Great Start for 2007 Gels - Next Week Bowling!!
We had a fun, action-packed and competitive session last Thursday. Paula knows how to run a good, fun session; witness the fact some guys have asked to join our gang and play our games. Which is absolutely fine, anyone is welcome. We had a couple of new keen bunnies – thanks for dropping in Susie and Jill; hope to see you next week. Paula has planned to focus on bowling next week and here is some homework to study in preparation. (Well she is a teacher as well!)

Compare and contrast the Flipper, the Zooter and the Wrongun. Explain their significance in the Battle of the Ashes?


Red Bull Replies!!

“Dear Mary, Thank you for your interest in a possible co-operation with Red Bull – and may I congratulate you on such a creative proposal!!!”

Wow! I’m impressed already. A real person replied! Hannah Wright of Red Bull Sports Marketing did a creditable job of plugging the benefits of her product and company and then let me down gently.

“In terms of financial sponsorship, Red Bull will unfortunately be unable to support you with sponsoring in this instance. As you can see above Red Bull's sponsoring philosophy is to support a few outstanding individual athletes in selected sports, (she refers specifically to the Great Britain Athletics Team and the England Cricket team) and at present we (and our budgets!) are fully committed to them.”

You will note some words above in red bold. These are the words I am tempted to repeat back to Red Bull with a big question mark. Do you think they have been watching The Ashes downunder? I am sure I don’t need to spell out the irony to you NCI readers and players.
5-0 is certainly a reflection of an outstanding performance (by eleven individual athletes as it happens) BUT NOT THE ONES YOU SPONSORED!!!!

“I hope you can understand our position and find other suitable sponsors.”

NO and YES. NO I don’t understand at all but YES I will chase up other possibilities, despite the fact the task is probably made harder because the whole world now knows how laughably rubbish the English are at cricket. Maybe this is why the England Ladies fell back on that safe-as-houses marketing tactic – SEX SELLS; merit just isn’t going to have the same pull. Thank goodness we have two Aussies, a Sri Lankan, an Indian, a German, a South African, a Kiwi, and a demi-Italian in the ladies team.

However, Hannah from Red Bull has very kindly offered to send us a consignment of Red Bull. Thank you Hannah and here's a weblink as a reward. Red Bull.
I must ask her if she can bat.

Local Secrets
We have another good mention and links in this useful website - see Editors Choice. Take a look if you want to know what’s going on in and around Cambridge. Check the link on the right for the homepage and to register to receive their free newsletter.

Sam’s Southern Hemisphere Scary Adventures
If you didn’t know, our Sam has been downunder recently and endured the Ashes in person. A unique but less that satisfying experience I think. All sorts of other adventures unfolded but she survived to tell the tale. Read her Blog entry later this week and photos of that 700th wicket.

In the meantime here is an excerpt from Michael Parkinson's interview with Shane Warne.


C u 7pm Thursday at Fenners.

The Captain