Splat! Splat! Spliff!: talkSPORT at the Test Review
2004 saw the return of live & exclusive ball-by-ball commentary to talkSPORT
as England toured the West Indies for Four Test Matches and Seven One-Day
Internationals. Not only was it a successful tour by the England cricket team,
but the coverage itself has proved to be a breath of fresh air.
For many years BBC Radio 4 with Test Match Special have held a monopoly on
cricket coverage on radio, and in my opinion it was very important for talkSPORT
to prove that can be an alternative and sound competition for the future. Although
we were led to believe Geoff Boycott would be part of the commentary team, a late change saw him pull out to join BBC Five Live and was replaced by former England captain Tony Greig. Greig was joined by front man Chris Cowdrey, Jack Bannister and Mark Nicholas with roving reporter Andrew McKenna completing the team. It was not a particularly large commentary team, but it was nonetheless very high profile and busting with experience both in terms of cricket careers and broadcasting from the commentary gantry over the years.
It seems that the general aim of the talkSPORT coverage has to be to entertain the listener. Whilst you can argue that the station lacks the same intensity of descriptive quality, the coverage is equally interesting and pulsating to listen to. Indeed I would go onto say that for the younger listener getting into cricket, talkSPORT forgoes the highbrow style to entertain and inform the listener in a more appropriate style. Whilst the cricket purists may be disappointed not to be able to hear Henry Blofeld style tangents about cricket teas and pigeons on the outfield, but I'd rather hear about the cricket and give more time to analysis of the game itself.
It was also pleasing to see talkSPORT try and bring in new innovations to their coverage such as the roving reporter and pre-match discussions on the pitch itself incorporating quick interviews with the captains after the toss, in addition to a certain freshness in the coverage which moved away from the antiquated TMS style. One main criticism which has been levelled at talkSPORT was the intrusion of advertisements in the coverage of the cricket. However, they have been quite sparing and only one advertisement at a time, which has meant that not a single ball bowled or a run scored has been missed. This is of course an expectation from a commercial radio station, because this is the only way the station can be funded.
Because BBC Radio 4 was able to dedicate itself fully to TMS, some listeners have shown dismay that talkSPORT have decided that on Saturday, cricket took a backseat to the cricket on the main medium of the station. Whilst the cricket could still be heard online and on digital platforms, this could at times be frustrating if you were not able to access these services. However, it is of course fully understandable that the station took the decision to prioritise football over cricket for a limited amount of time on Saturday afternoons. Cricket on the station was always going to be slightly risky, so in order not to disappoint the expectant audience of Football First the decision becomes more understandable. Indeed I am sure that if talkSPORT had the facility of more than one station then they would have been able to keep the cricket on air all the time. As luck would have it, instances when the cricket coverage would have been put on the back burner in favour of the cricket was normally rained off in the Caribbean, so the amount of cricket lost was actually quite negligible.
Whilst I really enjoyed the style and manner with which talkSPORT adopted for its cricket coverage, the single biggest plus point of the coverage was the quality and content from the presenters. The jewel in the crown is Mark Nicholas, who is fast becoming the biggest name in English cricket coverage as he continues to front Channel 4's coverage. He never managed to have a glittering cricket career as a player but is more than making up for it in the commentary box. With little phrases like, "gee whiz" and "you'd better believe it", Nicholas is able to bridge the gap between young and old and continues to be an asset for the station.
Forthright in his opinion and never scared to voice his opinion, Tony Greig has been a hugely successful addition to the commentary team. Personally, I was quite sceptical at the decision to bring in a famous cricket rebel who seemed more Australian than English to me. Yet he has proved to be an inspired inclusion. He is able to conjure fierce debate and often a very different angle to the other commentators around him, something which I have often enjoyed particularly during breaks in play and rain stoppages. In addition the two stalwarts of Jack Bannister and Chris Cowdrey leave talkSPORT with a very well rounded and impressive commentary team, which was normally supplemented by a West Indian commentator (and ex-player) from the respective island England were playing.
Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed the talkSPORT coverage of England in the West Indies and have been convinced that they can prove to be viable competition for the BBC in the future. With the rights for the forthcoming tour of England in South Africa coming up in the near future, I believe the indication from the station is that they will submit a bid. Hopefully this will help the cricket listener to enjoy improved cricket coverage as the two stations look to outdo each other and ultimately provide a better service.
I would also encourage talkSPORT to provide us with close analysis and reports from both the international and domestic cricket here in England this summer, which will hopefully be the springboard for more ball-by-ball commentary in the future.
Splat! Splat! Spliff!: talkSPORT at the Test Review
By Aaron Porter
May 2004 |
