SOMETIMES it's used unnecessarily, sometimes it's not used when it should be, and sometimes we use it and still get the verdict wrong. What is it? The all-seeing camera which helps officials to adjudicate in instances of hair-line decisions.

The referee in the England v Ireland rugby match twice called upon the technology before awarding tries to Ireland, although there was never much doubt in the first instance. Yet when the camera clearly showed the ball hit the touchline prior to Shane Horgan scoring his first try the rules did not permit the referee to call for help. He had to rely on a touch judge who briefly raised his flag then shoved it behind his back like an errant schoolboy.

It would, of course, become extremely tedious if a camera were to be consulted every time there was a marginal decision about the ball, or a foot, going into touch. But when a try results there must be a cast-iron case for it, because in this instance it decided the match and could conceivably have brought down the axe on Andy Robinson.

The week's other example of the infinitesimal line between joy and despair came with the runout of Mahendra Dhoni, who had just struck Andrew Flintoff for three fours to reach 64 in India's first innings in Bombay.

Much more of that and it could have been a different game, but when he then went for a quick single James Anderson hit the one stump he had to aim at from wide mid-on.

The camera showed that at the moment the ball hit the stump Dhoni was just short of his ground, so the screen operators pressed the "out" button before the third umpire had made his ruling.

The laws state that a bail has to be completely dislodged, but by the time it was free of its groove Dhoni was over the line. So strictly speaking he wasn't out.

IT WAS a wonderful effort by Flintoff 's warriors to draw the series in India. During the Ashes triumph Shah, Udal and Panesar were more likely to have been mistaken for a firm of Bombay solicitors than a trio of imminent England Test stars.

I've no doubt, however, that Bombay will prove to be comfortably Udal's finest hour, helped as he was by the surrender of the Indian tail, reminiscent of England's capitulation for 79 in the final innings at Brisbane in 2002.

That was the last occasion when a captain's decision to insert the opposition beggared belief as Nasser Hussain watched Australia amass 364 for two on the opening day of the Ashes series and win the match by 384 runs.

Quite what Rahul Dravid was thinking of when he invited England to bat first only he knows as the Indian spinners traditionally win matches at Bombay and he could have dictated the game by piling up a healthy first day total.

If the belated flowering of Shah's huge talent continues in the one-day series England will have a very interesting selection dilemma if ever they have all their batsmen fit and available.

GIVEN the increasing frequency with which sports persons fall in a heap these days, the time must surely come when the last man standing will win a declathon.

The field was down to eight in the Commonwealth Games by the time Dean Macey emerged with his first major gold medal, having nursed a hamstring strain throughout and taken only one javelin throw after hurting his elbow.

He might not have had much to beat, but this is a tremendous achievement for a man who probably can't remember when he was last fully fit.

Similarly, the Games have proved a real triumph for British swimmers. Not because they won 15 gold medals, but because there were 50 personal bests and 11 British records.

This finally vindicates the methods of the tough Aussie Bill Sweetenham, who was brought in as performance director after Britain's swimmers failed to win a medal at the 2000 Olympics.

They didn't do much better in Athens or at last year's world championships, but the hard work suddenly seems to be reaping rewards.

A NEW sports paper this week suggested George Graham is now the favourite for the Newcastle manager's job. Last week it was said the City still thought Glenn Hoddle was the man. One thing we can be sure of is that Steve Bruce is out of the running, especially after Birmingham's 70 drubbing by Liverpool. ITV news dragged up the old cliche of "magnificent seven" and had that been true it might have provided Bruce with some consolation. But some of the goals would have disgraced a pub team's defence.

TRUST the blunt-speaking Jack Charlton to put a spoke in the Wembley charm offensive by suggesting the pitch didn't look big enough. Jack and several more of the boys of '66 were shown round the £750m stadium the day after it followed that other over-priced, way-behindschedule monstrosity, the Scottish parliament building, by springing a roof scare.

Surely the planners couldn't get the size of the pitch wrong. Could they?