h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Remember that it's not really in the batsmen's interest to run on it, as it only makes it harder for them (so there's much less to gain by doing it) - I haven't heard of warnings being given to batsmen for this at Test level (thats not to say it doesn't), but it occasionally happens at county level. Tailenders have used the opportunity at the crease to scuff up the pitch before its their turn to bowl, and there are usually two or three occasions over a season where they get caught.

Oi gentlefolk, all I really want to know is whether the protected area is always protected or only during times of mushiness.

Your expert opinion on this matter is anticipated with almost orgasmic enthusiansm.

(I'm exagerrating somewhat!)

Yes, it's always protected, from everyone

Ooh, messy.

Why isn't this in the guide yet? If it hangs about until everybody has stopped suggesting additions...

>If it hangs about until everybody has stopped suggesting additions...

The whole process of Peer Review is about people making suggestions, isn't it? And when they have, it'll get picked for the Guide, I'm sure!

Yeah, but bearing in mind the subject matter we could be here until Wales win a test series before it's accepted. It's a good entry and should be in the guide. If other stuff comes along it should be added (if the post-PR process is up to that flexibility!)

It's only been here a week, have some patience man! Everything has to be here for a minimum seven days, anyway....

Entries can be updated, but should go to the EG complete. Hence our suggestions.

I know but bearing in mind the current BBC situation (having to justify everything) quality stuff like this shoul be fast-tracked (along with several other things in PR at the moment).

Is there a post-guide-supplementary PR? (I'm asking because I honestly don't know.)

No, there isn't, but theres the update forum.

It's a moot point, anyway, this is pretty well done

Cool. It's impossible for this entry to ever be 'complete', there will alqways be somebody popping up wth something else to add (who said 'protected areas'. Not me. I'd never do such a thing...) I know we're not competing with W*k*p*d*a (as demonstrated here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=814658 but we have to bear in mind that the big wigs wanna see results, however they interpret them. Get good stuff in quick. Let's free up some time to quibble & discuss the also rans (yep, I include myself: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A5048868 ) The PR process is a glorious thng, sorts the wheat from the chaff & makes the chaff better, but if something's obviously blinding, why wait? This is only a web site, and things can be changed to be improved!

An entry for Z could be:

Zooter - Term coined by Shane Warne to mean a ball bowled by a leg spinner with a leg spinning action, on which little actual spin is imparted and the ball dips in toward the batsman, rather than the usuall high 'flighted' leg spinner.

Also did you discuss around and over the wicket?

Just thought of another for J:

Jaffa - a delivery that, on pitching, deviates sharply from its line.

(This is really cricketing slang, than a serious term. Nice if you want to fill the gaps in your alphabet though).

V,Q and X may present a problem...

X-ray - Hospital depatment generaly visited after facing Steve Harmison

V - Very silly mid-off.

Q - outside old trafford on monday !!

Tee hee.

K - keep the cricket on terrestrial telly.

Hi Deano,

Good idea on the fielding positions - I'd been dodging this because they're so hard to explain without a diagram, but I'll give it a go.

On the title, you're absolutely right: the 'googly' bit is blatant attention grabbing. However, it's quite deliberate and I'd really like to keep it. Here's my reasoning/excuse/plea:

When I was a novice to the game, I'd have been unlikely to read any introduction to the game, even if it claimed to be a 'beginner's guide'. It would have been too daunting.

If, however, it promised to answer one of the two questions that I had about the game, one of which was "What on earth is a googly?", I'd have been there like a shot.

So I'm trying to appeal to people like me. Selfish, perhaps. But well-intentioned, I promise.

Ali
PS. In case you wondered, the other question was "How can grown-ups use the phrase 'silly mid off' with a straight face?" I still haven't found the answer to that one.

I like the title as is !!

Dang, I've just remembered that I used to own a book called 'What is a Googly?'. I don't have it any more but let me see if I can find out anything about it...

Yeah, here it is - 'What Is a Googly?: The Mysteries of Cricket Explained' by Rob Eastaway. Since we can't link to sites which sell things, and since that's what most of the links on Google are these days, you'll have to do your own search using these terms <"What Is a Googly" Eastaway>