A productive day today, databasing until lunchtime and then imaging.
Some of the stuff I was imaging today is very interesting, and will I am sure go down well at the sale.
Having realised a conflict of interest I have just asked if my second appointment in Cambridge can be put back a week.
Enjoy the pick of today’s images…
I have signed up for yet more research into Autistic Spectrum Conditions. I will be travelling to Cambridge on the 30th as well as the 9th.
Yesterday saw the second day’s play in the matches between various counties and MCC University squads. The only live commentary was of the game between Yorkshire and Leeds/Bradford MCCU (the cream of the crop from Leeds Uni, Leeds Met, Bradford Uni and Bradford College). Although predictably one sided, there was some decent cricket played. Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance each made centuries and toward the end of the day Jonny Bairstow connected with some serious blows. For the students Ivan Thomas, who already has a contract lined up with Kent, bowled well. Unfortunately, having been rolled over for a beggarly 139, there was never any way that the students would make a game of it.
As usual I have some pictures for you…
I managed to get quite a bit of database work done today after putting out a press release about the auction we have just had and around assisting with preparations for the fair in Stowmarket tomorrow. I now have a complete record in my database of what was and was not sold.
Having already sent out a press release about the two huge militaria sales, today’s effort concentrated on other notable successes and as you will note I was able to find at least something from almost every category.
The media attachments are all to do with the press release…
As a coda to my previous post, Sri Lanka v New Zealand was a much more satisfactory match than Holland v England had been. It was not any closer, but in this match Sri Lanka won by playing good cricket (especially Rangana Herath whose off spin yielded extraordinary figures of 5-3), whereas England lost by playing bad cricket (the little of this match that I caught live combined with the comments of the experts made that obvious).
Having also heard the less than impressive interviews given by Messrs Broad and Giles – captain and coach – I think as my final comment on the winter England have just had that Broad cannot be retained as T20 captain and that Giles should no longer be a candidate for the role of permanent head coach.
In both matches the totals put up the sides batting first were comparatively small (133 and 119 respectively), and my reckoning is that neither chasing side were psychologically prepared for finding it a difficult task because those totals would not normally pose any great threat in a T20, so when things started going wrong for them the chasing sides went into a tailspin and the results ended up very conclusive.
English domestic action gets underway today, with the six of the counties in action against MCC University squads.
As usual I have some pictures for you…
Given the way they have played all through it, it was appropriate that the England men’s team should end their winter with a particularly humiliating defeat. They were not merely beaten by the Dutch (bad enough), but the margin of 45 runs is in a T20 context a thrashing.
England had already failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament, but this final surrender was shocking nonetheless.
Hopefully New Zealand and Sri Lanka will provide better cricketing fare later on today.
As usual I have some pictures for you…
The March auction took place yesterday, and went very well overall, helped by a couple of militaria lots that saw the bidding reach colossal levels, and formed the basis of a press release that I put out today. A general press release focussing on more than just militaria will go out on Tuesday.
Incidentally, the Prince of Wales Suite is far superior as an auction venue to the Long Bar (I got a reminder of just how uninspiring the Long Bar is in the final stages of the tidy up operation, when the two of us who were clearing up had to take something there).
I now have a confirmed appointment at Cambridge for the research project I am taking part in. Also, one of the researchers will be present at KLASS’s next group meeting to explain about her research.
Although the database was my chief focus today, I also put out an events calendar for the rest of the year and did some more imaging for the April main sale.
Enjoy a fine crop of media attachments…
SPECTACULAR MILITARIA SUCCESS AT FAKENHAM AUCTION 
AUCTION AND FAIR DATES FOR JAMES AND SONS 
The March auction is all set to go, with not too many problems in the setup.
The sale will start at 10AM sharp today, and there are some good lots going under the hammer.
Also although we are still in March the April Timed Bid sale is live and the catalogue can be viewed at http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/james-and-son-auctioneers/catalogue-id-2904945, although there is a mismatch between some of the descriptions and images, which I hope to be able to resolve tomorrow (I need access to my office computer to be able to do so).
I have some photos from the setup of the Auction room for you…
If anything, hectic is an understatement. First of all I had some image editing to do from Friday, then I had to check the April T-Bid folder and make sure that the images were all there, and of sufficient quality (to be fair, only four were so ghastly that they had to be redone, but a few others needed extra editing).
Then, as soon as we could so so without leaving the premises entirely unattended, a colleague and I finished off filling up the first van load of stuff for Thursdays auction (there will be at least one, possibly two more).
The third major event of the day was a problem with some of the medal images being attached to wrong lot numbers for the March sale.
Add to that a couple of small items needing imaging for the April sale and you have a very full day indeed.
All of today’s images are of lots in the April T-Bid sale, mostly the stuff from Friday that I edited today…
In the world T20 yesterday the Dutch were in world record setting form…
…unfortunately it was of the wrong kind as they were bundled out for 39 (the lowest ever total in a T20 international) by Sri Lanka, who added insult to injury by knocking the runs off in just five overs.
Earlier South Africa and New Zealand had played a thriller of a match, won by South Africa, with Dale Steyn (4-17) being edged out for man of the match by J-P Duminy (86).
Meanwhile in longer form cricket, the annual curtain raiser for the English domestic season between the MCC and the Champion County (Durham on this occasion), which now takes place in Dubai, is under way, and very evenly poised, with Monty Panesar having taken five wickets in the Durham first innings, and Rushworth and Borthwick in the wickets for Durham.
As I prepare for a busy week at James and Sons I leave you with these pictures…
The World 20-20 is under way, and there was one cracking game today and one deeply frustrating game.
The cracker was between Sri Lanka and South Africa, won by Sri Lanka. South Africa needed 19 of the last two overs, but Kulasekara conceded just four in the crucial 19th over, to leave SA needing to take 15 off Lasith Malinga in the final over to win the match, a task that proved beyond them, by rather more than it ended up looking. With the match already lost the final ball was hit for six to reduce the margin.
The frustrating game was between England and New Zealand. England had scored 170 from their 20, only for the weather to intervene. New Zealand had just gone ahead on Duckworth-Lewis when the weather closed in and never let up. Therefore NZ got the points, which they probably would not have done had the match gone the distance.
As usual I have some pictures for you…
