My favourite thing about this picture on today's BBC sports website is that bessie mates Flintoff and Pietersen are proudly brandishing the Woodworm bats they used in 2005 during the Ashes, a double-act which took Woodworm from zero to hero in cricket kit manufacturing terms.Woodworm have had some money problems, and Flintoff and Pietersen have moved on to Puma and Adidas, which are the most cynical of the big non-cricketing brands trying to horn in on cricket by sponsoring stars and sticking their labels on bats made by the few individuals who international players actually trust to make them.
(Flintoff and Pietersen were the first two batters I remember with corporate sponsors logos on the bottom of the back of their bats. When they scored fifties and tons, they carefully held these logos up for the inevitable photos. Very professional, but very vulgar. I have since seen kids holding their bats up in exactly the same unnatural way, for no reason. It is like when a child in a plain grey jumper in a park scores a goal and then thumps his chest where the team logo would be on a football shirt, thereby aping some mercenary footballer trying to curry absurd favour with his fans.)
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Off topic, I'm afraid, but following our discussion on Tuesday, this is your formal warning - you have until next Tuesday to drum up, let's say, three more 'disciples' - enough to write a gospel each. (Yes, I know they weren't.) Otherwise, your sole and rather foolish-feeling 'disciple' is going to make like Judas, and betray your sorry ass.
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