´óÏó´«Ã½

An omen? - Not that I believe in omens, yet I know I'll be sending orisons to the Oval household gods. From Nitschke to Farrell, the Australian side looks immensely strong on paper. Yet they go into this semi by virtue of 4 points as opposed to England's 6. Is that an omen that this team is vulnerable? Ask the Ferns and their answer will be an undoubted "yes." And yet, and yet... Rolton, Blackwell, Perry, Sthalekar, Fields, Andrews, Paulson........ Each has had at least a silver moment already in this tournament..

And England? Our bowling has been excellent. At one time or another, Colvin or Guha or Gunn or Edwards has shone. To opposition sides England's bowling attack probably looks "formidable" too. (And I've a sneaking feeling Brunt might be back for this semi). - But apart from Atkins, recently batting (oddly!) at 8 or 9, once the top three batters have gone, the rest have looked fragile. Farrell, Perry & co will not have overlooked that.

It could be true that this is Karen Rolton's last game in England as captain. (One hopes so!) She's had a wonderful career and it needs an Australian to write her a eulogy. As for us, perfidious Albionites, while we sing praises in our valediction to a great cricketers, we'll be secretly hoping she does no better than Bradman in his last match at the Oval! Won't we? If the Oval gods will forgive my lack of charity, I will.

I am already bored hearing about the men's Ashes! Too much Sky hyperbole is meaning I am not the only one who thinks so too.

Shame the women's version has not recieved much coverage though. Well done and thanks for highlighting it.

Based on recent form it will be a case of England's bowling/fielding verses Australia's batting. Whoever wins that battle wins the game.
I listened to the Radio 4 SA v India commentry for about 30 minutes yesterday - during which time the England/Pakistan game was going on - and there were no score updates. The nearest things got to Taunton was when Lundy was mentioned in the shipping forecast ! I'm afraid followers of women's cricket just have to get used to poor or non-existant coverage in the media.

Firstly and most importantly good luck to the England women for the real challenge lies ahead....

UK sports fans are a strange lot. In any other country once the host nation is knocked out interest wanes and people turn their attentions to another national sport or team.

But here SKY & the ´óÏó´«Ã½ lead the way in blinkered attention to what they perceive as the main event. When they SHOULD turn more of their attention to England's Women and promoting the women's game.

Throughout this tournament I've spotted little if no highlights of the women's games on the late night show (a brief comment in the morning by Chris).

As per usual the ´óÏó´«Ã½ have failed to listen to the calls for more coverage to promote a healthy women's game after the successes of the winter. WHY OH WHY ´óÏó´«Ã½?

Come on New Zealand!!!

Mr Mountford I am glad to hear of that ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio is flying the flag for women's cricket.

But I have a 12 year old daughter who loves her cricket will there be late night highlights of the women's semi's & final as we do not have SKY. Also while i enjoy cricket radio this is not the medium to develop the following of youngsters needed domestically - they want tv coverage!

Re statement by Adam Mountford (above)

For us who live outside UK, radio coverage is denied. So will there also be live text on the women's semi-finals, with a 606 thread included?

Answers on a postcard to post 7 & 8 - Mr Mountford?

"No answer was the stern reply." But now we know it anyway - "No." - Maybe tomorrow, huh? Isn't there any of the live text team who can get to the Oval by (say) midday thirty to set up?

My, my! The Ferns have certainly thrown down the gauntlet. - But let's postpone thoughts of Watkins smashing the ball to all corners and Ruck bowling mf left hand inswing from the Pavilion end at Lord's. We've enough to think about.

´óÏó´«Ã½ cricket nearly gave me a heart attack about 15 minutes ago. - Clicked through & saw the headline "Edwards doubtful for semi-final." I was so stunned I just gawped at it, before clicking through to find out it was Fidel Edwards. - Heart attack postponed.

Best of luck to England Women tomorrow. Either via Aunty, or out in the wilds of cricinfo, I'll be tuned in.

Live text would be the least the ´óÏó´«Ã½ could do to support the women's cause. Come let Ms Mitchell loose on the live text we might get less comedic comments and more cricket....

FJH looks like we're getting text commentary....enjoy!

C'mon England make us proud...

Hallelujah!

Cometh the bogey, cometh the bogey killers! - Who ya gonna call? Well,Taylor & Morgan for two. Brilliant, brilliant England. Thanks to ´óÏó´«Ã½ for live text - and I thought Pranav Soneji was outstanding: descriptive, informed and able to convey the sense of pressure that built up.

I am really pleaed , actually ecstactic that the England WOMENS TEAM is in the final. It's such a great shame that the majority of people in Great BRITAIN WILL NOT BE ABLE to watch it live and will only have some pathetic highlights at 11pm. I feel this is not good enough for our WOMENS TEAM ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS REAL HISTORY YOU WOULD BE MAKING IF YOU WON IT BUT unfortunately the majority of us won't be able to get behind you. all other events that we were able to get into was because they were free to air, yours is not. So due to those constrictions a lot of people feel left out of cheering you on including myself. Thank god for radio Yours sincerely, Nicholas Jones, R.I.P. Free to air live tv cricket.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ TV sports coverage is constrained by .... money. Sky has loads of it and if sporting governing bodies choose to sell their soul its hard for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ to get a look in.

The "I'm afraid followers of women's cricket just have to get used to poor or non-existant coverage in the media" in No3 was supposed to be a new paragraph and not a pop at the ´óÏó´«Ã½. There are plenty of sports media outlets that provide far less coverage than the ´óÏó´«Ã½. I suspect (and its only a suspicion) that Sky only show Women's Cricket because the contract with the governing body specifies it has to.

Yesterday I heard Jonathon Agnew extolling the quality of Claire Taylor's innings and urging us to watch it on the highlights. How disappointed I was with the highlights. It might, of course, be contractual rather than editorial - only contractually being able to showing a few minutes of highlights. Either way what we got allowed no appreciation whatsoever of the quality of the innings. Instead the vast majority of the highlights was set aside for SL v WI, a match that really was a non-event and far less existing than the womens' game.

I totally agree what has been said by comment N0.16 by LahdarBhenin. Brilliantly put and couldn'y have said it better myself.
Just to add in support of this comment the Womens game on free to air live tv cricket or any coverage of cricket of theres on free to air tv cricket are treated like 2nd class citizens with there sport on free tv. It is such a shame that tommorrow people with just free to air live tv cricket will be ruced to late night highlights. Absolutely payhetic. This game should be shown live on free to air live tommorrow so the nation can get behind our womens team in the final. I know in New zealand and there ladies team will be able to watch live free to air whilst in our country the only thing we will see live of this will be a blank screen, in the country that is holding it. Totally gauling. Good luck ladies, I will be listening on my radio and wishing all the way to win. Shame we can't see it live for free on tv. The Empire of Cricket the series form cricket past on tv, is now a non existent empire of cricket on free to tv , just mere measly crumbs of highlights.
Good luck ladies, go for it and win . You should have an open top bus parade just on the basis of winning the 50 over World Cup in March, which sadly therewas no free to air tv highlights shameful. Hopefully in the near future we will be treated like first class citizens again but until then it is pathetic crumbs of highlights.