HIGHLY-PAID national scribes regularly produce a load of pap to fill the column inches but some bad journalism simply cannot be left without censure.
Indeed, two pieces published in the last few days are so cringeworthy that they merit a blog post.
The first load of rubbish comes, somewhat unsurprisingly, from the Daily Express. On Friday, it published a poll claiming that 99% of British people want to leave the European Union.
In the intro to the article which carries the findings, the Express laughably claims that the survey shows there is "a massive weight of public support surging behind the Daily Express's crusade to liberate Britain from Brussels".
But, as professional YouGov pollster Anthony Wells points out on the excellent UK Polling Report blog, the poll is a nonsense, referred in the industry as a 'voodoo poll'.
Mr Wells wrote: "There is unlikely to be any attempt to properly sample or weight the data, nor protections against multiple voting, nor preventing pressure groups organising people to ring up en masse.
"Yes, in this case it’s blindingly obvious that the poll is bunkum."
Of course, there is nothing unusual in the populist press publishing some sort of article based upon its own telephone poll.
Frankly, people who call up a premium rate number to declare their interest would seem to have too much time on their hands but that is besides the point.
The reason why the story probably provoked so much ire from Mr Wells was not so much the lack of caveats or weighting but the fact that the Express ran the story "in massive font on the front page".
This story was undoubtedly a case of irresponsible journalism, effectively presenting the opinions of Express readers bothered enough to pick up a phone as fact, then - worse - giving it wide exposure. Was there really nothing else to report?
Perhaps the only surprise in the wake of the Royal wedding announcement is that Prince William and Kate Middleton were not mentioned. Or, for that matter, Princess Di.
The other terrible item to turn stomachs and yet make it to the presses this week was written by the Guardian football writer Louise Taylor on Thursday. It came to light in this post on the FleetStreetBlues blog.
Ms Taylor has recently been to Doha in Qatar and, on her return, produced a sickeningly-sweet puff piece about the small Arab state's prospects of winning its bid to host the World Cup 2022.
She even attempts to suggest that Qatar's stance on the existence of Israel would soften in the event of the Israelis qualifying.
And, putting aside my personal distaste as a Newcastle fan towards Ms Taylor as a writer - she honed her dubious skills on Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme and rarely fails to show her bias on Tyne-Wear matters - this article still stinks.
Sports blog editor Steve Busfield gave what he referred to as "full disclosure" when he explained that Ms Taylor "was on a press trip to Qatar with several other national newspaper and broadcasting journalists, ahead of the decision for the 2022 World Cup next week."
Mr Busfield added: "During the trip Louise wrote news stories about the Brazil v Argentina match and on Alex Ferguson. She was asked to write a comment piece about her impressions of Qatar."
However, when further comments queried who paid for her jaunt to the Middle East, Mr Busfield finally confirmed that "the trip was organised and paid for by the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid committee."
In other words, the original "full disclosure" was in fact the truth but not the whole truth and the whole truth shows a massive conflict of interest.
Oddly enough, the article now seems to have been somewhat buried - certainly, it is no longer visible on the football front-page of the Guardian website.
But this is nothing new for the Guardian which has fallen foul in the past to an expose in the comments box by its own readers.
In 2008, a rather dull travel blog by young Skins writer Max Gogarty was revealed in the readers' comments to have been written by the son of freelance journalist and regular Guardian contributor Paul Gogarty. Nepotism at its best.
The comments were scathing then and it is no different this time with heavy moderating showing the Guardian's 'Comment is Free' policy only applies so far.
Of the opinions which have been allowed through, the best are those which suggest Ms Taylor seeks alternative employment - as an official for the Qatari tourist board.
No doubt she would do a good job, and there would probably be plenty of money in it for her too.
Hat-tips: UK Polling Report, FleetStreetBlues
Saturday 27 November 2010
Thursday 25 November 2010
The Ashes 2010/11: Gabba records tumble in ridiculous draw
Day five (close)
England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 517-1d [Cook 235*, Trott 135*, Strauss 110] drew with Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125] & 107-1 [Ponting 51]
ALASTAIR COOK hit the highest score at the Gabba of any player in Test history as England easily secured a draw on the final day of the first Test in Brisbane.
Cook scored an unbeaten 235 to beat Sir Don Bradman's previous record of 226 as England declared their second innings on an extraordinary score of 517-1 shortly before tea.
The Essex left-hander had been assisted for more than a day of playing time by Jonathan Trott who was also not out on 135.
Earlier, Cook had put on 188 runs for the first wicket with captain Andrew Strauss to ease England from their predicament, having gone into day four on 19-0, still 202 runs behind.
That deficit had been overturned by tea on day four for the loss of just Strauss' wicket, and by the time England declared on day five, the tourists' own lead was 296.
Thoughts of completing an amazing comeback victory were briefly on the cards when Stuart Broad claimed his first wicket of this Ashes series.
Simon Katich, understandably tired from spending almost two days to the field, prodded Broad's ball to Strauss at slip for 4, leaving Australia 11-1 when tea was taken.
England could have had their second wicket shortly after the interval but Paul Collingwood dropped a simple catch from Shane Watson's misjudgement of Graeme Swann's spin.
But, from then on, Australia reasserted themselves and their brief moment of panic was over.
Skipper Ricky Ponting hit an unbeaten 51 while Watson finished on 41 not out as the draw was agreed with Australia on 107-1.
The record books will show this contest as a high-scoring match from which the draw was inevitable but that was not actually the case.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, England were all out for 260 as Aussie fast-bowler Peter Siddle took a hat-trick on his 26th birthday.
Australia reached 96-1 at lunch on day two but suffered a minor wobble, losing four wickets shortly after the interval including Ponting for 10, two balls after the break.
However, once Mike Hussey was joined at the crease by Brad Haddin, the match turned inexorably in the Aussies' favour.
Hussey scored 195 and Haddin hit 136 in a sixth-wicket partnership of 307. At that point, it was the highest-ever partnership for any wicket at the Gabba.
But, after toiling for more than a day in the field, Steven Finn took four of the final five Aussie wickets and Graeme Swann the other, as tail failed to wag and Australia were all out for 481.
That was still a first innings lead of 221, and pessimists like myself feared an England collapse under pressure and an embarrassing innings defeat.
After all, Australia are unbeaten in Tests at their Brisbane fortress over the last 22 years, a sequence of 21 previous matches, of which 16 ended in an Australia victory.
Surely, given that record, Ricky Ponting's men would not let such a dominant position in this Test slip from their grasp.
Of course, we now know that they did - but, in fairness to them, there was little which they could have done about it.
Bowling on a placid surface which offered nothing, Australia's best chance of winning the game relied on England panicking given their huge first innings deficit.
However, Cook and Strauss, and then Cook and Trott, were a model of calmness in the middle, turning the tide totally in England's favour.
Cook and Strauss, now with an aggregate of 3,415 runs and counting, surpassed the record of 3,249 set by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe to become England's highest-scoring opening pair in history.
Then Cook and Trott immediately took Hussey and Haddin's partnership record at the Gabba off them, scoring an unbeaten 329.
Other notable achievements by England include the fact that this was the first time in their Test history that they had gone past 500 for the loss of just one wicket.
And it was only the second time that the top three batsmen each scored at least a century in the same innings.
On a similar note, Cook and Strauss became the first England opening pair to both score at least a century in the same innings of an Ashes Test since Len Hutton and Charlie Barnett at Trent Bridge in 1938.
Meanwhile, on a personal level, Cook became only the fourth Englishman to score an Ashes double century in Australia, and he batted for 630 minutes, longer than any of his countrymen in a Test down under.
With the series still at 0-0, Strauss was able to claim a moral victory in Brisbane. Having turned this match around after the first innings, the tourists will travel to Adelaide in high spirits.
Indeed, England's ludicrous second innings score has driven home Australian concerns about the strength of their bowling attack.
Strike bowler Mitchell Johnson returned awful match figures of 0-170 while debutant spinner Xavier Doherty struggled in that second innings with figures of 0-107 from 35 overs. Both may be replaced in a seemingly unsettled line-up.
By contrast, England will expect to field the same XI but there also remain major doubts about their ability to take 20 Aussie wickets, especially on as flat a surface as Adelaide.
Of course, Adelaide was the scene of England's nightmare four years ago when, having made 551-6d in their first innings, they went on to lose by six wickets.
But it would be a surprise if something similar occurred this time.
For, while England did not exactly storm the citadel that is the Gabba after their poor first innings effort, much heart will be taken from the fact that they emerged unscathed and indeed enhanced.
--
EARLIER REPORTS (*note: no day four report)
Day four:
(close) England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 309-1 [Strauss 110, Cook 132*, Trott 54*] v Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125]
Day three: Hussey and Haddin build huge Australia lead
(close) England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 19-0 v
Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125]
MIKE HUSSEY and Brad Haddin both hit big centuries as Australia built up a huge lead over England in the first Test of the Ashes in Brisbane.
The pair batted through the first two sessions of the day, compiling a sixth-wicket partnership worth 307, a record stand for any wicket at the Gabba.
By batting beyond tea, they effectively killed off any chance England had of winning this game even though there was a clatter of wickets in the final session.
Australia's tail did not really wag - only debutant Xavier Doherty reached double figures - but then it did not have to do so. Hussey and Haddin look to have done more than enough.
Resuming on 220-5, the Aussies knew England would come out firing in an attempt to finish them off before too much of a lead could be built up.
England delivered on that front but they were dreadfully unlucky throughout the elongated two-and-a-half hours until lunch.
James Anderson, in particular, must have broken a few mirrors or walked under a few ladders before the day's play, having had two good early lbw shouts to Hussey turned down in a brilliant eight-over spell.
The first had been given out by umpire Aleem Dar but Hussey called for the video referee who found that the ball had pitched millimetres outside the line of leg stump.
Anderson's second lbw chance exposed England's failure to use the referral system well, having already run out of referrals for the innings on day two.
Umpire Dar heard two sounds, assuming Hussey had got an inside edge, when actually the two sounds were the ball hitting both pads.
Hussey was plumb and would have been out if England had any referrals left.
But, having survived the early storm, Hussey and Haddin then thrived. Haddin, in particular, opened up, taking 111 balls for his first 25 runs but just 23 further balls to reach his 50.
Hussey reached three-figures before lunch and it was already starting to look a little ominous for England.
Then, one last opening in the session presented itself to England as Haddin lofted a Paul Collingwood high into the off-side...
It was a tough chance for Alastair Cook and he dropped it, a microcosm of England's frustrating morning. Australia reached lunch on 329-5, a lead already of 69 runs.
If the first session had not quite decided the direction of this match, then the second session certainly did as Hussey and Haddin increased Australia's lead to 176.
And, while Australia reeled off the milestones and records, England looked increasingly punch-drunk, desperate and perhaps a little sorry for themselves after that opening session.
England's great spin hope Graeme Swann was struggling in particular, and the Aussie batsmen took great pleasure in hitting him around the ground as he struggled to find his length.
Meanwhile, the bowlers generally were suffering from the lack of a proper fifth option in the attack.
Collingwood ended up bowling 12 overs in the innings but that still meant Swann bowled 43 overs, Anderson bowled 37 overs, Steven Finn 34 overs and Stuart Broad 33.
It was an exhausting, utterly dispiriting day in the field for England and it showed.
Several untidy mis-fields simply increased the bowlers' frustrations and Anderson dropped another catch.
It was a tough chance for Anderson who had to run back from mid-on to get underneath another lofted shot from Haddin.
Anderson is probably England's best out-fielder but he could not position himself quickly enough and the ball fell to the ground without him even laying a finger-tip on it.
Broad, who remained wicket-less throughout, went a red with embarrassment; Strauss rubbed his forehead with his hand. It had been that sort of day for England, the very worst kind.
Strauss had not helped his bowlers in the afternoon heat, asking that they bowl negatively and hang the ball outside of off-stump waiting for a mistake.
These were truly awful tactics from the England captain which were rightly bemoaned by Sir Ian Botham in the commentary box.
Having looked so threatening with the new ball before lunch, England now looked clueless and Strauss, who was out for a third-ball duck in the England innings, has had one of his worst all-round games as captain.
Even at lunch, after a desperately unlucky morning, Australia were not out of reach but the negative tactics after the interval means that England's chances of winning this match have now sailed.
That should not take away from the performance of Hussey and Haddin. As they took Australia's score beyond 400, they also took their partnership to 262, more runs than the whole of England team managed.
A short while later, the Aussie pair had taken their stand to 278, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Gabba, beating Lindsay Hassett and Don Bradman's 276 in 1946.
And, at tea, Australia were on 436-5, a lead of 176; the partnership was worth 293.
Shortly after tea, the stand was finally broken having long ensured its place in the annals of Ashes history.
Haddin lunged forward to a Swann delivery, nicked an edge to produce a brilliant low catch from Collingwood at slip.
The New South Wales wicketkeeper departed for 136 off 287 balls, including 16 fours and a six.
It had been over a day since England had taken their last wicket, that of Marcus North. That also came through a Collingwood catch from a Swann ball but the similarity in the match situation ended there.
With Haddin gone, Hussey was left with the tail, still 15 short of his double-ton.
And, like Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting in the last two Ashes matches at Brisbane, he failed in the 190s, out for 195, pulling Finn and sending a catch straight to Cook in the deep.
Finn then finished off the tail, taking the wickets of Mitchell Johnson, Doherty and Australia's first day hat-trick hero Peter Siddle to end up with a six-for on his Ashes debut.
Johnson's wicket was the first of the tail to fall without the Queenslander scoring, attempting to drive but succeeding only in pulling the ball onto the stumps via his pads.
Siddle succumbed in Finn's next over on six, trying a pull shot but gloving a simple catch to Swann in the slips.
And Australia were finally all out for 481 when Doherty holed out to Cook at mid-wicket. Now, if only England had batted like that in their first innings...
Of course, there lies the crux of the matter. England's four-pronged bowling attack, effectively one man short, did not have enough to defend in the first place.
Since then, a combination of poor referral decision, not a jot of luck before lunch and negative field settings after lunch have left England in a hole from which they are unlikely to escape.
Strauss and Cook guided England to 19-0 at the close, the only surprise there coming in the fact that neither of these men - exhausted all day in the field - gave away his wicket.
England will begin day four trailing Australia by 202 runs. They will have to bat for a day and a half to prevent an Aussie run-chase and secure the draw.
However, an innings defeat looms large and a more realistic aim would be simply for England to make Australia bat again - it's a depressing reality.
Day two: Hussey holds up England comeback
(close) Australia 220-5 [Hussey 81*, Katich 50] v England 260 [Cook 67, Bell 76; Siddle 6-54]
MIKE HUSSEY hit an unbeaten 81 as Australia held off an England fight back on the second day of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Hussey calmed Australian nerves by sharing an unbeaten stand of 77 for the sixth wicket after England finally found their form to take four wickets in the afternoon session.
The day began with Australia in control of the match, having bowled out England for 260 and reached 25-0 at the close.
The respective position of the two teams showed as the Aussies batted throughout the morning with confidence to reach 96-1 at lunch, a deficit of just 164.
By contrast, England's bowling attack toiled in the morning and the form of James Anderson was particularly worrying as he struggled to find any swing.
Nevertheless, the breakthrough was made shortly before lunch by Anderson as Watson, on 36, nicked a good length ball to Andrew Strauss in the slips.
And the Burnley Express clearly took heart from England's first Ashes wicket of the 2010-11 series, bowling with greater intensity in the afternoon.
Anderson was rewarded straight after lunch as Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting feathered a ball going down the leg-side behind to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for 10.
Ponting's wicket seemed to lift the whole of the England bowling attack and young Steven Finn was next to strike.
Despite standing 6ft 7 tall, the Middlesex man took a quick return catch off his own bowling to remove opener Simon Katich who had played well to score 50.
Australia had gone from a comfortable position at lunch to 100-3 but Katich's wicket brought Hussey to the crease.
The Western Australia man dominated the strike in his partnership with the talented Michael Clarke who was doubtful for this match with a back injury.
Clarke seemed unable to play his natural game and, having survived an appeal through a video replay earlier in his innings, he was out for just nine off 50 balls, caught behind by Prior off Finn.
One over later and the Aussies had lost another wicket as the out-of-touch Marcus North got a leading edge to Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood caught in the slips.
Australia were now 143-5 and England's first innings total of 260 suddenly did not seem too bad.
Although there was still minimal swing for Anderson, he had upped his game, while Swann was finding plenty of turn in the Brisbane pitch.
But, at the third time of asking, Hussey found a partner in wicketkeeper Brad Haddin who was able to stick around, and the pair guided Australia to 168-5 at tea.
After the interval, England's bowlers reverted to making their earlier mistakes, bowling too short in particular to Hussey whose 81 runs included 13 fours and a six.
Haddin scored more cautiously, his 22 runs coming from 71 balls, but it is vital for England to remove both of these men early on day three.
Indeed, the first session on the third day is massively important for both teams - if Hussey and Haddin are able to see off the new ball and survive until lunch, the Aussies will look set for a handsome lead.
But, if early wickets fall, England could be considered favourites even if Australia manage to achieve a small first innings advantage.
After all, it will be the hosts who have to bat on the pitch as it deteriorates on the final two days when Swann's spin could decide the match.
Day one: Birthday boy Siddle demolishes England with hat-trick
(close) Australia 25-0 v England 260 [Cook 67, Bell 76; Siddle 6-54]
PETER SIDDLE celebrated his 26th birthday by taking a hat-trick to leave Australia well on top after the opening day of the first Test of the Ashes at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Siddle produced a ferocious spell of full-length bowling to take his Test-best figures of 6-54 as England disappointed with the bat to be bowled all out for 260.
England suffered a nightmare start to the day when captain Andrew Strauss, having won the toss and elected to bat, played a reckless cut shot to Mike Hussey off the Ben Hilfenhaus's third ball.
The rest of the first session was more even but England were never allowed to settle.
Jonathan Trott was bowled for a torturous 29, playing all around one from Shane Watson then Alastair Cook was dropped by debutant spinner Xavier Doherty while on 26.
Trott's dismissal brought Kevin Pietersen out to the middle and the new Surrey batsman looked intent on playing a measured innings.
The tourists reached lunch on 86-2 with Cook on 29 and Pietersen on 23 but hopes that this would be a match-winning partnership were dashed soon after the interval.
After an innocuous start to the afternoon, during which time England easily moved the score beyond 100, Australia sprung into life and Siddle removed Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in quick succession.
Pietersen was caught for 43 in the slips by Australia captain Ricky Ponting driving at a full delivery while Collingwood followed suit on just four.
Having driven a beautiful shot to mid-on for those four runs, Collingwood was out on the following ball, nicking an ugly drive behind to Marcus North in the slips.
All of a sudden, England had gone from 117-2 to 125-4 but Cook remained at his obdurate best and next man at the crease was the in-form Ian Bell.
Bell, who hit 192 in the warm-up match against Australia A, was indeed in fine form and it seemed that it would be this partnership which would take England up to a competitive score.
But for that to be the case, either - if not both - of the men would need to score a century, and both fell short of the mark after Siddle's reintroduction to the attack.
Having reached tea on 172-4 in an even contest, England knew that the third and final session would decide where the day's honours lay.
Again, the first half-an-hour of the session passed without any danger but Siddle was clearly a man on a mission.
The Victoria man fired in an over of full-length balls to remove Cook, Matt Prior and Stuart Broad in a clattering succession of wickets.
First, Cook edged Siddle to Watson in the slips for a score of 67 which had come off 168 balls in a typical gritty innings from the Essex man.
Then Prior was back in the hutch without scoring - a quick, full ball deflecting off his pads onto the stumps without him getting bat near it.
And finally, in this extraordinary passage of play, Siddle delivered the perfect hat-trick ball to Broad who was caught cold and trapped in front of the stumps.
Broad appealed the decision to give him out lbw, probably more in hope than expectation, but it was plumb. Siddle had turned the match inexorably in the Aussies' favour and England had gone from 197-4 to 197-7.
It was now Bell's job to squeeze as many runs out of the lower order as possible and, in fairness, the Warwickshire man did as best as he could, the final three wickets falling for 63.
Graeme Swann, who can be a dangerous batsmen at times, was next to fall to Siddle, out lbw for 10, with the addition of 31 runs to England's total.
But the coup de grace was applied by Doherty, the youngster removing Bell for England's top score of 76 and last man James Anderson in the same over.
Bell was caught out in the deep by Watson, attempting to loft England towards 300 and the tourists fell 40 short of that target when Anderson left his leg stump exposed.
Doherty will be overjoyed to have got off the mark on his Test debut but the day undoubtedly belonged to Siddle.
Siddle transformed what had been a largely even contest into advantage Australia in a single over and England must find some Ashes magic from somewhere to respond in kind on day two.
But Australia's openers Watson and Simon Katich looked comfortable in reaching 25-0 at the close.
The fact is that even an average batting performance will give the Aussies a first innings lead over England's sub-par score.
And, if the runs start to pile up for the hosts, England may just be looking to scramble a draw from as early as day three.
England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 517-1d [Cook 235*, Trott 135*, Strauss 110] drew with Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125] & 107-1 [Ponting 51]
ALASTAIR COOK hit the highest score at the Gabba of any player in Test history as England easily secured a draw on the final day of the first Test in Brisbane.
Cook scored an unbeaten 235 to beat Sir Don Bradman's previous record of 226 as England declared their second innings on an extraordinary score of 517-1 shortly before tea.
The Essex left-hander had been assisted for more than a day of playing time by Jonathan Trott who was also not out on 135.
Earlier, Cook had put on 188 runs for the first wicket with captain Andrew Strauss to ease England from their predicament, having gone into day four on 19-0, still 202 runs behind.
That deficit had been overturned by tea on day four for the loss of just Strauss' wicket, and by the time England declared on day five, the tourists' own lead was 296.
Thoughts of completing an amazing comeback victory were briefly on the cards when Stuart Broad claimed his first wicket of this Ashes series.
Simon Katich, understandably tired from spending almost two days to the field, prodded Broad's ball to Strauss at slip for 4, leaving Australia 11-1 when tea was taken.
England could have had their second wicket shortly after the interval but Paul Collingwood dropped a simple catch from Shane Watson's misjudgement of Graeme Swann's spin.
But, from then on, Australia reasserted themselves and their brief moment of panic was over.
Skipper Ricky Ponting hit an unbeaten 51 while Watson finished on 41 not out as the draw was agreed with Australia on 107-1.
The record books will show this contest as a high-scoring match from which the draw was inevitable but that was not actually the case.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, England were all out for 260 as Aussie fast-bowler Peter Siddle took a hat-trick on his 26th birthday.
Australia reached 96-1 at lunch on day two but suffered a minor wobble, losing four wickets shortly after the interval including Ponting for 10, two balls after the break.
However, once Mike Hussey was joined at the crease by Brad Haddin, the match turned inexorably in the Aussies' favour.
Hussey scored 195 and Haddin hit 136 in a sixth-wicket partnership of 307. At that point, it was the highest-ever partnership for any wicket at the Gabba.
But, after toiling for more than a day in the field, Steven Finn took four of the final five Aussie wickets and Graeme Swann the other, as tail failed to wag and Australia were all out for 481.
That was still a first innings lead of 221, and pessimists like myself feared an England collapse under pressure and an embarrassing innings defeat.
After all, Australia are unbeaten in Tests at their Brisbane fortress over the last 22 years, a sequence of 21 previous matches, of which 16 ended in an Australia victory.
Surely, given that record, Ricky Ponting's men would not let such a dominant position in this Test slip from their grasp.
Of course, we now know that they did - but, in fairness to them, there was little which they could have done about it.
Bowling on a placid surface which offered nothing, Australia's best chance of winning the game relied on England panicking given their huge first innings deficit.
However, Cook and Strauss, and then Cook and Trott, were a model of calmness in the middle, turning the tide totally in England's favour.
Cook and Strauss, now with an aggregate of 3,415 runs and counting, surpassed the record of 3,249 set by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe to become England's highest-scoring opening pair in history.
Then Cook and Trott immediately took Hussey and Haddin's partnership record at the Gabba off them, scoring an unbeaten 329.
Other notable achievements by England include the fact that this was the first time in their Test history that they had gone past 500 for the loss of just one wicket.
And it was only the second time that the top three batsmen each scored at least a century in the same innings.
On a similar note, Cook and Strauss became the first England opening pair to both score at least a century in the same innings of an Ashes Test since Len Hutton and Charlie Barnett at Trent Bridge in 1938.
Meanwhile, on a personal level, Cook became only the fourth Englishman to score an Ashes double century in Australia, and he batted for 630 minutes, longer than any of his countrymen in a Test down under.
With the series still at 0-0, Strauss was able to claim a moral victory in Brisbane. Having turned this match around after the first innings, the tourists will travel to Adelaide in high spirits.
Indeed, England's ludicrous second innings score has driven home Australian concerns about the strength of their bowling attack.
Strike bowler Mitchell Johnson returned awful match figures of 0-170 while debutant spinner Xavier Doherty struggled in that second innings with figures of 0-107 from 35 overs. Both may be replaced in a seemingly unsettled line-up.
By contrast, England will expect to field the same XI but there also remain major doubts about their ability to take 20 Aussie wickets, especially on as flat a surface as Adelaide.
Of course, Adelaide was the scene of England's nightmare four years ago when, having made 551-6d in their first innings, they went on to lose by six wickets.
But it would be a surprise if something similar occurred this time.
For, while England did not exactly storm the citadel that is the Gabba after their poor first innings effort, much heart will be taken from the fact that they emerged unscathed and indeed enhanced.
--
EARLIER REPORTS (*note: no day four report)
Day four:
(close) England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 309-1 [Strauss 110, Cook 132*, Trott 54*] v Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125]
Day three: Hussey and Haddin build huge Australia lead
(close) England 260 [Bell 76, Cook 67; Siddle 6-54] & 19-0 v
Australia 481 [Hussey 195, Haddin 136, Katich 50; Finn 6-125]
MIKE HUSSEY and Brad Haddin both hit big centuries as Australia built up a huge lead over England in the first Test of the Ashes in Brisbane.
The pair batted through the first two sessions of the day, compiling a sixth-wicket partnership worth 307, a record stand for any wicket at the Gabba.
By batting beyond tea, they effectively killed off any chance England had of winning this game even though there was a clatter of wickets in the final session.
Australia's tail did not really wag - only debutant Xavier Doherty reached double figures - but then it did not have to do so. Hussey and Haddin look to have done more than enough.
Resuming on 220-5, the Aussies knew England would come out firing in an attempt to finish them off before too much of a lead could be built up.
England delivered on that front but they were dreadfully unlucky throughout the elongated two-and-a-half hours until lunch.
James Anderson, in particular, must have broken a few mirrors or walked under a few ladders before the day's play, having had two good early lbw shouts to Hussey turned down in a brilliant eight-over spell.
The first had been given out by umpire Aleem Dar but Hussey called for the video referee who found that the ball had pitched millimetres outside the line of leg stump.
Anderson's second lbw chance exposed England's failure to use the referral system well, having already run out of referrals for the innings on day two.
Umpire Dar heard two sounds, assuming Hussey had got an inside edge, when actually the two sounds were the ball hitting both pads.
Hussey was plumb and would have been out if England had any referrals left.
But, having survived the early storm, Hussey and Haddin then thrived. Haddin, in particular, opened up, taking 111 balls for his first 25 runs but just 23 further balls to reach his 50.
Hussey reached three-figures before lunch and it was already starting to look a little ominous for England.
Then, one last opening in the session presented itself to England as Haddin lofted a Paul Collingwood high into the off-side...
It was a tough chance for Alastair Cook and he dropped it, a microcosm of England's frustrating morning. Australia reached lunch on 329-5, a lead already of 69 runs.
If the first session had not quite decided the direction of this match, then the second session certainly did as Hussey and Haddin increased Australia's lead to 176.
And, while Australia reeled off the milestones and records, England looked increasingly punch-drunk, desperate and perhaps a little sorry for themselves after that opening session.
England's great spin hope Graeme Swann was struggling in particular, and the Aussie batsmen took great pleasure in hitting him around the ground as he struggled to find his length.
Meanwhile, the bowlers generally were suffering from the lack of a proper fifth option in the attack.
Collingwood ended up bowling 12 overs in the innings but that still meant Swann bowled 43 overs, Anderson bowled 37 overs, Steven Finn 34 overs and Stuart Broad 33.
It was an exhausting, utterly dispiriting day in the field for England and it showed.
Several untidy mis-fields simply increased the bowlers' frustrations and Anderson dropped another catch.
It was a tough chance for Anderson who had to run back from mid-on to get underneath another lofted shot from Haddin.
Anderson is probably England's best out-fielder but he could not position himself quickly enough and the ball fell to the ground without him even laying a finger-tip on it.
Broad, who remained wicket-less throughout, went a red with embarrassment; Strauss rubbed his forehead with his hand. It had been that sort of day for England, the very worst kind.
Strauss had not helped his bowlers in the afternoon heat, asking that they bowl negatively and hang the ball outside of off-stump waiting for a mistake.
These were truly awful tactics from the England captain which were rightly bemoaned by Sir Ian Botham in the commentary box.
Having looked so threatening with the new ball before lunch, England now looked clueless and Strauss, who was out for a third-ball duck in the England innings, has had one of his worst all-round games as captain.
Even at lunch, after a desperately unlucky morning, Australia were not out of reach but the negative tactics after the interval means that England's chances of winning this match have now sailed.
That should not take away from the performance of Hussey and Haddin. As they took Australia's score beyond 400, they also took their partnership to 262, more runs than the whole of England team managed.
A short while later, the Aussie pair had taken their stand to 278, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Gabba, beating Lindsay Hassett and Don Bradman's 276 in 1946.
And, at tea, Australia were on 436-5, a lead of 176; the partnership was worth 293.
Shortly after tea, the stand was finally broken having long ensured its place in the annals of Ashes history.
Haddin lunged forward to a Swann delivery, nicked an edge to produce a brilliant low catch from Collingwood at slip.
The New South Wales wicketkeeper departed for 136 off 287 balls, including 16 fours and a six.
It had been over a day since England had taken their last wicket, that of Marcus North. That also came through a Collingwood catch from a Swann ball but the similarity in the match situation ended there.
With Haddin gone, Hussey was left with the tail, still 15 short of his double-ton.
And, like Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting in the last two Ashes matches at Brisbane, he failed in the 190s, out for 195, pulling Finn and sending a catch straight to Cook in the deep.
Finn then finished off the tail, taking the wickets of Mitchell Johnson, Doherty and Australia's first day hat-trick hero Peter Siddle to end up with a six-for on his Ashes debut.
Johnson's wicket was the first of the tail to fall without the Queenslander scoring, attempting to drive but succeeding only in pulling the ball onto the stumps via his pads.
Siddle succumbed in Finn's next over on six, trying a pull shot but gloving a simple catch to Swann in the slips.
And Australia were finally all out for 481 when Doherty holed out to Cook at mid-wicket. Now, if only England had batted like that in their first innings...
Of course, there lies the crux of the matter. England's four-pronged bowling attack, effectively one man short, did not have enough to defend in the first place.
Since then, a combination of poor referral decision, not a jot of luck before lunch and negative field settings after lunch have left England in a hole from which they are unlikely to escape.
Strauss and Cook guided England to 19-0 at the close, the only surprise there coming in the fact that neither of these men - exhausted all day in the field - gave away his wicket.
England will begin day four trailing Australia by 202 runs. They will have to bat for a day and a half to prevent an Aussie run-chase and secure the draw.
However, an innings defeat looms large and a more realistic aim would be simply for England to make Australia bat again - it's a depressing reality.
Day two: Hussey holds up England comeback
(close) Australia 220-5 [Hussey 81*, Katich 50] v England 260 [Cook 67, Bell 76; Siddle 6-54]
MIKE HUSSEY hit an unbeaten 81 as Australia held off an England fight back on the second day of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Hussey calmed Australian nerves by sharing an unbeaten stand of 77 for the sixth wicket after England finally found their form to take four wickets in the afternoon session.
The day began with Australia in control of the match, having bowled out England for 260 and reached 25-0 at the close.
The respective position of the two teams showed as the Aussies batted throughout the morning with confidence to reach 96-1 at lunch, a deficit of just 164.
By contrast, England's bowling attack toiled in the morning and the form of James Anderson was particularly worrying as he struggled to find any swing.
Nevertheless, the breakthrough was made shortly before lunch by Anderson as Watson, on 36, nicked a good length ball to Andrew Strauss in the slips.
And the Burnley Express clearly took heart from England's first Ashes wicket of the 2010-11 series, bowling with greater intensity in the afternoon.
Anderson was rewarded straight after lunch as Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting feathered a ball going down the leg-side behind to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for 10.
Ponting's wicket seemed to lift the whole of the England bowling attack and young Steven Finn was next to strike.
Despite standing 6ft 7 tall, the Middlesex man took a quick return catch off his own bowling to remove opener Simon Katich who had played well to score 50.
Australia had gone from a comfortable position at lunch to 100-3 but Katich's wicket brought Hussey to the crease.
The Western Australia man dominated the strike in his partnership with the talented Michael Clarke who was doubtful for this match with a back injury.
Clarke seemed unable to play his natural game and, having survived an appeal through a video replay earlier in his innings, he was out for just nine off 50 balls, caught behind by Prior off Finn.
One over later and the Aussies had lost another wicket as the out-of-touch Marcus North got a leading edge to Graeme Swann and Paul Collingwood caught in the slips.
Australia were now 143-5 and England's first innings total of 260 suddenly did not seem too bad.
Although there was still minimal swing for Anderson, he had upped his game, while Swann was finding plenty of turn in the Brisbane pitch.
But, at the third time of asking, Hussey found a partner in wicketkeeper Brad Haddin who was able to stick around, and the pair guided Australia to 168-5 at tea.
After the interval, England's bowlers reverted to making their earlier mistakes, bowling too short in particular to Hussey whose 81 runs included 13 fours and a six.
Haddin scored more cautiously, his 22 runs coming from 71 balls, but it is vital for England to remove both of these men early on day three.
Indeed, the first session on the third day is massively important for both teams - if Hussey and Haddin are able to see off the new ball and survive until lunch, the Aussies will look set for a handsome lead.
But, if early wickets fall, England could be considered favourites even if Australia manage to achieve a small first innings advantage.
After all, it will be the hosts who have to bat on the pitch as it deteriorates on the final two days when Swann's spin could decide the match.
Day one: Birthday boy Siddle demolishes England with hat-trick
(close) Australia 25-0 v England 260 [Cook 67, Bell 76; Siddle 6-54]
PETER SIDDLE celebrated his 26th birthday by taking a hat-trick to leave Australia well on top after the opening day of the first Test of the Ashes at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Siddle produced a ferocious spell of full-length bowling to take his Test-best figures of 6-54 as England disappointed with the bat to be bowled all out for 260.
England suffered a nightmare start to the day when captain Andrew Strauss, having won the toss and elected to bat, played a reckless cut shot to Mike Hussey off the Ben Hilfenhaus's third ball.
The rest of the first session was more even but England were never allowed to settle.
Jonathan Trott was bowled for a torturous 29, playing all around one from Shane Watson then Alastair Cook was dropped by debutant spinner Xavier Doherty while on 26.
Trott's dismissal brought Kevin Pietersen out to the middle and the new Surrey batsman looked intent on playing a measured innings.
The tourists reached lunch on 86-2 with Cook on 29 and Pietersen on 23 but hopes that this would be a match-winning partnership were dashed soon after the interval.
After an innocuous start to the afternoon, during which time England easily moved the score beyond 100, Australia sprung into life and Siddle removed Pietersen and Paul Collingwood in quick succession.
Pietersen was caught for 43 in the slips by Australia captain Ricky Ponting driving at a full delivery while Collingwood followed suit on just four.
Having driven a beautiful shot to mid-on for those four runs, Collingwood was out on the following ball, nicking an ugly drive behind to Marcus North in the slips.
All of a sudden, England had gone from 117-2 to 125-4 but Cook remained at his obdurate best and next man at the crease was the in-form Ian Bell.
Bell, who hit 192 in the warm-up match against Australia A, was indeed in fine form and it seemed that it would be this partnership which would take England up to a competitive score.
But for that to be the case, either - if not both - of the men would need to score a century, and both fell short of the mark after Siddle's reintroduction to the attack.
Having reached tea on 172-4 in an even contest, England knew that the third and final session would decide where the day's honours lay.
Again, the first half-an-hour of the session passed without any danger but Siddle was clearly a man on a mission.
The Victoria man fired in an over of full-length balls to remove Cook, Matt Prior and Stuart Broad in a clattering succession of wickets.
First, Cook edged Siddle to Watson in the slips for a score of 67 which had come off 168 balls in a typical gritty innings from the Essex man.
Then Prior was back in the hutch without scoring - a quick, full ball deflecting off his pads onto the stumps without him getting bat near it.
And finally, in this extraordinary passage of play, Siddle delivered the perfect hat-trick ball to Broad who was caught cold and trapped in front of the stumps.
Broad appealed the decision to give him out lbw, probably more in hope than expectation, but it was plumb. Siddle had turned the match inexorably in the Aussies' favour and England had gone from 197-4 to 197-7.
It was now Bell's job to squeeze as many runs out of the lower order as possible and, in fairness, the Warwickshire man did as best as he could, the final three wickets falling for 63.
Graeme Swann, who can be a dangerous batsmen at times, was next to fall to Siddle, out lbw for 10, with the addition of 31 runs to England's total.
But the coup de grace was applied by Doherty, the youngster removing Bell for England's top score of 76 and last man James Anderson in the same over.
Bell was caught out in the deep by Watson, attempting to loft England towards 300 and the tourists fell 40 short of that target when Anderson left his leg stump exposed.
Doherty will be overjoyed to have got off the mark on his Test debut but the day undoubtedly belonged to Siddle.
Siddle transformed what had been a largely even contest into advantage Australia in a single over and England must find some Ashes magic from somewhere to respond in kind on day two.
But Australia's openers Watson and Simon Katich looked comfortable in reaching 25-0 at the close.
The fact is that even an average batting performance will give the Aussies a first innings lead over England's sub-par score.
And, if the runs start to pile up for the hosts, England may just be looking to scramble a draw from as early as day three.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Ashes squad pen pics
Andrew Strauss (c) Middlesex
Age: 33
Caps: 77
Ashes Tests: 15
Batting average: 43.11 (high score 177)
Batting average against Aus: 38.41 (high score 161)
Alastair Cook (vc) Essex
Age: 25
Caps: 60
Ashes Tests: 10
Batting average: 42.78 (high score 173)
Batting average against Aus: 26.21 (high score 116)
James Anderson Lancashire
Age: 28
Caps: 52
Ashes Tests: 8
Batting average: 12.55 (high score 34)
Batting average against Aus: 13.88 (high score 29)
Bowling average: 31.76 (best 7/43)
Bowling average against Aus: 56.18 (best 5/80)
Ian Bell Warwickshire
Age: 28
Caps: 57
Ashes Tests: 13
Batting average: 42.93 (high score 199)
Batting average against Aus: 25.68 (high score 87)
Tim Bresnan Yorkshire
Age: 25
Caps: 5
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 41.67 (high score 91)
Bowling average: 35.14 (best 3/45)
Stuart Broad Nottinghamshire
Age: 24
Caps: 32
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 28.10 (high score 169)
Batting average against Aus: 29.25 (high score 61)
Bowling average: 34.31 (best 6/91)
Bowling average against Aus: 30.22 (best 6/91)
Paul Collingwood Durham
Age: 34
Caps: 63
Ashes Tests: 11
Batting average: 42.18 (high score 206)
Batting average against Aus: 35.00 (high score 206)
Bowling average: 114.60 (best 3/23)
Bowling average against Aus: 113.00 (best 1/38)
Steven Davies (wk) Surrey
Age: 24
Caps: 0
Ashes Tests: 0
Steven Finn Middlesex
Age: 21
Caps: 8
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 6.50 (high score 9*)
Bowling average: 36.94 (best 5/42)
Eoin Morgan Middlesex
Age: 24
Caps: 6
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 32.00 (high score 130)
Monty Panesar Sussex
Age: 28
Caps: 39
Ashes Tests: 4
Batting average: 5.50 (high score 26)
Batting average against Aus: 7.67 (high score 16*)
Bowling average: 34.37 (best 6/37)
Bowling average against Aus: 44.91 (best 5/92)
Kevin Pietersen Hampshire
Age: 30
Caps: 66
Ashes Tests: 12
Batting average: 47.80 (high score 226)
Batting average against Aus: 50.73 (high score 158)
Matt Prior (wk) Sussex
Age: 28
Caps: 35
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 42.13 (high score 131*)
Batting average against Aus: 32.63 (high score 61)
Graeme Swann Nottinghamshire
Age: 31
Caps: 24
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 25.12 (high score 85)
Batting average against Aus: 35.57 (high score 63)
Bowling average: 26.56 (best 6/65)
Bowling average against Aus: 40.50 (best 4/38)
Chris Tremlett Surrey
Age: 29
Caps: 3
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 12.50 (high score 25*)
Bowling average: 29.69 (best 3/12)
Jonathan Trott Warwickshire
Age: 29
Caps: 13
Ashes Tests: 1
Batting average: 55.00 (high score 226)
Batting average against Aus: 80.00 (high score 119)
[Profiles to be added]
Age: 33
Caps: 77
Ashes Tests: 15
Batting average: 43.11 (high score 177)
Batting average against Aus: 38.41 (high score 161)
Alastair Cook (vc) Essex
Age: 25
Caps: 60
Ashes Tests: 10
Batting average: 42.78 (high score 173)
Batting average against Aus: 26.21 (high score 116)
James Anderson Lancashire
Age: 28
Caps: 52
Ashes Tests: 8
Batting average: 12.55 (high score 34)
Batting average against Aus: 13.88 (high score 29)
Bowling average: 31.76 (best 7/43)
Bowling average against Aus: 56.18 (best 5/80)
Ian Bell Warwickshire
Age: 28
Caps: 57
Ashes Tests: 13
Batting average: 42.93 (high score 199)
Batting average against Aus: 25.68 (high score 87)
Tim Bresnan Yorkshire
Age: 25
Caps: 5
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 41.67 (high score 91)
Bowling average: 35.14 (best 3/45)
Stuart Broad Nottinghamshire
Age: 24
Caps: 32
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 28.10 (high score 169)
Batting average against Aus: 29.25 (high score 61)
Bowling average: 34.31 (best 6/91)
Bowling average against Aus: 30.22 (best 6/91)
Paul Collingwood Durham
Age: 34
Caps: 63
Ashes Tests: 11
Batting average: 42.18 (high score 206)
Batting average against Aus: 35.00 (high score 206)
Bowling average: 114.60 (best 3/23)
Bowling average against Aus: 113.00 (best 1/38)
Steven Davies (wk) Surrey
Age: 24
Caps: 0
Ashes Tests: 0
Steven Finn Middlesex
Age: 21
Caps: 8
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 6.50 (high score 9*)
Bowling average: 36.94 (best 5/42)
Eoin Morgan Middlesex
Age: 24
Caps: 6
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 32.00 (high score 130)
Monty Panesar Sussex
Age: 28
Caps: 39
Ashes Tests: 4
Batting average: 5.50 (high score 26)
Batting average against Aus: 7.67 (high score 16*)
Bowling average: 34.37 (best 6/37)
Bowling average against Aus: 44.91 (best 5/92)
Kevin Pietersen Hampshire
Age: 30
Caps: 66
Ashes Tests: 12
Batting average: 47.80 (high score 226)
Batting average against Aus: 50.73 (high score 158)
Matt Prior (wk) Sussex
Age: 28
Caps: 35
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 42.13 (high score 131*)
Batting average against Aus: 32.63 (high score 61)
Graeme Swann Nottinghamshire
Age: 31
Caps: 24
Ashes Tests: 5
Batting average: 25.12 (high score 85)
Batting average against Aus: 35.57 (high score 63)
Bowling average: 26.56 (best 6/65)
Bowling average against Aus: 40.50 (best 4/38)
Chris Tremlett Surrey
Age: 29
Caps: 3
Ashes Tests: 0
Batting average: 12.50 (high score 25*)
Bowling average: 29.69 (best 3/12)
Jonathan Trott Warwickshire
Age: 29
Caps: 13
Ashes Tests: 1
Batting average: 55.00 (high score 226)
Batting average against Aus: 80.00 (high score 119)
[Profiles to be added]
Tuesday 23 November 2010
England carry leading edge into Ashes series
ENGLAND begin their defence of the Ashes with the best chance of winning in Australia since they last succeeded in 1986-87 under Mike Gatting's captaincy.
That is the widely accepted view ahead of what promises to be a fascinating series of five Test matches, beginning tonight (Wed 24 Nov) at 11pm GMT at the Gabba in Brisbane.
England regained the Ashes in the summer of 2009 with a 2-1 home win, the same score by which they won in the truly unforgettable 2005 series.
The victory in 2005 still registers in the consciousness of English cricket to a huge extent, even more so than the 2009 win, despite the recency of the latter.
Significantly, England's win in 2005 was their first in the Ashes series for 18 years and sparked off a mass celebration after a series of amazingly tight matches against an Australian team which had dominated the whole sport for more than a decade.
But, while it might have been more magical at the time, the sparkle from 2005 proved to be transient.
By the time of the 2006-07 return series, vital members of the 2005 squad were absent with injuries and illness. Notably, these included captain Michael Vaughan, opening batsman Marcus Trescothick and lead swing bowler Simon Jones.
The England selectors then made a controversial call in making Andrew Flintoff captain in Vaughan's absence, favouring him over Andrew Strauss.
The first Test started badly from the first ball with the misfiring Steve Harmison bowling a huge wide after England had put the Australians in.
Australia made 602-9 declaring from their first innings then further humiliated England by batting and declaring again in their second innings on 202-1 after England's reply of 157 all out.
The Aussies still went on to win by 277 runs despite an improved second innings from England.
But, despite that battering, it was the second Test in Adelaide which ultimately left the touring England squad with deep, irrecoverable psychological scars.
Having won the toss again but batted first this time, Paul Collingwood's 206 allowed England to declare their first innings on 551-6.
By lunch on day three, England had restricted the Aussies' reply to 105-3 but a recovery led by captain Ricky Ponting's knock of 142 meant the hosts posted 513 all out shortly after tea on day four.
Hopes of a series-levelling victory for England had been dashed but, having reached stumps on day four at 59-1 in the second innings, the match was destined to be a draw.
However, the tide then turned dramatically in the Aussies' favour as Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne recommenced their torturing of the English batsmen.
At lunch on the final day of the Test, England had been reduced to 89-5. And, by tea, the tourists were all out for 127, a lead of just 167 runs.
Mike Hussey made an unbeaten 61 as the Australians chased aggresively and reached their target with three overs of the match left to go 2-0 up.
At that point, Australia may have only been two-thirds of the way to regaining the Ashes but they had already regained the huge psychological advantage which they had held for almost 20 years before 2005.
England were beaten heavily again in the third Test, by 206 runs despite only conceding a 29-run deficit on the first innings.
And, with the Ashes lost, the tourists then posted their most humiliating loss of the lot. Bowled out for 159 in their first innings and 161 in their second innings, England lost by an innings and 99 runs inside three days in the fourth Test.
England entered the final Test hoping to avoid suffering the first Aussie whitewash in the Ashes since 1920-21.
Their spirit broken after a series of previous losses, they failed, and Ponting's men excelled in another huge win by 10 wickets.
Australian retirees Warne, McGrath and Justin Langer could celebrate in style but the 5-0 thumping was the end of a chapter in the history of cricket, rather than the dawning of a new era.
While England have gone through the somewhat painful process of rebuilding their team, the aforementioned Australian legends have become more and more noticeable by their absence.
Recent months have seen Australia embark on an almost unheard of sequence of nine matches without a win in all competitions, and seven of those nine matches were lost.
The run began with Pakistan bowling out the Aussies for 88 in a Test defeat at Headingley in July before a 2-0 Test series loss in India.
India also won the only one of three One Day Internationals on the tour not to be abandoned before the Australians hosted Sri Lanka.
There, they fared no better, losing a one-off Twenty20 match before going 2-0 down in another three-match One Day International series.
Australia won the final One Day International against the Sri Lankans in convincing style to bring to an end their nightmare run and, admittedly, many of those matches were not Tests.
But the air of invincibility about Australia has definitely gone and Ponting's men now sit only fifth in the ICC Test Rankings.
That may be only one place behind England but the momentum of Strauss' team is in the opposite direction.
England have not lost a series in any type of cricket since their 2009 Ashes victory. They followed up that win a hard-fought 1-1 draw in South Africa and back-to-back wins over Bangladesh twice and Pakistan in Tests.
Meanwhile, in limited overs cricket, England tasted success in an ICC competition for the first time, beating Australia in the final of the latest World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
And they have also won their last five ODI series against South Africa away (2-1), Bangladesh away (3-0) and at home (2-1), and Australia and Pakistan at home (both 3-2).
More relevantly, England have started this tour Down Under well, in contrast to their stuttering 2006-07 campaign.
Already, England have notched up wins over Western Australia and Australia A, and they were dominant in a three-day draw against South Australia.
Ian Bell hit 192, Alastair Cook scored 60 and Paul Collingwood added 89 as England scored 523 in their first innings in the win over Australia A.
It was a welcome boost for the top- and middle-order batsmen, particularly Cook who was in need of runs, though it is fair to say that batting remains England's more fragile hand.
However, there is great depth and variety to a bowling attack which is likely to feature genuine match-winners in spinner Graeme Swann, experienced swing bowler James Anderson, and young seamers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.
Back-up is provided by Chris Tremlett, Ajmal Shazhad, Tim Bresnan and Monty Panesar who all gained playing time by bowling out Australia A twice.
And so, the only stand-out concern for England going into the first Test is regarding their most enigmatic character, Kevin Pietersen.
Pietersen hit a welcome 58 runs in the first innings against Western Australia but his score of just five against Australia A has brought doubts over his form back to the surface.
He is also one of seven men in the England squad who were on the nightmare 2006-07 tour, although, with an average of 54.44, he could hardly be blamed for that failure.
For the record, the other six players are captain Strauss, Cook, Bell, Collingwood, Anderson and Panesar. It is vital that these players keep their heads during the pressure points in the series and keep a check on the notoriously hot-headed Broad.
Although this Australia team is clearly not very strong by historical standards, Ponting will not want to become the first ever Aussie captain to lose three Ashes series.
He will relish the chance to shift the pressure onto England by casting Australia as the underdogs even though that is not necessarily the case. Certainly, the bookmakers still offer shorter odds on another Aussie victory.
After all, winning in Australia is still hard - and not something to which England are accustomed.
England have just one Test win in their last six visits to the venues of the first two Tests in this series, Brisbane and Adelaide. Adelaide is also where England failed to secure an almost certain draw in 2006.
In Melbourne, the venue for the fourth Test, England have won one and lost four of the last five but it is in Perth on the west coast where England's record is even worse. Their last Test win at the Waca was in 1978 and they have lost the last five.
England's only recent win on Australian soil came in Sydney in 2003 - but that win, by 12 runs, was a dead rubber in terms of the series.
Indeed, remarkably, England have to go back to the Gatting-led series in 1986-87 for the last time they won an Ashes match away which was not a dead-rubber.
It is this weight of history, and the constant Aussie reminder of it from the big crowds around the boundary ropes, which makes me consider a 3-1 prediction like that made in the press by Flintoff perhaps a little too bullish.
At the same time, yet another 5-0 forecast from Glenn McGrath is surely total nonsense, given the respective strength of the two teams.
My prediction is for a 2-2 series draw, a result which would mean England would retain the Ashes for the first time since that Gatting-led win in 1986-87.
POST-WAR ENGLAND ASHES TOURS RECORD
(5 matches per series unless states)
By series: Australia 10 England 4 Draws 2
Test wins: Australia 40 England 20 Draws 23
1946-47 Australia 3-0 England
1950-51 Australia 4-1 England
1954-55 England 3-1 Australia
1958-59 Australia 4-0 England
1962-63 Australia 1-1 England (Australia retain the Ashes)
1965-66 Australia 1-1 England (Australia retain the Ashes)
1970-71 England 2-0 Australia (from six Tests)
1974-75 Australia 4-1 England (from six Tests)
1978-79 England 5-1 Australia (from six Tests)
1982-83 Australia 2-1 England
1986-87 England 2-1 Australia
1990-91 Australia 3-0 England
1994-95 Australia 3-1 England
1998-99 Australia 3-1 England
2002-03 Australia 4-1 England
2006-07 Australia 5-0 England
*Live coverage starts on Sky Sports 1 at 11pm*
*Day-by-day reports on TheIntrepidReporter.blogspot.com*
*Other resources: BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, Cricinfo
That is the widely accepted view ahead of what promises to be a fascinating series of five Test matches, beginning tonight (Wed 24 Nov) at 11pm GMT at the Gabba in Brisbane.
England regained the Ashes in the summer of 2009 with a 2-1 home win, the same score by which they won in the truly unforgettable 2005 series.
The victory in 2005 still registers in the consciousness of English cricket to a huge extent, even more so than the 2009 win, despite the recency of the latter.
Significantly, England's win in 2005 was their first in the Ashes series for 18 years and sparked off a mass celebration after a series of amazingly tight matches against an Australian team which had dominated the whole sport for more than a decade.
But, while it might have been more magical at the time, the sparkle from 2005 proved to be transient.
By the time of the 2006-07 return series, vital members of the 2005 squad were absent with injuries and illness. Notably, these included captain Michael Vaughan, opening batsman Marcus Trescothick and lead swing bowler Simon Jones.
The England selectors then made a controversial call in making Andrew Flintoff captain in Vaughan's absence, favouring him over Andrew Strauss.
The first Test started badly from the first ball with the misfiring Steve Harmison bowling a huge wide after England had put the Australians in.
Australia made 602-9 declaring from their first innings then further humiliated England by batting and declaring again in their second innings on 202-1 after England's reply of 157 all out.
The Aussies still went on to win by 277 runs despite an improved second innings from England.
But, despite that battering, it was the second Test in Adelaide which ultimately left the touring England squad with deep, irrecoverable psychological scars.
Having won the toss again but batted first this time, Paul Collingwood's 206 allowed England to declare their first innings on 551-6.
By lunch on day three, England had restricted the Aussies' reply to 105-3 but a recovery led by captain Ricky Ponting's knock of 142 meant the hosts posted 513 all out shortly after tea on day four.
Hopes of a series-levelling victory for England had been dashed but, having reached stumps on day four at 59-1 in the second innings, the match was destined to be a draw.
However, the tide then turned dramatically in the Aussies' favour as Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne recommenced their torturing of the English batsmen.
At lunch on the final day of the Test, England had been reduced to 89-5. And, by tea, the tourists were all out for 127, a lead of just 167 runs.
Mike Hussey made an unbeaten 61 as the Australians chased aggresively and reached their target with three overs of the match left to go 2-0 up.
At that point, Australia may have only been two-thirds of the way to regaining the Ashes but they had already regained the huge psychological advantage which they had held for almost 20 years before 2005.
England were beaten heavily again in the third Test, by 206 runs despite only conceding a 29-run deficit on the first innings.
And, with the Ashes lost, the tourists then posted their most humiliating loss of the lot. Bowled out for 159 in their first innings and 161 in their second innings, England lost by an innings and 99 runs inside three days in the fourth Test.
England entered the final Test hoping to avoid suffering the first Aussie whitewash in the Ashes since 1920-21.
Their spirit broken after a series of previous losses, they failed, and Ponting's men excelled in another huge win by 10 wickets.
Australian retirees Warne, McGrath and Justin Langer could celebrate in style but the 5-0 thumping was the end of a chapter in the history of cricket, rather than the dawning of a new era.
While England have gone through the somewhat painful process of rebuilding their team, the aforementioned Australian legends have become more and more noticeable by their absence.
Recent months have seen Australia embark on an almost unheard of sequence of nine matches without a win in all competitions, and seven of those nine matches were lost.
The run began with Pakistan bowling out the Aussies for 88 in a Test defeat at Headingley in July before a 2-0 Test series loss in India.
India also won the only one of three One Day Internationals on the tour not to be abandoned before the Australians hosted Sri Lanka.
There, they fared no better, losing a one-off Twenty20 match before going 2-0 down in another three-match One Day International series.
Australia won the final One Day International against the Sri Lankans in convincing style to bring to an end their nightmare run and, admittedly, many of those matches were not Tests.
But the air of invincibility about Australia has definitely gone and Ponting's men now sit only fifth in the ICC Test Rankings.
That may be only one place behind England but the momentum of Strauss' team is in the opposite direction.
England have not lost a series in any type of cricket since their 2009 Ashes victory. They followed up that win a hard-fought 1-1 draw in South Africa and back-to-back wins over Bangladesh twice and Pakistan in Tests.
Meanwhile, in limited overs cricket, England tasted success in an ICC competition for the first time, beating Australia in the final of the latest World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
And they have also won their last five ODI series against South Africa away (2-1), Bangladesh away (3-0) and at home (2-1), and Australia and Pakistan at home (both 3-2).
More relevantly, England have started this tour Down Under well, in contrast to their stuttering 2006-07 campaign.
Already, England have notched up wins over Western Australia and Australia A, and they were dominant in a three-day draw against South Australia.
Ian Bell hit 192, Alastair Cook scored 60 and Paul Collingwood added 89 as England scored 523 in their first innings in the win over Australia A.
It was a welcome boost for the top- and middle-order batsmen, particularly Cook who was in need of runs, though it is fair to say that batting remains England's more fragile hand.
However, there is great depth and variety to a bowling attack which is likely to feature genuine match-winners in spinner Graeme Swann, experienced swing bowler James Anderson, and young seamers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.
Back-up is provided by Chris Tremlett, Ajmal Shazhad, Tim Bresnan and Monty Panesar who all gained playing time by bowling out Australia A twice.
And so, the only stand-out concern for England going into the first Test is regarding their most enigmatic character, Kevin Pietersen.
Pietersen hit a welcome 58 runs in the first innings against Western Australia but his score of just five against Australia A has brought doubts over his form back to the surface.
He is also one of seven men in the England squad who were on the nightmare 2006-07 tour, although, with an average of 54.44, he could hardly be blamed for that failure.
For the record, the other six players are captain Strauss, Cook, Bell, Collingwood, Anderson and Panesar. It is vital that these players keep their heads during the pressure points in the series and keep a check on the notoriously hot-headed Broad.
Although this Australia team is clearly not very strong by historical standards, Ponting will not want to become the first ever Aussie captain to lose three Ashes series.
He will relish the chance to shift the pressure onto England by casting Australia as the underdogs even though that is not necessarily the case. Certainly, the bookmakers still offer shorter odds on another Aussie victory.
After all, winning in Australia is still hard - and not something to which England are accustomed.
England have just one Test win in their last six visits to the venues of the first two Tests in this series, Brisbane and Adelaide. Adelaide is also where England failed to secure an almost certain draw in 2006.
In Melbourne, the venue for the fourth Test, England have won one and lost four of the last five but it is in Perth on the west coast where England's record is even worse. Their last Test win at the Waca was in 1978 and they have lost the last five.
England's only recent win on Australian soil came in Sydney in 2003 - but that win, by 12 runs, was a dead rubber in terms of the series.
Indeed, remarkably, England have to go back to the Gatting-led series in 1986-87 for the last time they won an Ashes match away which was not a dead-rubber.
It is this weight of history, and the constant Aussie reminder of it from the big crowds around the boundary ropes, which makes me consider a 3-1 prediction like that made in the press by Flintoff perhaps a little too bullish.
At the same time, yet another 5-0 forecast from Glenn McGrath is surely total nonsense, given the respective strength of the two teams.
My prediction is for a 2-2 series draw, a result which would mean England would retain the Ashes for the first time since that Gatting-led win in 1986-87.
POST-WAR ENGLAND ASHES TOURS RECORD
(5 matches per series unless states)
By series: Australia 10 England 4 Draws 2
Test wins: Australia 40 England 20 Draws 23
1946-47 Australia 3-0 England
1950-51 Australia 4-1 England
1954-55 England 3-1 Australia
1958-59 Australia 4-0 England
1962-63 Australia 1-1 England (Australia retain the Ashes)
1965-66 Australia 1-1 England (Australia retain the Ashes)
1970-71 England 2-0 Australia (from six Tests)
1974-75 Australia 4-1 England (from six Tests)
1978-79 England 5-1 Australia (from six Tests)
1982-83 Australia 2-1 England
1986-87 England 2-1 Australia
1990-91 Australia 3-0 England
1994-95 Australia 3-1 England
1998-99 Australia 3-1 England
2002-03 Australia 4-1 England
2006-07 Australia 5-0 England
*Live coverage starts on Sky Sports 1 at 11pm*
*Day-by-day reports on TheIntrepidReporter.blogspot.com*
*Other resources: BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, Cricinfo
Monday 15 November 2010
F1 2010: Team-by-team review
RED BULL-RENAULT
Constructors: 1st, 498 points
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) 256 (5 wins)
3 Mark Webber (Aus) 242 (4 wins)
Red Bull-Renault achieved the 'Double' of world Drivers' and Constructors' champions but it really should have been much easier than this.
The Red Bull clearly had the fastest car on the circuit throughout the season, as demonstrated by its nine race wins and 15 pole positions. But reliability problems and a tendency for the drivers to shoot themselves in the foot on race day left the Drivers' championship wide open until the final race. Perhaps Red Bull were just trying to keep the customer satisfied by inadvertently creating the best F1 season for years.
Vettel, in particular, seems to be the most fallible champion in recent years having only converted his 10 pole positions into five race wins. That ratio was even worse until he managed to win from pole in Japan and Abu Dhabi late in the season. Meanwhile victory in Brazil gave him three wins in the last four races, and finally some consistency, which was enough to see him over the line ahead of everyone else.
Australian Webber was hugely disappointed to miss out on perhaps his best chance at becoming world champion. After taking just 28 points from the first four races in yet another slow start to a season, Webber burst into form with successive victories in Spain and Monaco, and a third-place in Turkey. It was in Istanbul that the rivalry between the two Red Bull drivers came to the fore as they crashed when Vettel attempted to overtake Webber for the race lead, an incident which caused the retirement of Vettel.
In Valencia at the European GP, Webber was involved in a dramatic crash as his car flipped right over after a failed attempt to pass Kovalainen's Lotus. Thankfully, Webber was unhurt and came roaring back to record five podium finishes in the next seven races, including race wins in Great Britain and Hungary. Webber's response to his win at Silverstone was a brutal assessment of his perceived standing in the team - "not bad for a number two driver", he said over the team radio as he crossed the line. But, despite his perceptions, he remained in contention until the last race where a poor qualifying performance and an early pit-stop ended his hopes.
It had actually looked that a failure to back one driver over the other would cost Red Bull in the Drivers' championship and their failure to swap Vettel and Webber in the penultimate race in Brazil appeared particularly costly. It meant Alonso took the title lead into the final race rather than Webber but it was, of course, a gamble which paid off as Vettel managed to leapfrog both drivers with victory in the final race - much to the relief of the whole of the Red Bull team.
McLAREN-MERCEDES
Constructors: 2nd, 454 points
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) 240 (3 wins)
5 Jenson Button (Gbr) 214 (2 wins)
McLaren clung on to second place in the Constructors' championship but, as the season wore on, Hamilton and Button looked more and more likely to fall short for a Drivers' title as the car fell behind the pace of the Red Bulls and Alonso's Ferrari.
Despite heading into the season as world champion, Button came into the campaign under pressure to establish himself in a team where Hamilton had been previously recognised as the number one driver. Button began well with early wins in Australia and China before three successive podiums in Turkey, Canada and Valencia kept him in the hunt going into the second half of the campaign.
But a retirement in Belgium left him playing catch up in the vital closing stages, and a 12th-place in Korea proved terminal for his chances. The Frome Flyer ended the season at Abu Dhabi on a high with a seventh visit to the podium of the season after a third-placed finish.
Hamilton started much more slowly until hitting a purple patch midway through the season with successive wins in Turkey and Canada followed by successive second-placed finishes at Valencia and Silverstone.
That sequence put Hamilton at the head of the standings but it was followed in the late summer by an awful run of three retirements in four races. Never mind that he won the other one of those four races in Belgium, the three DNFs left Hamilton with little chance of a second world crown.
Second places in Korea and Abu Dhabi showed Hamilton getting back to his best but it was never going to be enough.
FERRARI
Constructors: 3rd, 396 points
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) 252 (5 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) 144
Ferrari have been forced to defend their final-race strategy which saw Alonso blow a 15-point lead over eventual champion Vettel.
Their reaction to Webber's early pit-stop left Alonso with the task of needing to overtake Petrov, Rosberg and eventually Kubica, while Vettel sped off into the distance.
With Ferrari being based in Italy, it was no surprise to see some of the politicians shove their oar into the debate in calling for the resignation of team president Luca di Montezemolo. But the Marinello-based team were right to point out that the politicians were looking at the race with the benefit of hindsight.
After all, Alonso's failure to make any inroads into the drivers in front of him came as a surprise, given his excellent form in the second half of the season. The Spaniard had appeared on the podium in seven races out of eight between the German GP and the Brazilian GP with four victories in Germany, Italy, Singapore and Korea. That record made up for a slow overall first half of the season which featured just two podium visits after an opening day race win in Bahrain.
The turning point in Ferrari's season at Hockenheim was controversial as Massa was clearly forced to move over for Alonso in contradiction to rules on team orders. Ferrari were fined for their troubles and managed the situation in a horribly crass manner, claiming Massa was happy to move over when his body language after the race hardly supported this suggestion.
Still, team orders have always been a part of F1 and it would be no surprise to see article 39.1 dropped but, undoubtedly, Ferrari should have better managed that particular situation.
From then, Massa was cast into the role of a support driver and, as such, did not win a race all season. For the most part, though, he did a decent job for Alonso with two third-placed finishes in Monza and Korea, and two fourth-placed finishes in Hungary - the site of his terrible accident in 2009 - and Belgium.
Once the disappointment dissapates, Ferrari fans will be glad to have seen their team back at the front of the grid after a wretched 2009 season. 2011 promises much, not least a more fired-up than ever Fernando Alonso.
MERCEDES GP
Constructors: 4th, 214 points
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) 142
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) 72
Mercedes made the big off-season headlines last winter with the announcement that Michael Schumacher was returning to F1 but the German seven-time champion was regularly out-performed by his younger compatriot.
Rosberg finished in third place on three occasions - in Malaysia, China and Great Britain - and he was fourth in the final race in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, he had five fifth-placed finishes and three sixth-placed finishes among 15 point-scoring races in total, just beating Kubica in the standings.
By contrast, Schumacher had a tough first season back. Although point-scoring was fairly regular, the German legend could not find a way onto the podium, finishing fourth in Spain, Turkey and Korea.
Schumacher's mid-season was also overshadowed by controversy when he almost drove his ever-loyal former Ferrari team-mate Barrichello into a wall in the Hungarian GP when unsuccessfully defending 10th.
RENAULT
Constructors: 5th, 163 points
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) 136
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) 27
Renault comfortably finished fifth in the Constructors' championship, thanks mainly to the fine efforts of Kubica.
Like Mercedes' Rosberg, the Pole was one of the few drivers on the grid to take the fight to the front three teams while Russian team-mate Petrov also impressed intermittently.
Kubica finished second in the Australian GP, and third at Monaco and in Belgium. He also finished fourth in Malaysia and fifth on four separate occasions. In all, he made 15 appearances in the points and his stock has deservedly risen.
Petrov's highlights were fewer and farther between and he had just five points finishes all season, although one of these was a fifth place in Hungary and another was a ninth-placed finish in Belgium, having started in 23rd.
However, by far his best moment of the season came in the last race in Abu Dhabi as he held off Alonso to finish sixth and kill off the Spaniard's title chances, earning a thoroughly undeserved rebuke from the Ferrari man.
WILLIAMS-COSWORTH
Constructors: 6th, 69 points
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) 47
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) 22
Williams sneaked sixth place in the Constructors' championship ahead of Force India by a single point after Hulkenberg's efforts at the penultimate Grand Prix in Brazil.
Hulkenberg was the only man outside of Vettel, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton to put a car on pole and he finished 8th in the race.
However, most of Williams' points this season came from the experienced Barrichello in his 18th season in F1. The Brazilian rolled back the years to finish fourth in the European GP and fifth at Silverstone. He scored points in 10 of the 19 races, failing to finish only twice, and it is this consistency which earns him another year in F1 with Williams.
That is not something which can be said for Hulkenberg who will be replaced in 2011 by Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado. But the young German should be too downhearted - his Sao Paulo performance should be enough to earn him a drive elsewhere. After all, the main reason for him being replaced is simply that Maldonado comes with greater financial backing.
FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES
Constructors: 7th, 68 points
11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) 47
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) 21
Force India will be disappointed with the 2010 season after the progress made in the latter part of 2009 when Giancarlo Fischicella even achieved a pole position at Spa in Belgium.
Sutil looked set to back up the breakthrough with a positive start in 2010 which saw him score in six consecutive races between the Spanish and the British Grand Prix. But the German scored just 12 of his 47 points in the second half of the season, 10 of them coming in one go in an impressive drive in the Belgian GP.
Liuzzi's best finish of the season came in Korea where he finished sixth but that was out of keeping with a dreadful end to an average season at best. Four of the Italian's last five races ended in retirement and included a horrible head-on crash with Michael Schumacher in the race at Abu Dhabi.
In all fairness, there was little Liuzzi could do to avoid contact with Schumacher who had been spun after contact with his team-mate Rosberg but just six points finishes and 21 points altogether still represents a poor return from a full 19 starts.
BMW SAUBER-FERRARI
Constructors: 8th, 44 points
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) 32
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) 6
18 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) 6
Kobayashi won over the doubters after a spate of retirements early in the season to bag almost 75% of Sauber's total points.
Particularly impressive was his seventh-placed finish in his homeland, and he also finished seventh in the European Grand Prix at Valencia and sixth at Silverstone.
Experienced Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa failed to match the Japanese driver's achievements, scoring just six points from a single seventh-placed finish in Hungary before being replaced by Nick Heidfeld.
German Heidfeld also scored six points but from just five races as compared to de la Rosa's 14. Heidfeld also finished in the points twice in those five starts - in Japan and Korea - but he is set to be replaced by Mexican youngster Sergio Perez in the new season.
TORO ROSSO-FERRARI
Constructors: 9th, 13 points
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) 8
19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) 5
How much credit can Toro Rosso claim for Sebastian Vettel's world championship with sister team Red Bull? Not a huge amount, I suspect, but one thing for sure is that Vettel is still conspicuous by his absence from this team.
The youthful pairing of Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi and Spain's Jaime Alguersuari have just 42 years between them and regular points finishes were never really expected. It is a good job that was the case as Buemi scored on four occasions and Alguersuari just three times.
However, Alguersuari - the youngest driver on the circuit at 20 - deserves credit for having kept the car on the track almost all season. He retired just twice, while Buemi's record of five DNFs is not too bad either, and that represents something to build upon.
LOTUS-COSWORTH
Constructors: 10th, 0 points
20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin)
21 Jarno Trulli (Ita)
Lotus were the best of the three new teams but that was surely to be expected, considering their driver line-up of Kovalainen and Trulli had 285 starts between them, including one race win each.
Having failed to impress in a much stronger car at McLaren in 2008 and 2009, this season of nul points for Kovalainen is perhaps a case of reaping what he sowed. Meanwhile, Trulli must surely feel that his best days have come to an abrupt end. Even in 2009 at Toyota, the Italian still achieved a pole position in Bahrain and three podiums but that does not look like being repeated any time soon.
Indeed, Trulli's best finish in 2010 was 13th in Japan which was also where Kovalainen had his best result of 12th. Trulli retired on seven occasions and Kovalainen five times - and so, while it is wonderful to have the Lotus name back in F1, it must surely be hoped they can produce a more competitive car for 2011.
HISPANIA-COSWORTH
Constructors: 11th, 0 points
22 Bruno Senna (Bra)
24 Karun Chandhok (Ind)
26 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn)
27 Christian Klein (Aut)
Hispania had the toughest of debut seasons in F1 on and off the track with regular driver switches and financial problems throughout.
Indeed, it is a credit to Hispania that they managed to keep the whole thing going to the bitter end of the campaign, finishing on a relative high note in that their two drivers in Abu Dhabi - Senna and Klein - completed the race, albeit two laps behind.
In all, the Spanish team used four different drivers, starting off the season with Senna and India's second-ever F1 driver, Chandhok. Senna was first to be dropped when Yamamoto replaced him at Silverstone but, from the next race in Germany onwards, Senna was restored and it was Chandhok who failed to get a seat. Yamamoto was himself replaced by Klein in Singapore because the Japanese driver suffered from food poisoning but Klein also replaced him for the final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. It was a head-spinning amount of changes.
Off the track, the future for Hispania looks bleak. The team parted company with designers Dallara and have now lost the backing of Toyota who had looked set to supply the cars for 2011. Toyota blamed a lack of payment from Hispania for their decision and, unless something changes soon, this foray into F1 looks like being a short one.
VIRGIN-COSWORTH
Constructors: 12th, 0 points
23 Lucas di Grassi (Bra)
25 Timo Glock (Ger)
Richard Branson may have enjoyed his time as a sponsor of the successful Brawn GP champions in 2009 but, predictably enough, he found having a stake in his own team a much tougher proposition.
Indeed, finishing statistically behind the Hispania team comes as somewhat of an embarrassment even at this lower end of pecking order, and German Glock - who did well at Toyota in 2008-09 - looks particularly lost. By contrast, this season was di Grassi's first taste of F1. Both drivers' best finish was 14th - di Grassi in Malaysia and Glock in Japan. Di Grassi retired seven times and Glock eight times.
FINAL STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 256 (5 wins)
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 252 (5 wins)
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 242 (4 wins)
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 240 (3 wins)
5 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 214 (2 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 144
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 142
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 136
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 72
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 47
11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 47
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 32
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 27
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 22
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India-Mercedes 21
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
18 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 5
(20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus-Cosworth, 21 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus-Cosworth, 22 Bruno Senna (Bra) Hispania-Cosworth, 23 Lucas di Grassi (Bra) Virgin-Cosworth, 24 Karun Chandhok (Ind) Hispania-Cosworth, 25 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin-Cosworth, 26 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Hispania-Cosworth, 27 Christian Klein (Aut) Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault 498 (9 wins)
2 McLaren-Mercedes 454 (5 wins)
3 Ferrari 396 (5 wins)
4 Mercedes GP 214
5 Renault 163
6 Williams-Cosworth 69
7 Force India-Mercedes 68
8 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 44
9 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13
(10 Lotus-Cosworth, 11 Virgin-Cosworth, and 12 Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
2010 Team-by-team preview
Constructors: 1st, 498 points
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) 256 (5 wins)
3 Mark Webber (Aus) 242 (4 wins)
Red Bull-Renault achieved the 'Double' of world Drivers' and Constructors' champions but it really should have been much easier than this.
The Red Bull clearly had the fastest car on the circuit throughout the season, as demonstrated by its nine race wins and 15 pole positions. But reliability problems and a tendency for the drivers to shoot themselves in the foot on race day left the Drivers' championship wide open until the final race. Perhaps Red Bull were just trying to keep the customer satisfied by inadvertently creating the best F1 season for years.
Vettel, in particular, seems to be the most fallible champion in recent years having only converted his 10 pole positions into five race wins. That ratio was even worse until he managed to win from pole in Japan and Abu Dhabi late in the season. Meanwhile victory in Brazil gave him three wins in the last four races, and finally some consistency, which was enough to see him over the line ahead of everyone else.
Australian Webber was hugely disappointed to miss out on perhaps his best chance at becoming world champion. After taking just 28 points from the first four races in yet another slow start to a season, Webber burst into form with successive victories in Spain and Monaco, and a third-place in Turkey. It was in Istanbul that the rivalry between the two Red Bull drivers came to the fore as they crashed when Vettel attempted to overtake Webber for the race lead, an incident which caused the retirement of Vettel.
In Valencia at the European GP, Webber was involved in a dramatic crash as his car flipped right over after a failed attempt to pass Kovalainen's Lotus. Thankfully, Webber was unhurt and came roaring back to record five podium finishes in the next seven races, including race wins in Great Britain and Hungary. Webber's response to his win at Silverstone was a brutal assessment of his perceived standing in the team - "not bad for a number two driver", he said over the team radio as he crossed the line. But, despite his perceptions, he remained in contention until the last race where a poor qualifying performance and an early pit-stop ended his hopes.
It had actually looked that a failure to back one driver over the other would cost Red Bull in the Drivers' championship and their failure to swap Vettel and Webber in the penultimate race in Brazil appeared particularly costly. It meant Alonso took the title lead into the final race rather than Webber but it was, of course, a gamble which paid off as Vettel managed to leapfrog both drivers with victory in the final race - much to the relief of the whole of the Red Bull team.
McLAREN-MERCEDES
Constructors: 2nd, 454 points
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) 240 (3 wins)
5 Jenson Button (Gbr) 214 (2 wins)
McLaren clung on to second place in the Constructors' championship but, as the season wore on, Hamilton and Button looked more and more likely to fall short for a Drivers' title as the car fell behind the pace of the Red Bulls and Alonso's Ferrari.
Despite heading into the season as world champion, Button came into the campaign under pressure to establish himself in a team where Hamilton had been previously recognised as the number one driver. Button began well with early wins in Australia and China before three successive podiums in Turkey, Canada and Valencia kept him in the hunt going into the second half of the campaign.
But a retirement in Belgium left him playing catch up in the vital closing stages, and a 12th-place in Korea proved terminal for his chances. The Frome Flyer ended the season at Abu Dhabi on a high with a seventh visit to the podium of the season after a third-placed finish.
Hamilton started much more slowly until hitting a purple patch midway through the season with successive wins in Turkey and Canada followed by successive second-placed finishes at Valencia and Silverstone.
That sequence put Hamilton at the head of the standings but it was followed in the late summer by an awful run of three retirements in four races. Never mind that he won the other one of those four races in Belgium, the three DNFs left Hamilton with little chance of a second world crown.
Second places in Korea and Abu Dhabi showed Hamilton getting back to his best but it was never going to be enough.
FERRARI
Constructors: 3rd, 396 points
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) 252 (5 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) 144
Ferrari have been forced to defend their final-race strategy which saw Alonso blow a 15-point lead over eventual champion Vettel.
Their reaction to Webber's early pit-stop left Alonso with the task of needing to overtake Petrov, Rosberg and eventually Kubica, while Vettel sped off into the distance.
With Ferrari being based in Italy, it was no surprise to see some of the politicians shove their oar into the debate in calling for the resignation of team president Luca di Montezemolo. But the Marinello-based team were right to point out that the politicians were looking at the race with the benefit of hindsight.
After all, Alonso's failure to make any inroads into the drivers in front of him came as a surprise, given his excellent form in the second half of the season. The Spaniard had appeared on the podium in seven races out of eight between the German GP and the Brazilian GP with four victories in Germany, Italy, Singapore and Korea. That record made up for a slow overall first half of the season which featured just two podium visits after an opening day race win in Bahrain.
The turning point in Ferrari's season at Hockenheim was controversial as Massa was clearly forced to move over for Alonso in contradiction to rules on team orders. Ferrari were fined for their troubles and managed the situation in a horribly crass manner, claiming Massa was happy to move over when his body language after the race hardly supported this suggestion.
Still, team orders have always been a part of F1 and it would be no surprise to see article 39.1 dropped but, undoubtedly, Ferrari should have better managed that particular situation.
From then, Massa was cast into the role of a support driver and, as such, did not win a race all season. For the most part, though, he did a decent job for Alonso with two third-placed finishes in Monza and Korea, and two fourth-placed finishes in Hungary - the site of his terrible accident in 2009 - and Belgium.
Once the disappointment dissapates, Ferrari fans will be glad to have seen their team back at the front of the grid after a wretched 2009 season. 2011 promises much, not least a more fired-up than ever Fernando Alonso.
MERCEDES GP
Constructors: 4th, 214 points
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) 142
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) 72
Mercedes made the big off-season headlines last winter with the announcement that Michael Schumacher was returning to F1 but the German seven-time champion was regularly out-performed by his younger compatriot.
Rosberg finished in third place on three occasions - in Malaysia, China and Great Britain - and he was fourth in the final race in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, he had five fifth-placed finishes and three sixth-placed finishes among 15 point-scoring races in total, just beating Kubica in the standings.
By contrast, Schumacher had a tough first season back. Although point-scoring was fairly regular, the German legend could not find a way onto the podium, finishing fourth in Spain, Turkey and Korea.
Schumacher's mid-season was also overshadowed by controversy when he almost drove his ever-loyal former Ferrari team-mate Barrichello into a wall in the Hungarian GP when unsuccessfully defending 10th.
RENAULT
Constructors: 5th, 163 points
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) 136
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) 27
Renault comfortably finished fifth in the Constructors' championship, thanks mainly to the fine efforts of Kubica.
Like Mercedes' Rosberg, the Pole was one of the few drivers on the grid to take the fight to the front three teams while Russian team-mate Petrov also impressed intermittently.
Kubica finished second in the Australian GP, and third at Monaco and in Belgium. He also finished fourth in Malaysia and fifth on four separate occasions. In all, he made 15 appearances in the points and his stock has deservedly risen.
Petrov's highlights were fewer and farther between and he had just five points finishes all season, although one of these was a fifth place in Hungary and another was a ninth-placed finish in Belgium, having started in 23rd.
However, by far his best moment of the season came in the last race in Abu Dhabi as he held off Alonso to finish sixth and kill off the Spaniard's title chances, earning a thoroughly undeserved rebuke from the Ferrari man.
WILLIAMS-COSWORTH
Constructors: 6th, 69 points
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) 47
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) 22
Williams sneaked sixth place in the Constructors' championship ahead of Force India by a single point after Hulkenberg's efforts at the penultimate Grand Prix in Brazil.
Hulkenberg was the only man outside of Vettel, Alonso, Webber and Hamilton to put a car on pole and he finished 8th in the race.
However, most of Williams' points this season came from the experienced Barrichello in his 18th season in F1. The Brazilian rolled back the years to finish fourth in the European GP and fifth at Silverstone. He scored points in 10 of the 19 races, failing to finish only twice, and it is this consistency which earns him another year in F1 with Williams.
That is not something which can be said for Hulkenberg who will be replaced in 2011 by Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado. But the young German should be too downhearted - his Sao Paulo performance should be enough to earn him a drive elsewhere. After all, the main reason for him being replaced is simply that Maldonado comes with greater financial backing.
FORCE INDIA-MERCEDES
Constructors: 7th, 68 points
11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) 47
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) 21
Force India will be disappointed with the 2010 season after the progress made in the latter part of 2009 when Giancarlo Fischicella even achieved a pole position at Spa in Belgium.
Sutil looked set to back up the breakthrough with a positive start in 2010 which saw him score in six consecutive races between the Spanish and the British Grand Prix. But the German scored just 12 of his 47 points in the second half of the season, 10 of them coming in one go in an impressive drive in the Belgian GP.
Liuzzi's best finish of the season came in Korea where he finished sixth but that was out of keeping with a dreadful end to an average season at best. Four of the Italian's last five races ended in retirement and included a horrible head-on crash with Michael Schumacher in the race at Abu Dhabi.
In all fairness, there was little Liuzzi could do to avoid contact with Schumacher who had been spun after contact with his team-mate Rosberg but just six points finishes and 21 points altogether still represents a poor return from a full 19 starts.
BMW SAUBER-FERRARI
Constructors: 8th, 44 points
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) 32
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) 6
18 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) 6
Kobayashi won over the doubters after a spate of retirements early in the season to bag almost 75% of Sauber's total points.
Particularly impressive was his seventh-placed finish in his homeland, and he also finished seventh in the European Grand Prix at Valencia and sixth at Silverstone.
Experienced Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa failed to match the Japanese driver's achievements, scoring just six points from a single seventh-placed finish in Hungary before being replaced by Nick Heidfeld.
German Heidfeld also scored six points but from just five races as compared to de la Rosa's 14. Heidfeld also finished in the points twice in those five starts - in Japan and Korea - but he is set to be replaced by Mexican youngster Sergio Perez in the new season.
TORO ROSSO-FERRARI
Constructors: 9th, 13 points
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) 8
19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) 5
How much credit can Toro Rosso claim for Sebastian Vettel's world championship with sister team Red Bull? Not a huge amount, I suspect, but one thing for sure is that Vettel is still conspicuous by his absence from this team.
The youthful pairing of Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi and Spain's Jaime Alguersuari have just 42 years between them and regular points finishes were never really expected. It is a good job that was the case as Buemi scored on four occasions and Alguersuari just three times.
However, Alguersuari - the youngest driver on the circuit at 20 - deserves credit for having kept the car on the track almost all season. He retired just twice, while Buemi's record of five DNFs is not too bad either, and that represents something to build upon.
LOTUS-COSWORTH
Constructors: 10th, 0 points
20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin)
21 Jarno Trulli (Ita)
Lotus were the best of the three new teams but that was surely to be expected, considering their driver line-up of Kovalainen and Trulli had 285 starts between them, including one race win each.
Having failed to impress in a much stronger car at McLaren in 2008 and 2009, this season of nul points for Kovalainen is perhaps a case of reaping what he sowed. Meanwhile, Trulli must surely feel that his best days have come to an abrupt end. Even in 2009 at Toyota, the Italian still achieved a pole position in Bahrain and three podiums but that does not look like being repeated any time soon.
Indeed, Trulli's best finish in 2010 was 13th in Japan which was also where Kovalainen had his best result of 12th. Trulli retired on seven occasions and Kovalainen five times - and so, while it is wonderful to have the Lotus name back in F1, it must surely be hoped they can produce a more competitive car for 2011.
HISPANIA-COSWORTH
Constructors: 11th, 0 points
22 Bruno Senna (Bra)
24 Karun Chandhok (Ind)
26 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn)
27 Christian Klein (Aut)
Hispania had the toughest of debut seasons in F1 on and off the track with regular driver switches and financial problems throughout.
Indeed, it is a credit to Hispania that they managed to keep the whole thing going to the bitter end of the campaign, finishing on a relative high note in that their two drivers in Abu Dhabi - Senna and Klein - completed the race, albeit two laps behind.
In all, the Spanish team used four different drivers, starting off the season with Senna and India's second-ever F1 driver, Chandhok. Senna was first to be dropped when Yamamoto replaced him at Silverstone but, from the next race in Germany onwards, Senna was restored and it was Chandhok who failed to get a seat. Yamamoto was himself replaced by Klein in Singapore because the Japanese driver suffered from food poisoning but Klein also replaced him for the final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. It was a head-spinning amount of changes.
Off the track, the future for Hispania looks bleak. The team parted company with designers Dallara and have now lost the backing of Toyota who had looked set to supply the cars for 2011. Toyota blamed a lack of payment from Hispania for their decision and, unless something changes soon, this foray into F1 looks like being a short one.
VIRGIN-COSWORTH
Constructors: 12th, 0 points
23 Lucas di Grassi (Bra)
25 Timo Glock (Ger)
Richard Branson may have enjoyed his time as a sponsor of the successful Brawn GP champions in 2009 but, predictably enough, he found having a stake in his own team a much tougher proposition.
Indeed, finishing statistically behind the Hispania team comes as somewhat of an embarrassment even at this lower end of pecking order, and German Glock - who did well at Toyota in 2008-09 - looks particularly lost. By contrast, this season was di Grassi's first taste of F1. Both drivers' best finish was 14th - di Grassi in Malaysia and Glock in Japan. Di Grassi retired seven times and Glock eight times.
FINAL STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 256 (5 wins)
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 252 (5 wins)
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 242 (4 wins)
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 240 (3 wins)
5 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 214 (2 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 144
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 142
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 136
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 72
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 47
11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 47
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 32
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 27
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 22
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India-Mercedes 21
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
18 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 5
(20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus-Cosworth, 21 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus-Cosworth, 22 Bruno Senna (Bra) Hispania-Cosworth, 23 Lucas di Grassi (Bra) Virgin-Cosworth, 24 Karun Chandhok (Ind) Hispania-Cosworth, 25 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin-Cosworth, 26 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Hispania-Cosworth, 27 Christian Klein (Aut) Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault 498 (9 wins)
2 McLaren-Mercedes 454 (5 wins)
3 Ferrari 396 (5 wins)
4 Mercedes GP 214
5 Renault 163
6 Williams-Cosworth 69
7 Force India-Mercedes 68
8 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 44
9 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13
(10 Lotus-Cosworth, 11 Virgin-Cosworth, and 12 Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
2010 Team-by-team preview
Sunday 14 November 2010
F1 2010: Vettel times his challenge to perfection as Alonso and Ferrari blow it
SEBASTIAN VETTEL became the youngest ever Formula 1 world champion as he won the final race in Abu Dhabi to take the lead in the title chase for the first time all season.
Vettel finished ahead of McLaren's British pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the UAE to win the championship by four points from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
Alonso could only finish in seventh having started the day as clear favourite but the Spaniard was let down by a poor strategy and a mediocre drive.
The race started badly for Alonso and got worse. Having qualified third, the two-time champion had already lost a place to Button by the first corner but, at this stage, he was still in control of his destiny.
Indeed, the early part of the race seemed to suit Alonso. Although Vettel was streaking away at the front, his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was off the pace and in between the two Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa.
The game-changer came on lap 11 when Webber pitted, struggling with his tyres. That effectively killed off the Australian's attempts of landing a first world crown for himself, as he emerged in heavy traffic.
However, Webber did not take only himself out of the championship chase with his stop. Ferrari reacted perhaps too rashly to Webber, pitting Massa on lap 13, and then Alonso on lap 15.
Both Ferrari men also inevitably got caught up in traffic although at least Alonso, unlike Massa, was ahead of Webber.
But the more vital issue was who Alonso was behind. The answer had its roots back on the first lap of the race and Michael Schumacher's frightening head-on crash with Force India's Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi after Schumacher had been clipped by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
The crash caused the safety car to make a seemingly habitual early appearance and many of the mid-table drivers took the chance to change their tyres in the pits.
It meant Alonso, down in seventh and needing to finish fourth, was behind Rosberg and Russia's Vitaly Petrov in terms of actual track position. Alonso knew a third world championship relied on him making these two passes.
Unfortunately for the Alonso, he could not even overcome his first opponent as Petrov drove the race of his life in the Renault vacated last winter by the Spaniard.
Alonso barely launched a single attack on Petrov and hardly endeared himself to the wider F1-watching public by gesturing petulantly towards the Russian as the cars crossed the line.
Indeed, Petrov drove so well that by the end of the race Alonso's position had deteriorated further as Kubica in the other Renault built a big enough gap to make it in and out of the pits and still take fifth place.
All the while Vettel made hay at the front with clearly quicker race speed than either of the two McLarens, the only men who had been within striking distance.
And so, the 23-year-old German was able without much fuss to convert his 10th pole position into a fifth race win of the season.
At one stage in the season, his conversion rate was even worse and the failure to replicate Saturday success with 25 points on a Sunday looked set to cost him this championship.
But, with wins in three of the last four races - in Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi - in addition to his two early-season victories in Malaysia and Valencia, Vettel was able to make yet more history.
He already held F1 records for the youngest man on pole and the youngest race winner, both achieved in the Italian GP in Monza in 2008 with Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso.
Now, Vettel has the biggest prize of all and, while he showed throughout the season he is fallible, he is also young enough and good enough to win it again.
PODIUMS
Bahrain GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Malaysian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Monaco GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Turkish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Canadian GP (Pole: Lewis Hamilton)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
European GP (Valencia) (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
British GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
German GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Hungarian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Belgian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Italian GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Singapore GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Japanese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
Korean GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Brazilian GP (Pole: Nico Hulkenberg)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
Abu Dhabi GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
7 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
8 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Vettel finished ahead of McLaren's British pair of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the UAE to win the championship by four points from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
Alonso could only finish in seventh having started the day as clear favourite but the Spaniard was let down by a poor strategy and a mediocre drive.
The race started badly for Alonso and got worse. Having qualified third, the two-time champion had already lost a place to Button by the first corner but, at this stage, he was still in control of his destiny.
Indeed, the early part of the race seemed to suit Alonso. Although Vettel was streaking away at the front, his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber was off the pace and in between the two Ferraris of Alonso and Felipe Massa.
The game-changer came on lap 11 when Webber pitted, struggling with his tyres. That effectively killed off the Australian's attempts of landing a first world crown for himself, as he emerged in heavy traffic.
However, Webber did not take only himself out of the championship chase with his stop. Ferrari reacted perhaps too rashly to Webber, pitting Massa on lap 13, and then Alonso on lap 15.
Both Ferrari men also inevitably got caught up in traffic although at least Alonso, unlike Massa, was ahead of Webber.
But the more vital issue was who Alonso was behind. The answer had its roots back on the first lap of the race and Michael Schumacher's frightening head-on crash with Force India's Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi after Schumacher had been clipped by Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
The crash caused the safety car to make a seemingly habitual early appearance and many of the mid-table drivers took the chance to change their tyres in the pits.
It meant Alonso, down in seventh and needing to finish fourth, was behind Rosberg and Russia's Vitaly Petrov in terms of actual track position. Alonso knew a third world championship relied on him making these two passes.
Unfortunately for the Alonso, he could not even overcome his first opponent as Petrov drove the race of his life in the Renault vacated last winter by the Spaniard.
Alonso barely launched a single attack on Petrov and hardly endeared himself to the wider F1-watching public by gesturing petulantly towards the Russian as the cars crossed the line.
Indeed, Petrov drove so well that by the end of the race Alonso's position had deteriorated further as Kubica in the other Renault built a big enough gap to make it in and out of the pits and still take fifth place.
All the while Vettel made hay at the front with clearly quicker race speed than either of the two McLarens, the only men who had been within striking distance.
And so, the 23-year-old German was able without much fuss to convert his 10th pole position into a fifth race win of the season.
At one stage in the season, his conversion rate was even worse and the failure to replicate Saturday success with 25 points on a Sunday looked set to cost him this championship.
But, with wins in three of the last four races - in Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi - in addition to his two early-season victories in Malaysia and Valencia, Vettel was able to make yet more history.
He already held F1 records for the youngest man on pole and the youngest race winner, both achieved in the Italian GP in Monza in 2008 with Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso.
Now, Vettel has the biggest prize of all and, while he showed throughout the season he is fallible, he is also young enough and good enough to win it again.
2010 Season Results
PODIUMS
Bahrain GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Malaysian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Monaco GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Turkish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Canadian GP (Pole: Lewis Hamilton)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
European GP (Valencia) (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
British GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
German GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Hungarian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Belgian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Italian GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Singapore GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Japanese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
Korean GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Brazilian GP (Pole: Nico Hulkenberg)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
Abu Dhabi GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
7 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
8 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
FINAL STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 256 (5 wins)
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 252 (5 wins)
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 242 (4 wins)
4 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 240 (3 wins)
5 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 214 (2 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 144
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 142
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 136
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 72
10 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 47
11 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 47
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 32
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 27
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 22
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India-Mercedes 21
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 8
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
18 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
19 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 5
(20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) Lotus-Cosworth, 21 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Lotus-Cosworth, 22 Bruno Senna (Bra) Hispania-Cosworth, 23 Lucas di Grassi (Bra) Virgin-Cosworth, 24 Karun Chandhok (Ind) Hispania-Cosworth, 25 Timo Glock (Ger) Virgin-Cosworth, 26 Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn) Hispania-Cosworth, 27 Christian Klein (Aut) Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault 498 (9 wins)
2 McLaren-Mercedes 454 (5 wins)
3 Ferrari 396 (5 wins)
4 Mercedes GP 214
5 Renault 163
6 Williams-Cosworth 69
7 Force India-Mercedes 68
8 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 44
9 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13
(10 Lotus-Cosworth, 11 Virgin-Cosworth, and 12 Hispania-Cosworth failed to score)
Youngest winners of the F1 World Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) 23 years, 134 days (2010)
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) 23 years, 300 days (2008)
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) 24 years, 59 days (2005)
4 Emerson Fittipaldi (Bra) 25 years, 303 days (1972)
5 Michael Schumacher (Ger) 25 years, 314 days (1994)
6 Niki Lauda (Aut) 26 years, 197 days (1975)
7 Jacques Villeneuve (Can) 26 years, 200 days (1997)
8 Jim Clark (Gbr) 27 years, 174 days (1963)
9 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) 28 years, 4 days (2007)
10 Jochen Rindt (Aut) 28 years, 140 days (1970)
Saturday 13 November 2010
Haye beats Harrison with embarrassing ease
DAVID HAYE stopped Audley Harrison in the third round at the MEN Arena to retain the WBA heavyweight title with ease.
This all-British bout had been built up massively over the last few weeks but it ended up being embarrassingly one-sided as Haye utterly dominated.
Bermondsey-born Haye won by technical knockout in the third as the fight belatedly opened up.
There was barely a punch thrown in either of the first two rounds which ended in a chorus of boos from the Manchester crowd.
Even Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon urged a step up in the quality but the opening minute of the third round looked set to go the way of the first two.
Then, all of a sudden, Haye delivered a firm right-hander and followed it up with a left-right combination to floor Harrison.
Harrison, who threw just one punch all the way through, got up from the canvas on an eight count but, just seconds later, the fight was over after the ref called it to a halt.
The result was a considerable embarrassment for former Olympic champion Harrison who spent most of the last week talking up his chances.
Harrison, at 18st 1lb, weighed in three stone heavier than Haye and had a reach advantage of eight inches in the first all-British world heavyweight clash since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno in 1993.
But, since winning his first 19 professional fights against hand-picked opponents in the wake of his Sydney Games success, Harrison has just eight wins and now five losses in the last five years.
His poor record showed as he attempted to stifle the fight early on before eventually being overwhelmed after one minute and 53 seconds of the third round.
Even 30-year-old victor Haye would have struggled to take full pleasure from this. But, to spout an old cliche, he could only beat the opponent in front of him.
Haye promised in September that the fight would be "as one-sided as a gang rape" and he was proved correct in his assessment of a derisory challenger.
It seems inevitable now that Haye will face the Klitschko brothers over the next 12 months with his manager stating the Londoner intends to retire next year.
Older brother Vitali, 39, is the WBC belt holder while 34-year-old Wladimir is the IBO/WBF champion.
Beating both men would make Haye the undisputed heavyweight champion and the anticipated bouts would go a long way to restoring the division back to its former glory.
After tonight's farce of a fight, it certainly needs some lifting.
This all-British bout had been built up massively over the last few weeks but it ended up being embarrassingly one-sided as Haye utterly dominated.
Bermondsey-born Haye won by technical knockout in the third as the fight belatedly opened up.
There was barely a punch thrown in either of the first two rounds which ended in a chorus of boos from the Manchester crowd.
Even Puerto Rican referee Luis Pabon urged a step up in the quality but the opening minute of the third round looked set to go the way of the first two.
Then, all of a sudden, Haye delivered a firm right-hander and followed it up with a left-right combination to floor Harrison.
Harrison, who threw just one punch all the way through, got up from the canvas on an eight count but, just seconds later, the fight was over after the ref called it to a halt.
The result was a considerable embarrassment for former Olympic champion Harrison who spent most of the last week talking up his chances.
Harrison, at 18st 1lb, weighed in three stone heavier than Haye and had a reach advantage of eight inches in the first all-British world heavyweight clash since Lennox Lewis beat Frank Bruno in 1993.
But, since winning his first 19 professional fights against hand-picked opponents in the wake of his Sydney Games success, Harrison has just eight wins and now five losses in the last five years.
His poor record showed as he attempted to stifle the fight early on before eventually being overwhelmed after one minute and 53 seconds of the third round.
Even 30-year-old victor Haye would have struggled to take full pleasure from this. But, to spout an old cliche, he could only beat the opponent in front of him.
Haye promised in September that the fight would be "as one-sided as a gang rape" and he was proved correct in his assessment of a derisory challenger.
It seems inevitable now that Haye will face the Klitschko brothers over the next 12 months with his manager stating the Londoner intends to retire next year.
Older brother Vitali, 39, is the WBC belt holder while 34-year-old Wladimir is the IBO/WBF champion.
Beating both men would make Haye the undisputed heavyweight champion and the anticipated bouts would go a long way to restoring the division back to its former glory.
After tonight's farce of a fight, it certainly needs some lifting.
Thursday 11 November 2010
Lest we forget the Fallen
(Music: Nimrod, variation no.9 from Enigma Variations by Sir Edward Elgar)
For the Fallen
Laurence Binyon
1914
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
The Royal British Legion 2010: Silence is golden
As part of this year's Poppy Appeal, the Royal British Legion have released a single '2 Minute Silence' into the UK charts.
The aim is to get the silent single to the number one spot in the Official UK Chart on Remembrance Sunday 14th November.
All of the proceeds from the single will go towards furthering our work in supporting serving and ex-Service personnel and their families.
It can be ordered at http://www.silentsingle.com/ or downloaded from iTunes *here* for just £1.
Thursday 4 November 2010
The Season 2010/11: Chelsea march on as City slip up
Premier League
Table
CHELSEA continue to hold a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United but Manchester City have slipped eight points back after successive defeats.
Carlo Ancelotti's defending champions came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and reinforce their strong early advantage.
The Blues have dropped just five points all season, three in the defeat to City and two in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.
Arsenal are the closest challengers, five points behind the leaders, after a late Alexandre Song goal gave the Gunners a 1-0 victory over struggling West Ham United.
That made it three wins in a row for Arsene Wenger's men, coming on the back of a 2-1 success over Birmingham City and a 3-0 thumping of Manchester City.
Mancini's City have failed to recover from that setback, losing a lead to go 2-1 down at Wolverhampton Wanderers, leaving them eight points off the pace.
But unbeaten Manchester United now look in better shape after beating Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur in the last couple of weeks.
Those results have helped Sir Alex Ferguson's side stay in touch, also five points behind Chelsea, but it has still been far from easy for United.
When Stoke equalised with nine minutes of the game left, it looked as if the Red Devils' had given away yet another lead, having recently only drawn 2-2 with West Brom after holding a 2-0 half-time advantage.
But an even later goal by Javier Hernandez at the Britannia prevented a fourth successive league draw and put the Wayne Rooney contract saga behind them.
Ferguson's men then returned to winning ways at home but only after a highly controversial second goal in the 2-0 win over Spurs.
Nani failed to win a penalty with a dive then handled the ball expecting the decision in his favour. Heurelho Gomes, the Spurs' goalkeeper, thought that a free-kick had been given and so rolled the ball forward, only for Nani to steal in and put the ball into an empty net.
The assistant referee flagged but referee Mark Clattenburg gave the goal, thus allowing history to repeat itself.
Spurs had been previously been on the wrong end of a Clattenburg decision at Old Trafford in 2005/06 when Pedro Mendes' long-range strike clearly crossed the line but was not given.
Despite their misfortune, Spurs are still in fifth on 15 points after victories in October over Aston Villa and Fulham, and a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home against Everton.
West Bromwich Albion are also on 15 points in sixth place but their unbeaten run of eight league and cup games came crashing to an end at fellow-promoted outfit Blackpool.
The Baggies had Pablo Ibanez and Gonzalo Jara sent off in a nightmare first half at Bloomfield Road yet still nearly rescued a point after Youssuf Mulumbu had reduced the arrears to 2-1.
But Blackpool held on to earn their first home win in the top flight since April 1971 after Charlie Adam's penalty and Luke Varney's second half tap-in.
The other promoted club Newcastle United are just behind West Brom in seventh on 14 points after a 5-1 derby humiliation of Sunderland ended a run of four home league and cup games without a win in style.
At the bottom, West Ham have started to be cut off after failing to follow up their only league victory of the season against Spurs.
First, Avram Grant's men had successive 1-1 draws against Fulham and Wolves before a dispiriting 2-1 home loss to Newcastle and that late defeat at the Emirates against Arsenal.
The Hammers have just six points from ten games so far, three behind Wolves and Blackburn Rovers, and four adrift of safety.
Wolves are second bottom on nine points amid a nightmare sequence of fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.
But, while the Chelsea match resulted in the expected 2-0 defeat, a thrilling comeback against City means Mick McCarthy's men are probably actually doing better than expected.
Sam Allardyce's Blackburn are in a similarly tough run, losing successive fixtures 2-1 to Liverpool and Chelsea on the back of a 0-0 draw with Sunderland a 1-0 loss to Stoke.
At least Allardyce's men have been afforded the perfect chance of getting out the bottom three with a match against Wigan Athletic, the side just above them.
Since their nightmare opening couple of games, Roberto Martinez's men have done rather better with an easy 2-0 win over Wolves followed up by draws against Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle.
But the 2-0 loss to two Clint Dempsey goals at Fulham was a meek surrender and this still looks set to be a long campaign for the Latics, who are fourth-bottom with 10 points.
Stoke, five places from the bottom, are also on 10 points after their encouraging run of form ground to a halt with three successive defeats.
Having began the season with three losses, the Potters picked up their form to gain those 10 points in consecutive fixtures against Aston Villa, West Ham, Newcastle and Blackburn.
However, Tony Pulis' men are struggling once again after 2-1 defeats to Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United, and a 1-0 loss to Everton.
The Championship
Table
FREE-SCORING Cardiff City took advantage of another Queens Park Rangers draw to move top of the Championship by two points.
Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra and Peter Whittingham were on the score sheet as Dave Jones' Bluebirds beat Norwich City 3-1 at home to rack up a fifth league win in a row.
Cardiff, on 32 points, are two points clear of early pace-setters QPR who dropped to second after a 1-1 draw at home against Burnley, their fifth in six league matches.
Neil Warnock's Rangers remain the unbeaten side in the division after 14 games and they are still four points clear of Swansea City in third.
But a lack of recent goals - certainly in comparison to Cardiff - suggests other teams may have found out how to play against the Londoners.
A paucity of goals was Swansea's problem last season and indeed it was that deficiency which cost them a playoff place in May.
However, now under the stewardship of Brendan Rogers, the Swans are flying again with four wins and two draw in their last six games lifting them up to third.
Again a strong defence is key to Swansea's success with no goals conceded in their last five league matches.
And it all means that the match against leaders Cardiff on Sunday looks a cracker - a South Wales battle between the best attack in the division and the most in-form defence. Better still, it is live on the BBC at 1pm, no less.
With Cardiff and Swansea playing on Sunday, QPR and the chasing pack will have a big chance to exert some pressure by winning on Saturday.
Fourth-placed Coventry City, on 24 points, look best placed to challenge after a run of three wins in their last four games, including impressive away successes at Ipswich Town and Sheffield United.
The Sky Blues are at home against Leeds United whose decent performances since promotion have been undermined by a porous defence.
Simon Grayson's men have conceded four goals at home against Cardiff, five at Barnsley and six in 6-4 home defeat to Preston, leaving the Yorkshire club somewhat off the pace in 12th.
Norwich, who went up ahead of Leeds as champions of League One last season, are a point behind Coventry in fifth amid a tough sets of fixtures.
On Saturday, Paul Lambert's men - on 23 points overall - face Burnley who are one of a clutch of five clubs just outside the playoffs on 21 points.
The other clubs are seventh-placed Derby County, Watford in ninth, Portsmouth in 10th and Ipswich in 11th.
Reading, on 22 points, currently occupy the last remaining playoff spot in sixth after scoring four goals in successive wins against Burnley (4-0) and Doncaster Rovers (4-3).
But Pompey look the most likely candidates to usurp the Royals after six wins and a draw from their last seven games have lifted the south coast club from the bottom of the table - a fine way to celebrate staving off the threat of liquidation.
Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Bristol City are still in trouble, though, and it is these three clubs which occupy the bottom three going into November.
Bottom-placed Palace, on just 11 points from 14 games, only saved themselves on the last day of last season after a points deduction for going into administration. But, even without the points loss, this term already looks like another season-long struggle.
Level on points with Palace are the pre-season favourites Boro who finally ended the disastrous Gordon Strachan era after a reign lasting a week short of a year featuring just 13 wins from 46 games.
Boro have taken just one point from the last 21 and new manager Tony Mowbray, a former club captain, saw first-hand the extent of his job in a 2-1 home defeat against relegation rivals Bristol City.
That win extended the Robins' unbeaten run to three matches and lifted them off the bottom of the table.
But record losses of £11.8m announced this week means Keith Millen is in an unenviable position, having taken the job after Steve Coppell's early season departure.
Despite their upturn in form, City remain in the bottom three on 13 points, level with Darren Ferguson's hugely inconsistent Preston North End.
Having put six past Leeds in that 6-4 away win, PNE then took just one point from their next three matches against Reading, Derby and Scunthorpe United.
Another exciting win followed, 4-3 against Crystal Palace, before a disappointing 1-0 loss at Sven Goran Eriksson's Leicester City who are just two places above Preston in 19th.
Hull City are sandwiched between the clubs in 20th place on 14 points, having taken exactly a point a game since the start of the season.
But that is not something the Tigers have been averaging recently with just three points and three goals in their last six matches.
Those victories at the Emirates and White Hart Lane suddenly seem a long time ago...
League One
Table
BRIGHTON and Hove Albion won 3-0 twice in a week to stay eight points clear of their nearest rivals Huddersfield Town at the top of League One.
Gus Poyet's Seagulls beat Peterborough United on Saturday and Exeter City on Tuesday to make it four wins in a row without conceding a goal.
Aided by the talents of on-loan Newcastle United winger Kazenga Lualua, the full streak is actually 12 matches unbeaten - and nine of them have been wins.
It all means that Poyet's men enjoy a handsome lead at a relatively early stage of the season.
However, the Brighton boss will do well to remember that it was in this division last season that Leeds United build up an early lead, only for it to disappear over the winter months - and there are several big names with the capability of reeling the Seagulls in.
Huddersfield are in second place on 26 points with four wins from their last five league games. It was the perfect response from Lee Clark's men to a worrying run of three successive defeats without a goal.
And the Terriers will have enjoyed their latest win that little bit more, coming as it did at Hillsborough in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Colchester United look set to make yet another promotion push this season after their entertaining 3-2 win over Leyton Orient made it three wins on the bounce and still just one defeat all season.
The Us are in third place, level on points with Huddersfield, but with a four-goal deficit, having played out four 1-1 and two 0-0 draws already this season.
Peterborough United are a point behind in fourth place after their 3-1 win over Walsall but this past month could have been so much better for the Posh.
Gary Johnson's men blew the chance to go top early in October by losing 2-0 away at Hartlepool United, and they have also recently lost to Brentford and at home against leaders Brighton.
But an extraordinary 5-4 win over Swindon Town and Tuesday night's return to winning ways against rock-bottom Walsall leaves the London Road club still in a position to challenge.
However, behind them are two genuine heavyweights for this division in Charlton Athletic and Southampton, in fifth and sixth respectively.
The Addicks, like Peterborough on 25 points, and the Saints, on 24, have won their last three league games to lift themselves away from mid-table irrelevance to a playoff spot.
Indeed, the sequence is even better for Southampton with a run of five wins out of six taking them out of the bottom half and signalling an acceptance by the players of new manager Nigel Adkins' ideas.
Neighbours Bournemouth are just a point and a place outside the playoffs, sitting alongside Carlisle United and Milton Keynes Dons - but each of these clubs has seen a bright start fade away in recent weeks.
Sheffield Wednesday look a sorry state in 10th place on 21 points after picking up just a single point from their last three games against Bournemouth, Charlton and Huddersfield.
Still, that is form which rock-bottom Walsall would kill for, the Saddlers having taken just five points from their last 12 league matches. Unsurprisingly, that form has left Chris Hutchings' men bottom with just 11 points so far.
At least Walsall have not been cut off yet, with the safety line just five points away, and the identity of most of the teams which they would be looking to catch comes as no surprise.
Dagenham & Redbridge are second bottom - a point clear with just two home wins all season so far, against Orient and Swindon, and just two points from their last 15.
Yeovil Town's six-year stay in the third tier is under threat after a run of one point from 12 has left them third bottom with 15 points.
Tranmere Rovers fill the final relegation place, a point clear of the Glovers but they had at least seen an upturn in form - until Tuesday night's 2-0 loss at Carlisle.
Rovers had been bottom in mid-October but, since then, the Prenton Park faithful have enjoyed four-goal hauls in successive league wins over Walsall and MK Dons.
More performances like those and Tranmere will get out of trouble. That is because it remains tight at the bottom with Notts County and Orient also on 16 points. Just above them, Hartlepool and Swindon are on 17 points.
However, Hartlepool and Notts have a game in hand against each other after Tuesday's match at Victoria Park was abandoned amid a gale force wind and driving rain off the North Sea coast.
The really devastating element for the fans? The game was only three minutes old when the referee made the decision.
Similarly, the match between Oldham Athletic and Rochdale lasted a mere five minutes before its abandonment - but at least that was a match between two nearby clubs.
League Two
Table
CHESTERFIELD hit five past Accrington Stanley at home on Tuesday to extend their lead at the top of League Two to three points after the failure of Port Vale and Bury to win.
The Spireites beat Stanley 5-2 to make it five wins and two draws from their last seven games, a sequence which has put the Derbyshire outfit on 32 points from 15 games.
Vale remain in second place on 29 points after their 0-0 draw with Burton Albion made it four draws for the Valiants in their last five league games.
And Bury stay in third on 28 points after a 1-0 home defeat to Bradford City ended a fine unbeaten run of eight matches, six of which ended in victory for the Shakers.
The poor night for Port Vale and Bury gave the chasing pack a chance to close the gap. Fourth-placed Shrewsbury Town, Wycombe Wanderers in fifth, seventh-placed Torquay United and Stevenage in eighth all obliged with important midweek wins.
Only sixth-placed Rotherham United missed out, taking just a point in a 1-1 draw with Macclesfield Town on the back of disappointing defeats to Wycombe and Southend United.
Stevenage's push for the playoffs marks an impressive league debut season for the Broadhall Way club - and their latest win came away at local rivals Barnet, leaving the Bees bottom.
That defeat at Underhill means Barnet have lost four out of their last five league games and picked up only 12 points from 15 matches this season.
But, just like Walsall in League One, Mark Stimson's men can console themselves with the fact that they have not yet been cut adrift.
Lincoln City are second bottom on 13 points with no sign yet of new manager Steve Tilson being able to repair the damage left by previous occupant Chris Sutton.
A 2-0 loss at home against Northampton made it just one win and six points from the Imps' last nine league games.
Hereford have hit better form to haul themselves off the bottom and reach 14 points with two wins and three draws from their last five league games.
Just above them, Stockport County and Gillingham are in 20th and 21st positions respectively, both with 15 points.
Incredibly, the Gills have now failed to win away in the league in the last 34 attempts, a run stretching back to the last day of 2008-09!
Table
CHELSEA continue to hold a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League ahead of Arsenal and Manchester United but Manchester City have slipped eight points back after successive defeats.
Carlo Ancelotti's defending champions came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and reinforce their strong early advantage.
The Blues have dropped just five points all season, three in the defeat to City and two in a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.
Arsenal are the closest challengers, five points behind the leaders, after a late Alexandre Song goal gave the Gunners a 1-0 victory over struggling West Ham United.
That made it three wins in a row for Arsene Wenger's men, coming on the back of a 2-1 success over Birmingham City and a 3-0 thumping of Manchester City.
Mancini's City have failed to recover from that setback, losing a lead to go 2-1 down at Wolverhampton Wanderers, leaving them eight points off the pace.
But unbeaten Manchester United now look in better shape after beating Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur in the last couple of weeks.
Those results have helped Sir Alex Ferguson's side stay in touch, also five points behind Chelsea, but it has still been far from easy for United.
When Stoke equalised with nine minutes of the game left, it looked as if the Red Devils' had given away yet another lead, having recently only drawn 2-2 with West Brom after holding a 2-0 half-time advantage.
But an even later goal by Javier Hernandez at the Britannia prevented a fourth successive league draw and put the Wayne Rooney contract saga behind them.
Ferguson's men then returned to winning ways at home but only after a highly controversial second goal in the 2-0 win over Spurs.
Nani failed to win a penalty with a dive then handled the ball expecting the decision in his favour. Heurelho Gomes, the Spurs' goalkeeper, thought that a free-kick had been given and so rolled the ball forward, only for Nani to steal in and put the ball into an empty net.
The assistant referee flagged but referee Mark Clattenburg gave the goal, thus allowing history to repeat itself.
Spurs had been previously been on the wrong end of a Clattenburg decision at Old Trafford in 2005/06 when Pedro Mendes' long-range strike clearly crossed the line but was not given.
Despite their misfortune, Spurs are still in fifth on 15 points after victories in October over Aston Villa and Fulham, and a hard-fought 1-1 draw at home against Everton.
West Bromwich Albion are also on 15 points in sixth place but their unbeaten run of eight league and cup games came crashing to an end at fellow-promoted outfit Blackpool.
The Baggies had Pablo Ibanez and Gonzalo Jara sent off in a nightmare first half at Bloomfield Road yet still nearly rescued a point after Youssuf Mulumbu had reduced the arrears to 2-1.
But Blackpool held on to earn their first home win in the top flight since April 1971 after Charlie Adam's penalty and Luke Varney's second half tap-in.
The other promoted club Newcastle United are just behind West Brom in seventh on 14 points after a 5-1 derby humiliation of Sunderland ended a run of four home league and cup games without a win in style.
At the bottom, West Ham have started to be cut off after failing to follow up their only league victory of the season against Spurs.
First, Avram Grant's men had successive 1-1 draws against Fulham and Wolves before a dispiriting 2-1 home loss to Newcastle and that late defeat at the Emirates against Arsenal.
The Hammers have just six points from ten games so far, three behind Wolves and Blackburn Rovers, and four adrift of safety.
Wolves are second bottom on nine points amid a nightmare sequence of fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal.
But, while the Chelsea match resulted in the expected 2-0 defeat, a thrilling comeback against City means Mick McCarthy's men are probably actually doing better than expected.
Sam Allardyce's Blackburn are in a similarly tough run, losing successive fixtures 2-1 to Liverpool and Chelsea on the back of a 0-0 draw with Sunderland a 1-0 loss to Stoke.
At least Allardyce's men have been afforded the perfect chance of getting out the bottom three with a match against Wigan Athletic, the side just above them.
Since their nightmare opening couple of games, Roberto Martinez's men have done rather better with an easy 2-0 win over Wolves followed up by draws against Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle.
But the 2-0 loss to two Clint Dempsey goals at Fulham was a meek surrender and this still looks set to be a long campaign for the Latics, who are fourth-bottom with 10 points.
Stoke, five places from the bottom, are also on 10 points after their encouraging run of form ground to a halt with three successive defeats.
Having began the season with three losses, the Potters picked up their form to gain those 10 points in consecutive fixtures against Aston Villa, West Ham, Newcastle and Blackburn.
However, Tony Pulis' men are struggling once again after 2-1 defeats to Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United, and a 1-0 loss to Everton.
The Championship
Table
FREE-SCORING Cardiff City took advantage of another Queens Park Rangers draw to move top of the Championship by two points.
Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra and Peter Whittingham were on the score sheet as Dave Jones' Bluebirds beat Norwich City 3-1 at home to rack up a fifth league win in a row.
Cardiff, on 32 points, are two points clear of early pace-setters QPR who dropped to second after a 1-1 draw at home against Burnley, their fifth in six league matches.
Neil Warnock's Rangers remain the unbeaten side in the division after 14 games and they are still four points clear of Swansea City in third.
But a lack of recent goals - certainly in comparison to Cardiff - suggests other teams may have found out how to play against the Londoners.
A paucity of goals was Swansea's problem last season and indeed it was that deficiency which cost them a playoff place in May.
However, now under the stewardship of Brendan Rogers, the Swans are flying again with four wins and two draw in their last six games lifting them up to third.
Again a strong defence is key to Swansea's success with no goals conceded in their last five league matches.
And it all means that the match against leaders Cardiff on Sunday looks a cracker - a South Wales battle between the best attack in the division and the most in-form defence. Better still, it is live on the BBC at 1pm, no less.
With Cardiff and Swansea playing on Sunday, QPR and the chasing pack will have a big chance to exert some pressure by winning on Saturday.
Fourth-placed Coventry City, on 24 points, look best placed to challenge after a run of three wins in their last four games, including impressive away successes at Ipswich Town and Sheffield United.
The Sky Blues are at home against Leeds United whose decent performances since promotion have been undermined by a porous defence.
Simon Grayson's men have conceded four goals at home against Cardiff, five at Barnsley and six in 6-4 home defeat to Preston, leaving the Yorkshire club somewhat off the pace in 12th.
Norwich, who went up ahead of Leeds as champions of League One last season, are a point behind Coventry in fifth amid a tough sets of fixtures.
On Saturday, Paul Lambert's men - on 23 points overall - face Burnley who are one of a clutch of five clubs just outside the playoffs on 21 points.
The other clubs are seventh-placed Derby County, Watford in ninth, Portsmouth in 10th and Ipswich in 11th.
Reading, on 22 points, currently occupy the last remaining playoff spot in sixth after scoring four goals in successive wins against Burnley (4-0) and Doncaster Rovers (4-3).
But Pompey look the most likely candidates to usurp the Royals after six wins and a draw from their last seven games have lifted the south coast club from the bottom of the table - a fine way to celebrate staving off the threat of liquidation.
Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Bristol City are still in trouble, though, and it is these three clubs which occupy the bottom three going into November.
Bottom-placed Palace, on just 11 points from 14 games, only saved themselves on the last day of last season after a points deduction for going into administration. But, even without the points loss, this term already looks like another season-long struggle.
Level on points with Palace are the pre-season favourites Boro who finally ended the disastrous Gordon Strachan era after a reign lasting a week short of a year featuring just 13 wins from 46 games.
Boro have taken just one point from the last 21 and new manager Tony Mowbray, a former club captain, saw first-hand the extent of his job in a 2-1 home defeat against relegation rivals Bristol City.
That win extended the Robins' unbeaten run to three matches and lifted them off the bottom of the table.
But record losses of £11.8m announced this week means Keith Millen is in an unenviable position, having taken the job after Steve Coppell's early season departure.
Despite their upturn in form, City remain in the bottom three on 13 points, level with Darren Ferguson's hugely inconsistent Preston North End.
Having put six past Leeds in that 6-4 away win, PNE then took just one point from their next three matches against Reading, Derby and Scunthorpe United.
Another exciting win followed, 4-3 against Crystal Palace, before a disappointing 1-0 loss at Sven Goran Eriksson's Leicester City who are just two places above Preston in 19th.
Hull City are sandwiched between the clubs in 20th place on 14 points, having taken exactly a point a game since the start of the season.
But that is not something the Tigers have been averaging recently with just three points and three goals in their last six matches.
Those victories at the Emirates and White Hart Lane suddenly seem a long time ago...
League One
Table
BRIGHTON and Hove Albion won 3-0 twice in a week to stay eight points clear of their nearest rivals Huddersfield Town at the top of League One.
Gus Poyet's Seagulls beat Peterborough United on Saturday and Exeter City on Tuesday to make it four wins in a row without conceding a goal.
Aided by the talents of on-loan Newcastle United winger Kazenga Lualua, the full streak is actually 12 matches unbeaten - and nine of them have been wins.
It all means that Poyet's men enjoy a handsome lead at a relatively early stage of the season.
However, the Brighton boss will do well to remember that it was in this division last season that Leeds United build up an early lead, only for it to disappear over the winter months - and there are several big names with the capability of reeling the Seagulls in.
Huddersfield are in second place on 26 points with four wins from their last five league games. It was the perfect response from Lee Clark's men to a worrying run of three successive defeats without a goal.
And the Terriers will have enjoyed their latest win that little bit more, coming as it did at Hillsborough in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Colchester United look set to make yet another promotion push this season after their entertaining 3-2 win over Leyton Orient made it three wins on the bounce and still just one defeat all season.
The Us are in third place, level on points with Huddersfield, but with a four-goal deficit, having played out four 1-1 and two 0-0 draws already this season.
Peterborough United are a point behind in fourth place after their 3-1 win over Walsall but this past month could have been so much better for the Posh.
Gary Johnson's men blew the chance to go top early in October by losing 2-0 away at Hartlepool United, and they have also recently lost to Brentford and at home against leaders Brighton.
But an extraordinary 5-4 win over Swindon Town and Tuesday night's return to winning ways against rock-bottom Walsall leaves the London Road club still in a position to challenge.
However, behind them are two genuine heavyweights for this division in Charlton Athletic and Southampton, in fifth and sixth respectively.
The Addicks, like Peterborough on 25 points, and the Saints, on 24, have won their last three league games to lift themselves away from mid-table irrelevance to a playoff spot.
Indeed, the sequence is even better for Southampton with a run of five wins out of six taking them out of the bottom half and signalling an acceptance by the players of new manager Nigel Adkins' ideas.
Neighbours Bournemouth are just a point and a place outside the playoffs, sitting alongside Carlisle United and Milton Keynes Dons - but each of these clubs has seen a bright start fade away in recent weeks.
Sheffield Wednesday look a sorry state in 10th place on 21 points after picking up just a single point from their last three games against Bournemouth, Charlton and Huddersfield.
Still, that is form which rock-bottom Walsall would kill for, the Saddlers having taken just five points from their last 12 league matches. Unsurprisingly, that form has left Chris Hutchings' men bottom with just 11 points so far.
At least Walsall have not been cut off yet, with the safety line just five points away, and the identity of most of the teams which they would be looking to catch comes as no surprise.
Dagenham & Redbridge are second bottom - a point clear with just two home wins all season so far, against Orient and Swindon, and just two points from their last 15.
Yeovil Town's six-year stay in the third tier is under threat after a run of one point from 12 has left them third bottom with 15 points.
Tranmere Rovers fill the final relegation place, a point clear of the Glovers but they had at least seen an upturn in form - until Tuesday night's 2-0 loss at Carlisle.
Rovers had been bottom in mid-October but, since then, the Prenton Park faithful have enjoyed four-goal hauls in successive league wins over Walsall and MK Dons.
More performances like those and Tranmere will get out of trouble. That is because it remains tight at the bottom with Notts County and Orient also on 16 points. Just above them, Hartlepool and Swindon are on 17 points.
However, Hartlepool and Notts have a game in hand against each other after Tuesday's match at Victoria Park was abandoned amid a gale force wind and driving rain off the North Sea coast.
The really devastating element for the fans? The game was only three minutes old when the referee made the decision.
Similarly, the match between Oldham Athletic and Rochdale lasted a mere five minutes before its abandonment - but at least that was a match between two nearby clubs.
League Two
Table
CHESTERFIELD hit five past Accrington Stanley at home on Tuesday to extend their lead at the top of League Two to three points after the failure of Port Vale and Bury to win.
The Spireites beat Stanley 5-2 to make it five wins and two draws from their last seven games, a sequence which has put the Derbyshire outfit on 32 points from 15 games.
Vale remain in second place on 29 points after their 0-0 draw with Burton Albion made it four draws for the Valiants in their last five league games.
And Bury stay in third on 28 points after a 1-0 home defeat to Bradford City ended a fine unbeaten run of eight matches, six of which ended in victory for the Shakers.
The poor night for Port Vale and Bury gave the chasing pack a chance to close the gap. Fourth-placed Shrewsbury Town, Wycombe Wanderers in fifth, seventh-placed Torquay United and Stevenage in eighth all obliged with important midweek wins.
Only sixth-placed Rotherham United missed out, taking just a point in a 1-1 draw with Macclesfield Town on the back of disappointing defeats to Wycombe and Southend United.
Stevenage's push for the playoffs marks an impressive league debut season for the Broadhall Way club - and their latest win came away at local rivals Barnet, leaving the Bees bottom.
That defeat at Underhill means Barnet have lost four out of their last five league games and picked up only 12 points from 15 matches this season.
But, just like Walsall in League One, Mark Stimson's men can console themselves with the fact that they have not yet been cut adrift.
Lincoln City are second bottom on 13 points with no sign yet of new manager Steve Tilson being able to repair the damage left by previous occupant Chris Sutton.
A 2-0 loss at home against Northampton made it just one win and six points from the Imps' last nine league games.
Hereford have hit better form to haul themselves off the bottom and reach 14 points with two wins and three draws from their last five league games.
Just above them, Stockport County and Gillingham are in 20th and 21st positions respectively, both with 15 points.
Incredibly, the Gills have now failed to win away in the league in the last 34 attempts, a run stretching back to the last day of 2008-09!
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