Twenty20 cricket a classic of its kind

There was a series of comic books called Classics Illustrated. They were rather good. They brought you some seriously good tales - such as Hamlet, Moby Dick and The Iliad - but all with pictures and speech-bubbles and biff-bang action. They certainly had their points, whether you had read the originals or not.

They were not the real thing, nor were they a substitute for the real thing. But they were pretty good fun, in their way - ain't no profit in being a snob, now is there? As such, Classics Illustrated were very much like Twenty20 cricket. They might entice you to watch the real thing, and they are amusing for those of us already familiar with the real thing. But the real thing they are not, nor are they intended to be.

All the same, the ancient principles of cricket still apply to this curious format. If you want to win, you need to take wickets and build partnerships. The local competition is jogging along amusingly, while the international version is waiting nervously in the wings. Here's a white whale! Oh my gosh! Biff! Bang! And Captain Ahab has lost his middle stump.

The roar power of the Lions

The political map is changing, sport is changing, but we still have the Lions, even if it is hard to remember whether or not we are still supposed to call them Lions. After all, as many have noticed, Ireland is no longer British, and therefore an Irishman, however lionhearted, can never be a British Lion. What's more, we have a World Cup, which has taken the place of the Lions tours as the highest prize. In these days of four-year cycles of preparation, any Lions team is something of an ad-hoc, playground pick-up of a side. So what does it mean? We are left with the question of what makes a sporting event worth watching. In other words, does it actually matter to the people doing it?

The concept of the Lions really does. The tour begins today, when the Lions take on a Royal XV, another pick-up side, but one doubtless calculated to embarrass the British Isles team good and early. These first encounters are important - they are the time when the tone is set. They may not be British Lions any more, but the rugby players of both the islands are quite keen on having a good roar. And the former colonies are even more keen on roaring back.

Wembley could be tasty final course

The FA Cup Final no longer survives as the greatest non-international event of the footballing year. Rather it is a pudding to be served lukewarm after the main event of the Champions League final.

The sense of tradition has gone, and with it, the meaning of the occasion. The Matthews Final leaves us wondering how such a mere FA Cup match can have gathered mythic status; the man in the white suit who sang Abide With Me is a memory shared by decreasing numbers; and who knows the name of the White Horse that held the fort during the White Horse Final?

All the same, this is still a decent sporting occasion and the line-up is full of promise. Chelsea are in need of a consolation prize and Everton are, as ever, mad for every opportunity to gatecrash the “big four”. It may well turn out to be a better match than the Champions League final - but then the stakes are not so high. Still, it's a jolly nice pudding for anyone in the mood for pudding.

The horse's name was Billy.

*****

Tweety spy

Sports stars have joined the Twitter craze — here are the best of the week:

Robbie McEwen,Tour de France cyclist

Accident puts Australian sprinter out of this year’s Tour

“Had an accident today in tour of Belgium, broke my tibia. Operation, two screws in it. Luckily the tendon is OK. Thanks for your support.”

Jonathan Woodgate, Tottenham defender

Has time on his hands to catch up with his family

“Showing my mother how 2 work youtube she cant believe it, she has been watching the queens coronation and stuff that reminds her of childhood”

Daniele Dichio, Toronto FC forward

Former Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland player impressed by Barcelona

“I have never seen a team make Man Utd look so ordinary in my life! Well done to Barca and ‘Pep’ for his outstanding tactics.”

Natalie Gulbis, American golfer

LPGA Tour pin-up gets very excited about make-up

“My favorite Bobbi Brown products? new EXTRA skin care, eye shadows and lip gloss . . . all of it!!!!”

James Haskell, England rugby player

England and Wasps flanker feeling lonely now the season has ended

“I’m so flattered I have gay men and straight women fighting over me. How cool is that? Shame it’s a meal for one again.”