem when developing a modern naked bike: how to avoid the clutter of wires, cables, sensors and black boxes on a possibly small bike without a big fairing?”

“In terms of homologation, you need all these electronics. Stripping down a modern bike is pretty scary; sometimes you hardly see the engine from the harness.”

“This super clean look of the engine was hard to achieve. Engineers design an engine from the inside out, which is the normal procedure if you need to achieve a state-of-the-art motor with all the emission, noise and performance requirements. But a high-tech, visually cluttered and potentially brutal looking engine was not something we had in mind.”

“Technically superior solutions might not always be the best choice—which is a sometimes hard to understand for a company most renowned for innovation and technology. It was an intense development process, sometimes it took tough decisions, there were arguments and controversy, but eventually the team of engineers and designers grew together during the process and learned from each other.”

We know that the exposed shaft-drive is a nod to BMW’s history, as are the screw-on badges. Are there any other details that you are particularly proud of?

“If you take a close look, you will spot many more details crafted with passion and emotion. The tank filler cap, the speedo gauge with beautiful detailing, the fluid reservoirs and hand controls, the brake calipers, the seat fixings, the fishtail… all these components are made for the R18 only. Function-wise, we could have taken these from the shelf—but we wanted more.”

“The screw-on badges are also kind of special. According to our corporate rules, we could not use the old-style letters and had to take the modern badge, but by screw-fixing we can offer the stylish heritage badge as an extra.”

“As for the open running shaft drive, we are very proud we achieved that super clean look. There were concerns if it would be possible at all, but eventually with dedication, hard work and extensive testing it turned into reality.”

BMW haven’t given us an exact date, but say the R18 will be available in Europe and the USA around autumn of this year.

The real question is, who is it for? Will it entice owners away from other cruiser brands, even though cruiser sales worldwide are suffering? Or will it fill a heritage-shaped hole in the hearts of existing BMW customers?

Only time will tell.

BMW Motorrad | Facebook | Instagram

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jamaalw · 7 years

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From Marcia Montenegro:

I used to believe in the New Age Jesus. He was a man who was an advanced spiritual teacher, the Avatar who ushered in the Age of Pisces, a man who realized his innate divinity (which I believed was true of all people).

His death on the cross was a sacrifice to show his love for all. I did not believe in sin or redefined it to mean that sin is not being true to your real Self (the divine Self).

But the New Age Jesus is no better than other spiritual teachers and is not very accessible. His words lie in the writings of various writers whose esoteric books and teachings do not always agree (and I read mayn of these!). It never seemed quite satisfactory enough that Jesus gave all those teachings and did all those things only to end up dying to show love. So that was it? Finding the divine Self ends up overshadowing Jesus. After all, if we all have a divine Self, what is so great about Jesus? We still have to work hard to become spiritually enlightened enough to progress beyond this life.

My encounter with the real Jesus overthrew all this just like the sun coming out and overpowering any false lights that seemed to glow before.

Excellent two part article on the New Age Jesus by Ron Rhodes http://bit.ly/1Vjzj8s

http://bit.ly/1L0ZM4b

The Piscean Jesus (Jesus as Avatar of the Age of Pisces) http://bit.ly/1fwFSRJ

The Jesus of Edgar Cayce (the Christ Spirit), and response http://bit.ly/1WK3Fzo

Who is Jesus? http://bit.ly/1EaDzQ7

[Source]

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Marcia Montenegro’s story:

Spirit guides, meditation, astrology, the “higher Self,” raising the kundalini, developing psychic abilities, praying to gurus, astral travel, numerology, Tarot cards, contacting the dead, hanging out with witches, Sufis, followers of Muktananda, Rajneesh, Sai Baba, Maharaji, — all these and more were part of my journey. How did I get on this path?

The beginnings

I grew up with an agnostic father and a nominally Christian mother. My sister and I had to attend church because my mother thought that children should go to church, although she did not always go. Due to my father’s job in the Foreign Service, we moved around a lot, so we ended up in different churches located overseas and in the Washington, DC, area. Eventually, I became serious about religion. In junior high and early high school, I had the idea that being good would please God and get me into heaven. But reading about other religions and meeting those who believed differently made me wonder. I wanted something deeper, more experiential. I was also rejecting the idea of hell, that the Bible was God’s word, and was disillusioned with Christians. Christianity seemed defined by sermons, going to Sunday School, and doing good works. How boring! I started a serious spiritual search and journey at the end of high school.

That journey continued through college where I had paranormal experiences, made friends with someone who said she saw auras, and attended spiritualist meetings where the ministers claimed to receive messages from the dead. One bright sunny Florida afternoon, as I rested on my bed fully awake with eyes partly closed, I felt myself floating. I opened my eyes and was stunned to see my body on the bed below me as I hovered near the ceiling. I thought I had died. The shock slammed me back into my body in an almost painful way. This was my first out-of-body experience and I had no idea what it was or that it even had a name. I told no one about it. I had other paranormal experiences as well.

The journey stretched on after college when I visited psychics and an astrologer, and did a lot of reading on the paranormal, past lives, contact with the dead, and on Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. I remember reading a book on Vedanta (sect of Hinduism) each morning in the cafeteria of the building where I worked. I started to see connections in my life with the colors of the chakras, the seven psychic centers of energy in the body according to Hindu beliefs. This and other experiences pushed me into an active plunge into the alluring worlds of the paranormal and Eastern beliefs.

Into the fire

In an Inner Light Consciousness class, I was introduced to my “spiritual master” during a guided visualization. This guide, a spirit being, looked kind and wise. I felt his presence with me and sometimes saw him in dreams and meditations. I also had unpleasant, scary and weird experiences and visitations, once seeing a tall hooded figure in dark robes looking at my body in the bed as I hovered out-of-body nearby. Although extremely frightened by this apparition, I rationalized it by telling myself that I was being tested.

I also learned to meditate, do psychic healing, analyze dreams, and chant. When I first started to do Eastern meditation, I felt an incredible peace. I felt that I was fading away and merging with something greater. It seemed I was literally one with the universe, and the teaching that we are all connected to one force seemed true. After all, I believed that truth was in experience, and here my experience was confirming that belief. At last, I thought, I was connecting to that spiritual realm.

Later, my studies took me on many paths — Tibetan, Hindu and Zen meditation and philosophy, spirit contact, a bit of palm reading, numerology, psychic development, and past life regression. Reincarnation seemed to answer questions and I experienced what I thought were memories of past lives.

Finally, it seemed I was on the edge of a hidden wisdom, a truth higher than the everyday superficial thinking around me. I devoured books by Edgar Cayce, Ruth Montgomery, Chogyam Trungpa (Tibetan Buddhism), Annie Besant (Theosophy), Hanz Holzer (ghosts), and Ram Dass (Hinduism/New Age). Titles like Seth Speaks, The Tao of Physicsby Fritjof Capra, The Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (published by the Unity Church and used widely by psychics and New Agers), and Autobiography of a Yogi by Yogananda began to fill my shelves, along with books on astrology, tarot cards, numerology, and other occult teachings. My spiritual progress seemed assured, especially since I was having so many paranormal experiences. I felt I was an insider in the spiritual realm.

I even set up a photo of Yogananda on the bedroom fireplace mantel and prayed to him. I set up photos of gurus on the mantel of my son’s bedroom.

Unanswered questions

Over the years, my psychic experiences escalated. I studied astrology and took a 7-hour exam on astrology in Atlanta, Georgia, administered by the City but formulated and graded by an astrology board, in order to qualify for the business license. Passing the test, I started practicing astrology, and eventually I taught astrology, gave public talks, wrote for astrological and New Age journals, and sat for four years on the board of astrology examiners that gave and graded the exams, becoming chairman of that board for the last three years. I became president of the Metropolitan Atlanta Astrological Society in June, 1989. My Halloween birthday and astrological skills made me popular with witches and others.

I noticed while doing chart readings for clients, that I would “tune in” to the chart in a mystical way, during which I felt an energy connecting my mind to the chart, and felt guided through the chart. It often seemed that I was being fed information or led to specific things to say about the client. After so many years of Eastern meditation techniques, I was slipping without effort into an altered state of consciousness while doing astrology.

Yet, with all the knowledge and experience I had acquired, what were the answers? Though I believed I would be coming back after my death, where would I go in between and for how long? Some taught that we would go somewhere that was like a school, then choose our next life. Others taught that we go somewhere to be spiritually purified – how, it was not explained – then our next life would be chosen for us. By whom? That was not explained. We were supposed to just trust the process.

I sought peace in Zen Buddhism and participated in meditation with other students of Zen at some area zendos, as well as meditating at home. Trying to detach myself from all desire involved a meditation that allows thoughts, fears, or desires to come up and then not to respond to them. This was to be applied to life outside meditation as well. But though detachment sounded good in all the books, there was a price to pay. The detachment seemed contrived and unnatural. Is it human to be non-feeling, to accept every thought, action, and emotion without judgment?

The idea was to transcend the rational mind which was a barrier between me and enlightenment. Although I failed in achieving detachment, I clung to the paradoxical teachings of Zen, reading books with Zen tales, and continuing the meditation. I noticed that the peace I had felt with my initial meditations had decreased, causing me to meditate more in an attempt to recapture that elusive peace.

Death and love

We are just drops in the ocean, I learned from Hindu sources (I blended Hindu and Buddhist teachings, as many do), and the goal is to eventually, after many lifetimes, rejoin the cosmic oneness that some call God. This God-force was what we came from and was our final destiny. So that meant my identity, memories, talents, and personality would be swallowed whole into the cosmic One. Where would I be? The disturbing answer was that I would no longer be. Death became an absorbing but uneasy topic for me.

The best way to help others and stay true to your path, I heard and read over and over, was to work on yourself and love yourself. Although talk of love was common and was taught to be the basis for everything, this love was not defined. It was just sort of out there – a love force that pervaded the universe. There was no personal being to love me; there was this energy coming from the cosmic One and that was it. Could a force care? Or love?

Despite the meditations, trying to live in the now, and the talk of love, I continued to have frightening experiences. One of the worst was waking up to see an older woman staring at me from the bottom of the bed. I knew she was not flesh and blood, but a spirit. She did not speak, but I heard her in my mind say to me, ‘I am here to take over your body.’ Too scared to speak, I said in my mind, ‘No! No!’ This seemed to go on for a long time, although I have no idea how long it really was. Finally, she simply faded away. I was left trembling, perspiring, and my heart racing. By the way, I was not doing drugs.

The compulsion

An unexplained compulsion to go to a church gripped me in the spring and summer of 1990. Since I hated Christianity, churches and Christians by now, this made me angry. I first ignored this compulsion, then resisted it, and then, after struggling against it for awhile, I decided to give in, hoping that it would go away. It was probably from one of my former lives as a Christian priest or monk, I reasoned.

In the opening minutes of a service in a large church in downtown Atlanta, I felt a love I had never known wash down over and through me, so powerfully that I started quietly crying. I knew this love was from God, not from the music, the people, or the place. I returned the following Sunday, not to have another experience, but so that I could be where that love had happened to me.

After several weeks, I began to feel unclean about astrology although no one in this open-minded church said anything about it. In fact, a few asked for my business card. All I knew was that astrology was somehow separating me from this God of love. I then got the impression that God did not like astrology and wanted me to give it up. This gnawed at me. Give up my life’s work? But I felt I had no choice; it was so clear to me that God did not like astrology. Not even believing what I was doing, I decided to give up astrology in late November of 1990. At the time, I was chairperson of the curriculum committee, a member of other committees at the astrological society, and scheduled to teach an upcoming class. I had to find another teacher. I had to tell clients who called I was no longer an astrologer.

Now what? Thinking I should read the Bible, I started reading in Matthew, the first book of the New Testament. Reading the Bible put me in touch with something pure, but I didn’t know what it was. Although I had read the Bible before while growing up and had quoted from it for astrological articles, this time it was different. I felt as though I was encountering something clean, much cleaner than I was, as I read it.

The turning point

This person Jesus fascinated me. It was as though I was learning about Him for the first time. One winter evening on Dec. 21st, while reading part of the 8th chapter of Matthew, the real Jesus was revealed to me. I was reading the account of Jesus on the boat with His disciples when a terrible storm arose. The disciples were afraid they would drown, and so they woke Jesus up, telling Him that they were going to perish. Jesus stopped the storm in its tracks! How? He did not visualize calm waters, He did not perform a ritual. He rebuked the winds and the sea, and they obeyed him. He was displaying his authority over nature.

While reading this account over and over, I realized that I was separated from God by everything I had done in my past — I had lived my whole life based on my will, a will that had rejected and dismissed God and His word. I realized that the only way to be forgiven of being against God, the only way to be reconciled with this true God, was through Jesus, who suffered and died for me out of a great unconditional love. I realized that Jesus really is the Savior. I realized that he had died because everyone had gone their own way and gone against God, like myself, but would be forgiven when trusting in Jesus.

In those several minutes sitting on my bed with the Bible, I knew that the truth and the answer to all my questions were one and the same: Jesus Christ. What a simple but amazing truth! And so I gave myself to Christ and knew I belonged to Him from that moment on. At that moment, I realized I was a new person inside. This was the Holy Spirit indwelling and regenerating me, although I did not understand this at the time. This is what is meant by “born again.” It is an act of God upon faith in Christ.

Several months later, I found out that a young Christian man at the part-time job where I worked (as a secret astrologer giving astrological advice to the boss about employees) had been praying for me with a fellowship group at his church during 1990.

As real as it gets

Jesus was different from the masters I had studied. He was more real than the spirit guides, the Ascended Masters, the mythical figures of Eastern religions, the Higher Self — all those airy, elusive things that gave no evidence of their existence — because Jesus came to earth in flesh, and He hungered, thirsted, felt pain and sorrow. He did not give a message that denied the dirt and dust of life, but He sat with the outcasts, the prostitutes, and the hated tax collectors, yet remained sinless. He was as real as it gets.

Though fully man, Jesus was fully God incarnate, equal to God in nature but setting aside that glory (not deity) to be among suffering men and women. Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life and died an agonizing death to pay for our sins. He bodily rose on the third day, conquering death, so that we can have eternal life with God. No sorcerer, no spiritual master, no Buddha, no shaman, no witch, no psychic has conquered death, but all still lie cold in their graves. But Jesus has power over death and is living today. “I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18).

Truth and satisfaction

Spiritually, I had been in a grave with the buddhas and the gurus and the seekers of wisdom who had rejected the truth of Christ. The complicated and intricate studies that had enthralled me, the endless layers of truths and realities I had pursued, the constant effort to evolve, the paranormal experiences, the need to believe in one’s own goodness at all costs, were all a maze and a trap.

The truth was simple enough for a child because the truth is a Person. Jesus did not teach the way or say He had a way. He said that He is the way.

Many people want to know if I had to wage spiritual warfare after trusting Christ. Well, a few months later, as I was about to go forward in a church to publicly proclaim faith in Christ, I got incredibly ill (I still went forward but it was difficult). When I went home, I got sicker. I felt an angry presence in the room and I knew it was my spirit guide. I realized he was, in reality, a demon. I told him I belonged to Christ and there was nothing he could do about it, that even if I died, it was too late. “You lose,” I said. I was addressing Satan, although I was really talking to my spirit guide. I do not believe in doing this now, nor advise it; I do not address demons nor Satan. They have already been spoken to and defeated by Christ. I prefer to speak to the ruler of the universe, Jesus Christ. My focus is on the One who is worthy of attention: Jesus Christ, who has power over all rulers and principalities, in both the physical and spiritual realms (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:19-22).

What is the biggest difference between my former life and my life in Christ? That I am happier, that life is easier? The difference is that I am spiritually satisfied. There is more to learn and much room to grow, but the learning and growth spring from Christ as the foundation, not from a search outside Him. The search has ended; the thirst has been quenched; the hunger within has been filled.

Jesus speaks

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” – John 14:6.

“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

“I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” – John 6:35

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'” – Matthew 28:18

[Source]

The New Age Jesus Is Not Jesus [Testimony] From Marcia Montenegro: I used to believe in the New Age Jesus. He was a man who was an advanced spiritual teacher, the Avatar who ushered in the Age of Pisces, a man who realized his innate divinity (which I believed was true of all people).

#annie besant #chogyam trungpa #edgar cayce #false christs #God #hanz holzer #Jesus #marcia montenegro #new age Jesus #ram dass #ruth montgomery #seth speaks #testimony #unity church

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chrismaverickdotcom · 7 years

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That was a Fucking Movie!!! (a Baby Driver Review)

Well that was a fucking movie! I know it seems like I say that in a lot of reviews. But it’s all about inflection. You can tell it’s different because of the word “fucking” See, I walk out of a lot of movies and I say something like… “well… that was a movie…” and it’s sort of like I’m half reminding myself that I did actually just watch a motion picture… or maybe I’m not really sure, so I’m sort of asking myself if that’s what I did.

That’s not the case here. Baby Driver is more like “Well!!!! THAT was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!”

And it really was. It was a MOVIE. A complete and total movie from start to finish. And what’s more, it was a genre movie. It’s basically a heist film. But it’s still a complete movie. A story. There’s like a beginning, a middle, and an end and everything!

I kind of forgot that was possible. Especially with a genre movies.

What really drove it home was the trailers. Before the movie there were trailers for Kingsmen 2, Daddy’s Home 2, Pitch Perfect 3, Bladerunner 2, Flatliners (2017), and Dark Tower. Four sequels, one reboot and the first film in a planned franchise. There was also a trailer for an upcoming horror movie called Wish Upon. Maybe there will only be one of those… but it’s a gimmick horror movie with a $12M budget. Those only exist on the dream that they hopefully kick off a franchise of cheap films that you can make over and over again. In other words, literally every movie they advertised before this film is part of a prospective series of films.

Because right now, as much as TV wants to be the movies, movies really really really want to be television. And this is becoming a serious problem. I have no problem with film franchises or cinematic universes. I love a good Spider-man movie as much as the next guy and I’m looking forward to seeing one next week. But there’s an issue when you’re only adapting existing intellectual property instead developing new stuff. Sooner or later you’re going to run out of good intellectual property to adapt and extend and then you’re going to have to start working with shit. What I’m saying is… who the fuck was asking for a Flatliners reboot? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Yeah… I didn’t think so. What’s next, adapting a fucking emoji film? Spoilers… yes, they’re actually making an emoji movie. Or rather they made one. It comes out in a couple weeks. Because… 💩

Anyway… Baby Driver isn’t that. In fact, Baby Driver is the opposite of that. Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

The other problem with building films like this is that they are often built by committee. When you’re building a franchise, you want everything to run together. Your ultimate goal is to make money, so you need to create a world that is cohesive and repeatable more than you need to create art. This is a problem for both good franchises and bad. I don’t care if you’re Star Wars or the DCEU. When you lose the singular vision of the director, and your movie stops being a cohesive single story, then it begins to lose something. It’s not that those can’t be fun to watch. But they’re frequently not good movies. Fun, maybe, but not necessarily good. They often evolve into something else, because productization is more important than story or art.

Anyway… Baby Driver isn’t that either. In fact, Baby Driver is the opposite of that. Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

And it really was. It was fucking great. Was it the best story? No. It was actually a relatively simple story. It was very formulaic. None of the characters were all that deep or fully developed. They were all pretty much one-note, in fact. Two seconds into seeing Jamie Foxx on screen you’ll say “oh… ok… he’s that guy.” Same with John Hamm. Same with Kevin Spacey. Same with Lily James, Same with Jon Bernthal. And the same with Elza Gonzalez. Don’t expect any surprises out of the their characters. Whatever you get from your first impression of them… that’s pretty much who they are. That also includes the main character of Baby, played by Ansel Elgort. You get introduced to his quirks and persona in the first minute or two of the film, and from there on out, he’s pretty much just that. There are also a few big plot holes in it. The third act of the film could have more or less been avoided if the main character had not made a choice that he didn’t want to make but did so anyway for no apparent reason whatsoever. He is literally given a choice of A or B and basically says “well, if I choose B, the movie will end so I guess I’ll just go with A.” There’s not a lot of storytelling in this and there’s not a ton of emotional or character development.

And it wasn’t about that. This was about making a piece of art! There was some character development. There was some plot movement. But they were just tools used to construct the whole that is the stunning cinematic statement that is Baby Driver. The plot was no more important than the musical score. In fact, it was arguably less important. Because the film is constructed more like a symphony than a story. The music drives everything. In the same way that Mad Max: Fury Road was a film that was about the cinematography, this is a film that is about the score. And somehow it works. You know how I’ve said before that Sucker Punch is the most fun movie you can make without plot? Well this is what happens if you add just a little plot back in.. and a little bit of character… and then try to make it good. Roll the entire thing around fun action set pieces and bake at 350 until a movie rises…. allow to cool on a window sill…

And somehow it works. Baby Driver was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

In other words, Zack Snyder wants to be Edgar Wright when he grows up.

He really does. This is exactly the kind of movie that I think Snyder wants to make. Only like… it’s good and stuff (actually its fucking great! if you haven’t been paying attention). What made it work is that Wright takes all the pieces and combines them into a vision that makes a statement with his medium. There’s a lot of “cool” bits in this movie. There are a lot of stunning scenes. But they are crafted together., They complete each other as a cohesive whole, rather than just being randomly strewn together because they were cool. Each piece compliments another. Jamie Foxx’s performance, by-the-numbers as it is (he’s played the basic character before), pushes the the plot forward. He provides a necessary complication in the world the film constructs. Elza Gonzalez’s character is pure sexiness, but she serves to develop both John Hamm and Lily James’s characters purely through contrast. The car chases and stunts while less epic than what you might expect in a Fast and Furious movie, work as plot points that literally move the story as the car travels through physical space perfectly tuned with the music that marks the passage of time. And each of these things combines to make the character of Baby, who honestly is as much of a simplistic stereotype as everyone else, amazingly compelling. You watch Elgort’s performance and you think “holy shit?!?!? where the fuck did the kid from Divergent learn how to act?!?!?”

The whole thing just works. Everything comes together and makes for a film that is better than the sum of it’s parts. Baby Driver was a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

And this is what I want. A movie that stands on its own. One of the things I always try to do with franchise films (especially the ones after the first) is ask myself “would you care about this at all if you didn’t know the source material?” This was my problem wirh Ghostbusters(2016). It wasn’t actually “good”; it was just a movie CALLED “Ghostbusters” that happened to have women in it. If it were called Spirit Killers, no one would have given a fuck about it either way. It would have been like Rough Night a couple weeks ago. But if Rough Night had been the same movie as it was and was just called Hangover 4: Ladies’ Night, a sequel in name only, it likely would have at least doubled if not tripled its box office. But at the cost of diluting the film marketplace even more. Because it’s not as good as Hangover was.

Baby Driver could have just as easily been called Heat 2: One Last Job or Gone in 60 More Seconds and tied into an existing franchise. It didn’t, It didn’t need to. It took itself seriously in and of itself and it works well in its own world. Not trying to set up a sequel and not trying to hold true to prequels that already exist. It is its own film with a beginning, middle and end. Just like this review.

And it was great… because Baby Driver is a FUCKING MOVIE!!!

★★★★¼(4.25 out of 5 stars)

Film Review: Baby Driver

Watch: Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx and Lily James on the vital role of music in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver

‘Baby Driver’ Trailer Remix: DJ Mike Relm Makes Music with Sound Effects, Dialogue & More

Baby Driver Will Make You Forget That You Hate Ansel Elgort

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Review: ‘Baby Driver’ is the summer heist movie you’ve been waiting for

‘Baby Driver’ is a summer movie that finally lives up to the hype

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Cheryl Platz, Jacob Goessling, Samantha Jordan, Adam Rixey, Michelle Hall Kay, David Redd, Stephanie Siler, Ed Ryan, Anne Brannen liked this post

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That was a Fucking Movie!!! (a Baby Driver Review) was originally published on ChrisMaverick dotcom

#Ansel Elgort #auteur #Baby Driver #Baby Driver (film)#directing #director #Edgar Wright #Eiza González #franchises #intellectual property #Jamie Foxx #Jon Hamm #Kevin Spacey #Lily James

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