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The Independent
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Mark Nicholas' proudest memory tinged by sadness as 2005 Ashes marked end of era
Mark Nicholas has bittersweet memories of his role fronting Channel 4's coverage of the 2005 Ashes, his pride in the enduring 'mythology' of the series tinged by sadness at the end of the free-to-air era. Nicholas was the broadcasting anchor charged with carrying a rapt nation through many of the key moments of a contest that remains seared into the memories of cricket fans. Heading up an elite commentary cast featuring the likes of the late Richie Benaud and Tony Greig, as well as Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Atherton and Michael Slater, Nicholas' debonair style crystallised many of the most thrilling moments as England regained the urn for the first time in 18 years. One passage in particular lives on, Steve Harmison's vital dismissal of Michael Clarke at Edgbaston and the subsequent call of: 'One of the great balls! Given the moment, given the batsman, given the match…that is a staggering gamble!' Speaking to the PA news agency two decades later, the current MCC chair reflects: 'You hear a lot of soundbites from that series, even 20 years on. Some of what I said didn't always make much sense, but I think the best commentary is reactive. When you plan to say certain things it doesn't work as well. ' David Bowie once gave an interview about 'Life on Mars' and said, 'It's a good song but I've no idea what I was writing about'. I sort of know what he means, you can be creatively successful completely unintentionally. 'I cannot tell you how often I get stopped, people telling me with all their hearts that 2005 and our coverage of it was what got them into cricket. 'Of course, it was the fact that England beat Australia after so long and that it was so thrilling. But to hear people, even England cricketers, say you helped get them into the game…you can't be more flattered than that. 'Some of us brought hyperbole, some did the deep analysis, Richie was minimalism brilliantly applied. I remain more proud of that time than anything else in my career, there was a certain element of mythology for all of us that summer, players and commentators alike.' Yet 2005 was not just the high water mark for Nicholas' BAFTA-winning team, it was also the end of the road. Sky television took over exclusive broadcast rights of English cricket in the aftermath, with home Tests having lost their 'Crown Jewel' status as a category A listed event. It remains a source of regret to Nicholas that the surge of public interest, which saw 7.4 million viewers tune in to the Oval finale, instantly encountered a paywall. 'I do feel desperately sad that an opportunity was blown. It will never leave me,' he says. 'They had to make sure Test match cricket stayed (free to air), even if it was in a joint broadcast, and if that meant a bit less money then so be it. 'I'm not anti-Sky at all, I'm glued to their coverage three or four nights a week. But it was a bad misjudgement. Cricket was a very powerful thing at that moment and it was the time to make sure that continued. 'I was asked to co-host the celebration at Trafalgar Square with David Gower and I remember walking home through London with my wife after the crowds cleared. All the way back I was feeling an extraordinary contradiction of euphoric happiness at the summer that had gone and the terrible sadness of losing the coverage.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Nicholas' proudest memory tinged by sadness as 2005 Ashes marked end of era
Mark Nicholas has bittersweet memories of his role fronting Channel 4's coverage of the 2005 Ashes, his pride in the enduring 'mythology' of the series tinged by sadness at the end of the free-to-air era. Nicholas was the broadcasting anchor charged with carrying a rapt nation through many of the key moments of a contest that remains seared into the memories of cricket fans. Advertisement Heading up an elite commentary cast featuring the likes of the late Richie Benaud and Tony Greig, as well as Sir Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Atherton and Michael Slater, Nicholas' debonair style crystallised many of the most thrilling moments as England regained the urn for the first time in 18 years. One passage in particular lives on, Steve Harmison's vital dismissal of Michael Clarke at Edgbaston and the subsequent call of: 'One of the great balls! Given the moment, given the batsman, given the match…that is a staggering gamble!' Speaking to the PA news agency two decades later, the current MCC chair reflects: 'You hear a lot of soundbites from that series, even 20 years on. Some of what I said didn't always make much sense, but I think the best commentary is reactive. When you plan to say certain things it doesn't work as well. Advertisement 'David Bowie once gave an interview about 'Life on Mars' and said, 'It's a good song but I've no idea what I was writing about'. I sort of know what he means, you can be creatively successful completely unintentionally. 'I cannot tell you how often I get stopped, people telling me with all their hearts that 2005 and our coverage of it was what got them into cricket. Mark Nicholas and members of the Channel Four team with the BAFTA awarded to their 2005 Ashes coverage (Yui Mok/PA) 'Of course, it was the fact that England beat Australia after so long and that it was so thrilling. But to hear people, even England cricketers, say you helped get them into the game…you can't be more flattered than that. 'Some of us brought hyperbole, some did the deep analysis, Richie was minimalism brilliantly applied. I remain more proud of that time than anything else in my career, there was a certain element of mythology for all of us that summer, players and commentators alike.' Advertisement Yet 2005 was not just the high water mark for Nicholas' BAFTA-winning team, it was also the end of the road. Sky television took over exclusive broadcast rights of English cricket in the aftermath, with home Tests having lost their 'Crown Jewel' status as a category A listed event. It remains a source of regret to Nicholas that the surge of public interest, which saw 7.4 million viewers tune in to the Oval finale, instantly encountered a paywall. English cricket's moment of greatest triumph soon gave way to a viewing paywall (David Davies/PA) 'I do feel desperately sad that an opportunity was blown. It will never leave me,' he says. 'They had to make sure Test match cricket stayed (free to air), even if it was in a joint broadcast, and if that meant a bit less money then so be it. Advertisement 'I'm not anti-Sky at all, I'm glued to their coverage three or four nights a week. But it was a bad misjudgement. Cricket was a very powerful thing at that moment and it was the time to make sure that continued. 'I was asked to co-host the celebration at Trafalgar Square with David Gower and I remember walking home through London with my wife after the crowds cleared. All the way back I was feeling an extraordinary contradiction of euphoric happiness at the summer that had gone and the terrible sadness of losing the coverage.'
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
The Hundred set for 'enormous boost' after ECB decision and new 'silver bullet'
MCC, the organisation of which Nicholas is chair, kept its 51 per cent stake in London Spirit, with Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of US-based tech entrepreneurs, snapping up the rest. Mark Nicholas believes the incoming injection of private funding into the Hundred will give the competition 'an enormous boost' and help address the fact it has 'eased off'. The ECB sold its 49 per cent stake in each of the eight competing teams earlier this year, with host clubs then deciding how much of their stake to retain. MCC, the organisation of which Nicholas is chair, kept its 51 per cent stake in London Spirit, with Cricket Investor Holdings Limited, a consortium of US-based tech entrepreneurs, snapping up the rest. London Spirit was valued at £295million, the most of any team, and Nicholas – who was on the board of Southampton-based Southern Brave before moving to Lord's – is excited to see how the investment takes the competition to new heights. 'It's interesting that it seems to have eased off a bit,' he said. 'If you'd asked me at the end of the first year, I'd have said 'eureka'. I was astonished, and the impact on the women's game in particular was fantastic. I can't quite get why audiences have gone down a bit, but I like The Hundred, I like the format, I think it's a bit more nuanced than T20. I am a big fan of it. 'I think it will get the most enormous boost next year. Once these private owners take over and you suddenly get that 'brand feel' to each of the franchises, their own marketing impact and fan engagement modelling, I have no doubt the tournament will be really successful here. 'It will be a great venture. Whether it can be the silver bullet, I don't know, but I think it will be a very strong product for English cricket in the years to come.' Nicholas was speaking ahead of the second World Cricket Connects forum at Lord's, at which franchise cricket will be among the topics debated by a collection of key figures from within the sport as well as external commercial voices. Other themes including the state of the game, women's cricket and 'is cricket cool?' will be up for discussion at Lord's, while Australia captain Pat Cummins will be interviewed as part of a panel surrounding climate issues in cricket. 'This year is a little bit more driven by the business of the game,' he said. 'Last year we had the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Jos Buttler and Brendon McCullum, whereas this year we have gone for big players in the various markets. 'That was to some degree driven by the ICC wanting some input to the event but driven more by our thinking that it needed a different angle this year. 'There are still big names who will be speaking – Kumar Sangakkara, Sourav Ganguly, Andrew Strauss. We really did have some exceptional presentations last time and I think we are well on course to have the same this year.' World Cricket Connects is an initiative dedicated to bringing together cricket stakeholders from around the world to discuss and shape the future of the sport. Through events, discussions, and collaborations, World Cricket Connects aims to foster innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability in cricket.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MCC to address 'ridiculous' gender divide at AGM
Founded in 1787, the MCC has been based at Lord's since 1814 [Getty Images] The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is set to formulate plans to drastically increase the number of women among its members as it attempts to address what senior club figures have called a "ridiculous" gender divide. A discussion on the subject of female membership has been slated on the agenda for the club's annual general meeting (AGM) at Lord's on Wednesday. The MCC voted to allow women to join the club in 1998, having been an all-male preserve for more than two centuries. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement But of its current 18,350 full members, fewer than 3% are women. At a pre-AGM meeting last month, leading MCC committee figures were left exasperated at just how slow progress has been. Sources at the MCC have since told BBC Sport it is "frankly ridiculous" that so few members are women and the issue is one the club cannot ignore but must "meet head on". Frustrations have centred on how to make non-playing membership available to more women, with the club largely hamstrung by a lengthy waiting list which stands at approximately 29 years. A paper has been prepared in advance of the AGM and the meeting will be used as a platform to discuss the issue, gather the views of members and devise a model to reduce the gender divide. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement While the AGM will test the water, it is understood leading MCC figures are resolutely determined to develop practical solutions. That could eventually include a new membership category, or shorter waiting times, for women to make a dent into the gender imbalance. Any such proposals would need the approval of members, with the notion of 'queue jumping' likely to have some detractors. At the current rate, the MCC will achieve a 80-20% male-to-female ratio by the year 2075 which internally has been deemed unacceptable. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement MCC chief executive Rob Lawson, chair Mark Nicholas and president Lord King are said to be among those who have made the issue a priority. The MCC has already stepped up efforts to increase the number of women among its playing members - essentially a way for candidates to fast-track themselves to membership by representing the club in fixtures. In 2024 there was a 77% increase in women applying to qualify as player members while the number of women's out-matches played by the MCC increased by 34%. A dedicated recruitment officer for women's playing members - Emma Marsh - was appointed in 2024. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement England's women have never played a Test match at Lord's - the Home of Cricket - although one is scheduled against India at the ground in 2026. The MCC's workforce is closer to an even split, with 60% of its employees male and 40% of them female. In June 2023, the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) said in its report that the MCC had a pivotal role to play in eradicating sexism from the game.
BreakingNews.ie
06-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man pleads guilty after extradition to Ireland from Greece on sex offences involving girl
A man with an address in the midwest region has been remanded in custody after gardaí extradited him to Ireland from Greece on sex offences involving a female child. The man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, appeared before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday. Advertisement The man, who was returned for trial on 31 separate charges including sexual assault on a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and possessing 'child pornography', pleaded guilty to six sample counts, including three counts of sexually assaulting a girl, two counts of sexual exploitation of the girl, and one count of 'child pornography'. The man's barrister, senior counsel Mark Nicholas, told the court that the man was 'in custody' for the purposes of him appearing in court after he was 'brought to Limerick'. Prosecuting barrister John O'Sullivan BL told the court the man had been 'extradited back from Greece'. The offences occurred on dates between January and December 2014, the court heard. Advertisement Mr O'Sullivan said the man's six guilty pleas were 'acceptable to the State on a full facts basis' in respect of the 31 offences brought against him on the indictment. Mr O'Sullivan said the victim was entitled to her right to anonymity, and that the 'issue of publicity' in respect of the defendant's identify could be finalised at his sentencing hearing, but he said that, at this juncture, the man should not be identified. The man's barrister asked the court to extend legal aid to cover the cost of a written report by the man's psychological counsellor, as well as a report by an independent forensic psychologist. Judge Colin Daly granted the application and he ordered that the defendant be placed on a national 'sex offenders register'. Advertisement The 'duration' of the man's placement on the register will be determined at his sentencing hearing, the judge said. The judge imposed a ban on any details that might identify the victim or the accused. Ireland Armagh All-Ireland winner Aidan Nugent appears in... Read More Judge Daly also directed that any 'lay persons' who were present in the court were 'also subject' to the court order, meaning they must 'not identity' any of the parties. The man's barrister told the court that the defendant wished to offer an apology to the victim. The victim, who was accompanied in court by members of her family, did not speak during the brief hearing. Judge Daly remanded the defendant in custody for sentencing before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on July 21st.
