I KEEP having to nip into the bar here at the Rose Bowl because it's the only place on the ground with Sky TV, and unfortunately Riverside's Test debut is the one match of the summer to which Sky have the rights.

As a member of the Great Undished, I know little of Sky except that their cricket commentators are former players whose broadcasting skills don't quite put them in the John Arlott category.

Ian Botham, a huge Arlott fan, is the best, but most of the others leave me grateful that the sound is turned down in the Rose Bowl bar.

As a Hampshire man, Arlott's gloriously rich tones would have waxed wondrously about the Rose Bowl, an amphitheatre cut off from the adjacent M27, where a one-day international is to be staged in five weeks. After a 101-year wait for a new Test ground, it could be only five more before Hampshire's new home becomes the next. Hopefully by then we'll be back to watching all Tests on the BBC with an 11am start and a guarantee that coverage will continue until play has finished.

There was quite a furore in the first Test against Zimbabwe when Channel 4 ended their coverage at 6pm in favour of the sort of game show which contributes towards the general dumbing down of the British populace.

Twenty20 cricket, starting next week, is part of the same culture and the logical conclusion is that eventually the whole country will have the attention span of a gnat and will be totally unable to watch proper cricket.

Having brought the time-honoured starting time forward from 11am to 10.45 for Test matches, Channel 4 now want it to be 10.30 next season to suit their scheduling.

As they have also reneged on their agreement to show early evening highlights, there is a feeling that their commitment to cricket is cooling.

This is a pity as their innovations have taken coverage forward, but if investment in places like Riverside and the Rose Bowl is to reap long-term reward cricket needs committed support from television to keep it in the public eye.

THE BBC, meanwhile, stand accused of inciting a brawl outside the ring to justify their continued coverage of Audley Harrison's fights.

By inviting the famously volatile Herbie Hide to pass comment, they were asking for trouble. Hide has tried to absolve himself of blame by insisting he would not have gone looking for a fight wearing a £3,000 Armani suit and an £85,000 watch.

Rather than earning public sympathy, this merely begs the question of how such a talentless thug can afford such things. Still, Audley has already earned more than £1m from the Beeb, adding to the incredulity that a heavyweight division so bereft of talent can still generate megabucks.

I heard him on the radio saying: "It's not about money, it's all about control." Few people would have any idea what he was on about and even fewer would believe him.

MY recent observations about the hungry fighter syndrome inspiring tennis players in impoverished Argentina were bolstered by 21-year-old Guillermo Coria ousting Andre Agassi from the French Open.

Agassi hoped to become the first man since Jim Courier in 1991 to win both the Australian and French Opens, but his Grand Slam dream has been extinguished by another product of a country who look set to become big players on the tennis scene. Meanwhile we look forward more in hope than expectation to the annual bout of Henmania.

IN golf's Amateur Championship at Royal Troon 27 countries were represented initially, making it all the tougher for our own young hopefuls to progress.

After winning the English strokeplay title, Middlesbrough's Jonathan Lupton managed a reasonable 76 in windy conditions at Troon, but was one of the few who scored worse at the other qualifying venue, the much easier Irvine Bogside.

He ended up with five strokes too many, leaving Cheshire-based Wearsider Richard Walker, the former Durham champion, as the only North-East qualifier.

GLOUCESTER deserved, of course, to be crowned English rugby champions after finishing 15 points clear in the Premiership. There should be no more of the play-off nonsense which allowed Wasps to take the title, especially as it merely adds to the risk of top players becoming burnt out.

As England prepare to face Australia and New Zealand there is a danger that their hosts will again show them how to peak for the World Cup.

A tour win against the Aussies will mean little as several of their top players are injured but will be fit by October, while the All Blacks are blooding a lot of youngsters but can always recall the likes of Andrew Mehrtens and Christian Cullen come the big event.

This is one World Cup we can definitely win, so let's pray there are no serious injuries on the tour.

Published: 06/06/2003