Gary Lemke looks back at a jam-packed sporting weekend where Liverpool were the big winners this weekend in the Premier League while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and Stormers both secured URC wins.
FOR STORMERS IT’S ABOUT THE SCOREBOARD
There’s the age-old expression – general consensus is that it originated from the Western Province and Springbok prop Boy Louw, turned coach, who grew tired of being told that his team had been lucky to win. “Juss looks at the scoreboard,’ became the stuff of legends. Stormers coach John Dobson might have said the same thing to every Irishman within earshot following their 13-7 win over Ulster in the URC at the Cape Town stadium. The Stormers trailed 7-0 after 54 minutes and were lucky to have nil.
However, Manie Libbok dragged it back to 7-3 and then a converted Evan Roos try made it 20-7, before Libbok added the gloss, and the Stormers had played their get-out-of-jail-free card, Elsewhere, the Bulls ran up against a good Leinster side and lost 57-17, and the Lions were beaten 36-21 by the Ospreys. However, the Sharks continued their upward trend, beating Edinburgh 23-13 to climb to 13th on the log.
Good to be back @THESTORMERS !!
— JJ Kotze (@jjkotze_) April 1, 2024
Love this team💙💪🏼#agtg pic.twitter.com/ympTadCFj4
BLUES FINALLY REACH THE ‘MAGICAL’ 40
Back in the da,y a club’s fans used to breathe a sigh of relief when a club reached 40 points in the English Premier League. It usually meant a stay of execution in the top flight for those who were struggling a bit. Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with 19th-placed Burnley gave them the point that nudged them to 40, after 28 matches. How the mighty have fallen.
The next two clubs likely to get to 40 are 12th-placed Fulham and then Crystal Palace. Down the bottom, Sheffield United (15 points with nine to go, a maximum of 32), are doomed and Burnley (18, with a maximum of 42) also. The third relegated side will likely come from Luton, Nottingham Forest and Everton.
It ends all square.#CFC | #CheBur pic.twitter.com/VV4YUn2iDI
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 30, 2024
LIVERPOOL BIG WINNERS OF THE WEEKEND
At the top end, the 0-0 draw between Man City and Arsenal at the Etihad was a case of a point won and two points lost for City. Arsenal were tactically superb on the day, closing down spaces, chasing City players and restricting them to one shot on target.
The upshot is that Liverpool were the big winners and their lead at the top of the English Premier League is now two points over the Gunners and three over City, all with nine games remaining. If you haven’t already strapped on your seatbelts and heard the click, best you do now. It’s going to be one helluva bumpy ride to the end of the season.
BOLT ‘LOSES RACE’ AGAINST GREYHOUND
OK, so I’m writing this one-off owing to a “slow news weekend”. Remember that advert when Bryan Habana “raced” a cheetah over 100m (he lost) and then “raced” against an Airbus A380 over 100m (he won). Well, now Usain Bolt has “raced” against the world’s fastest dog, a greyhound, in a simulation over 100m. Bolt is the fastest human sprinter ever, with a world record 9.58sec.
The greyhound won, hitting the 100m line in 5.80m, making Bolt seem like he was looking for parking. In what is a career highlight for me, in a one-on-one exclusive in Boston some years back, I asked the great man. “Can white men run fast?” He replied, “Oh yes,” and then paused. “But not as fast as black men”. And, how much lower than 9.58sec would a human ever get. “The world stops at 9.40sec,” he told me. I don’t think in many of our lifetimes his 9.58 will be bettered and I don’t believe anyone has been born who will ever clock 9.40sec
Usain Bolt VS World's Fastest Dog (Greyhound)
— Out of Context Human Race (@NoContextHumans) March 30, 2024
pic.twitter.com/lKJdlifZyM
PATHIRANA’S TWO BALLS OF BRILLIANCE
Last week we spoke about how the Indian Premier League – and T20 in general – has become a batters’ paradise. Scores after the first 13 games have been 143, 162 (twice), 168 (twice), 171, 173 (three times), 174, 176 (twice), 177, 178 (twice), 182, 185, 186, 191, 193, 199, 204, 206, 208, 246, 273. That’s an average of 185, which has been around the case from the start.
Among all the carnage though, for me were the three successful balls bowled by Matheesha Pathirana in the 15th over of the Capitals vs Super Kings match. An inswinging toe yorker at 150km/h bowled Mitchell Marsh, and then he pushed a wider delivery to Tristan Stubbs. The second ball to Stubbs was another 150km/h toe-crushing yorker which lit up the stumps. He has a similar action to ‘Slinger’ Malinga, but this 21-year-old Sri Lankan looks the real deal.
Trust the way that CSK believe in players 💛🫶🦁 pic.twitter.com/ZK8RQ3Z8V7
— Matheesha Pathirana (@matheesha_9) April 1, 2024
ECOLI IN THAMES CLAIMS CASUALTY
During the recent African Games in Ghana, a South African triathlete, Dylan Nortje, found himself in distress during the run part of the event and despite winning bronze, says he lost vision during the race. He had to be hospitalised. In truth, the ecoli water levels in Accra were dangerously high. On Sunday, Cambridge beat Oxford in the famous “Boat Race” on the Thames in London, but their stroke, Matt Edge was on the verge of collapse afterwards and had to be carried out the boat.
Rowers had been warned to not enter the Thames (in London) due to high levels of ecoli in the water and to wear footgear if walking in it. Incidents like the two mentioned show how dangerous being exposed to water with high levels of ecoli truly are.
Matt Edge literally gave everything for Cambridge, collapses at the finish.#boatrace pic.twitter.com/zYudBuoFJ3
— Kenneth MacRae (@kmacraeplockton) March 30, 2024
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