Up in the air as England brought down to earth
Already in my short time producing Test Match Special I have experienced some rather interesting locations from which we have broadcast the programme.
The jungle of Dambulla in Sri Lanka, where I had to hold a satellite dish among a swarm of flying insects, will always be among my favourites.
But , the location of the second one-day match between England and New Zealand, provided an interesting experience for the TMS commentary team as we were placed in one of four portable cabins held on a temporary scaffold 100 feet in the air.
Of course the structure had passed all relevant safety checks, but when the wind blew our makeshift studio did sway in a rather alarming fashion.
It led to New Zealand commentator Bryan Waddle asking me if I had any metal chains to keep him safe when he arrived for his first commentary spell.
And it was a slightly red-faced Bill Frindall who greeted me after dragging his books and boxes up several flights of metal stairs.
But it was even worse for the Sky Television team who were located on the floor above us.
It was so bad that Sir Ian Botham was none too keen to commentate from their airborne studio.
He was quoted as saying "I don't do heights, I'll go in helicopters and planes - they are meant to fly, commentary boxes aren't"
We are back in Hamilton for the first Test in three weeks time and we have all been promised boxes rather closer to terra firma.
Despite and a lengthy rain delay it was still an enjoyable programme and what is great is hearing from TMS listeners who brave the late hour to tune in to our commentary.
Ashley Borges, who described himself as "a student, trying to stay awake" emailed from Lenton, Nottingham.
Ashley wrote: "Yet again I find myself listening to TMS whilst pulling an all-nighter. Last term it was against Sri Lanka, now it's New Zealand.
鈥淒ifferent opposition, same woeful performance and same cranky student having to stay up till some ridiculous hour desperately translating his Serbian assignments that should have been done days ago. Some things never change"
Another student listener contacted us from the University of Central Lancashire. Gavin e-mailed the programme to say: "I have been up since 3pm yesterday, I'm listening to the cricket on the radio via the internet. I have an exam this afternoon plus lectures all day!
鈥淚'm beginning to get tired now. It will serve me right for being loyal to the England team"
James Hamilton had problems of another kind when he e-mailed us to say: "I could do with a good England performance tonight/today to cheer me up.
鈥淭he girl I was seeing just broke up with me over Instant Messenger (who does that?) I'm a broke student and the only beer I currently have is an awful tasting home brew. I don't know quite which of those situations is worse"
But it鈥檚 not just students who stay up through the night to listen. Retired Don got in touch with his quandary.
"Love your dulcet tones even at these ungodly hours,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淚 am debating whether I should suffer the slings and arrows of England's' cricket or take myself off to beddy byes.
鈥淗owever I am sure that if I do take myself off to bed I will be unable to resist turning the radio on and suffering more/or not. Maybe the unpredictability of England is the attraction. "
After two romping Twenty20 wins followed by two heavy 50-over defeats I think Don is definitely right about England being unpredictable!
I hope you'll be able to spend the night with us on Friday - we're on air for the third ODI from Auckland from 0045 GMT and welcome your emails to tms@bbc.co.uk
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Going by the photo, you were never 100 feet in the air - 50 at worse, probably only 40.
AGB
(better to talk about this than about the England surrender....)
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England were embaressed
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Well guys, the girl that I was seeing broke up with me over in a Mc Donald's drive-thru window.
Ey! What can you do- she gave me extra fries with the shake.
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Girls on IM are always a bad idea, the temptation to say something you never would have said to her face always was my undoing!
On topic: Another shambles, it seems England can only cope with 20 overs.
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The rickety and unsteady structure, the red faced gentleman at the top, the promise that everything is secure despite appearances - is that the media centre or the England side? I think the England batsmen should be forced to sleep on top of the fourth portacabin for a night as punishment, with those poor fans who flew out to NZ shaking it from the bottom.
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What? England were poor? Where is the story in that?
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Yep its high but its still better looking than the Lord's media centre.
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English cricket suffers from the same malaise that afflicts football. We attract foreign talent to assist TV money negotiations and don't develop our own talent in a professional way. The Australians rebuilt their game after the shame of their late 1980s performances. We consistently talk about change but never actually carry it out. This is the English disease, we are fast becoming the amateurish no hopers of the sporting world. I am ashamed.
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Great comment from Graeme Edgar! Made me laugh, and I couldn't agree more.
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The state of the Hamilton commentary box is indicative of the kind of 'make do with the limeted resourses we have', "she'll be right", ingenuity that characterises a young country like New Zealand, with a small population and not much money to burn.
It may not be pretty or have all the fancy, state-of-the-art features that some other cricket nations have at their finger tips or all the expensive and much-hyped 'bells and whistles' etc. It might be pretty wobbley at the top, but the base seems firm enough. In short - it seems to do the trick alright.
A bit like the New Zealand cricket team.
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I really hope that during the commentary that someone remembered the wonderful Brian Johnston and made a slightly rude innuendo about an unstable erection that would have him collapsing in laughter had he still been with us.
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Well I have waited all my life to watch England play cricket in another country and as I live in Hamilton this has been something I have been waiting for. However despite the eternal english optimism and the rain (which my garden desperately needed - England come to town so it rains!)I had to endure such an awful game. Good thing there was plenty of beer to provide some form of relief. The worst thing about this result however, is going back into work on Wednesday to find my Kiwi colleagues had set up stumps and bails on my desk with a note pinned to them saying, "this is a wicket. Just in case you have forgotten what one looks like!" This will be a very long tour if things do not improve!
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Why is it not possible to stream Test March Special so that I can receive it on my computer in the USA. I listen avidly to matches played in England but cannot get the overseas matches.
Please help a very loyal cricketing and TMS fan living in America
Regards
Les Baker
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Thanks to you and the TMS team Adam, for beamming the cricket to us form NZ. I put some work aside today and rested ready to work and listen to TMS in the UK (Friday 00.45 - 09.00).
Please allow me this point - that while supporters and spectators may moan and slate all and sundry - TMS commentators will not be verbally venomous, nor be publicly partial, but will commentate without resort to tabloid-journalism. I have great praise for summarisers Geoff Boycott & Co who are forthright yet balanced and fair.
I for one am happy to win but can lose without slating our players.
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