Alan Calvert  RSS feed | About

Now retired after more than 40 years in full-time journalism, Alan takes a wry look at life in the 21st Century. You can also read Alan's column every Monday in The Bolton News . . .

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Most read Comments 1 New deal would spark keeper duel 2 Stand by Megson, says Kelly 3 Man tracked burglar through Bolton's streets 4 Naked women urging people to be adventurous for charity 5 VOTE: Would Bolton have been relegated if they had gone further in the Uefa Cup? 6 Criticism of the chairman is not fair – Megson 7 Knox set to leave the Reebok 8 121-year link between Bolton and literature celebrated 9 Helicopter crashes in Bury 10 Night of violence mars Uefa Cup Final Today | 7 Days 1 Megson clear out 2 Whites target Gomis looks to Italy 3 Billionaire Roman deserves credit, says Megson 4 Supermarket money 'should stay in Westhoughton' 5 Bolton hotel rooms fully booked for Rangers' Uefa Cup Final 6 Star mum brings baby campaign to Bolton 7 Call for tougher smoking warnings 8 Teachers strike at Withins School 9 Spectacular circus opens at the Reebok 10 UPDATE: Tributes to biker killed in park accident

DURING the summer of 2003 I reported in the column I was writing at the time - the one that ran down the right hand side of the page - that I had watched Lancashire lose to Derbyshire in one of the new Twenty20 cricket games and agreed with a fellow spectator that it was "a duck-egg of a game".

Since then this format has gone from strength to strength and everybody involved is intrigued by the start of the IPL - Indian Premier League - which involves the injection of enormous sums of money to attract the world's best cricketers, enthusiastic sell-out crowds, loud music and cheerleaders in skimpy costumes.

There is talk of similar ventures - based on the football Premier League - in other countries including England.

County members who shivered in the April gloom also shuddered as they contemplated the end of life as they know it.

I tuned in to Setanta Sports to watch the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the hope that my prejudices would be confirmed.

Unfortunately, the New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum played a breath-taking innings of 158 not out that included 13 sixes.

Wonderful stuff. That kind of performance shows why administrators and entrepreneurs believe they are on to a winner.

9:24am Monday 28th April 2008

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