Sachin Tendulkar, a very great cricket player and an Indian hero

After the recent Indian victory in the one-day international Cricket World Cup tournament, which was recently held on the Indian sub-continent, it is time to pay tribute to one of the greatest batsmen to have ever graced the oval fields of cricket: one of the most complex and fascinating games the British have spread around some parts of the world.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, who played a sometimes decisive role in the winning Indian team, is widely recongised as one of cricket's all-time greats.  To quote the Wikipedia entry under his name (one presumes it is accurate), Tendulkar "is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards. In September 2007, the Australian leg spinner Shane Warne rated Tendulkar as the greatest player he has played with or against. Tendulkar was an integral part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team at the later part of his career, his first such win in six World Cup appearances with India. Tendulkar is the first and the only player in Test Cricket history to score fifty centuries, and the first to score fifty centuries in all international cricket combined; he now has 99 centuries in international cricket. On 17 October 2008, when he surpassed Brian Lara's (another gret player, from the West Indies) record for the most runs scored in Test cricket, he also became the first batsman to score 12,000, 13,000 and 14,000 runs in that form of the game, having also been the third batsman and first Indian to pass 11,000 runs in Test cricket. He was also the first player to score 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, and also the first player to cross every subsequent 1000-run mark that has been crossed in ODI cricket history and 200 runs in a one-day international match."

And so the list of his achievements continues, for at least another paragraph. The "greatest" this or that is a fairly meaningless concept to me, but suffice it to say that Tendulkar is a national hero in India, and has been for some time. The recent World Cup is just another jot to add to his already hugely successful career. What I enjoy most about his style of play with the bat is it's classic elegance. He is quite the contray of a slogger as a batsman. The beauty of his strokeplay and footwork make him a Bach amongst a bunch of (sometimes) Wagners.

I do not know the man but he looks very open and friendly. Hopefully he is modest too, although goodness knows he has achieved enough to warrant a little bit of self-satisfaction!

Bordeaux the Magnificent 2

One of the most popular of all the posts that I have made on this blog in the 6 months for which it has now been going has been one that I made quite early on, called Bordeaux the Magnificent: http://morethanjustwine.blogspot.com/2010/12/bordeaux-magnificent.html

Bordeaux is indeed one of France's (and Europe's) finest cities. I recently returned there for a mixture of work and a short weekend spent wandering around the town. It never ceases to dazzle me with the scale and beauty of its architecture dating from, mainly, the 18th and 19th centuries, the care to be seen in all kinds of details at every level, and the recent opening up of the city to what has to be one of its greatest assets, the River Garonne, which curves through the edge of the city, giving it its historical purpose as a port, and now its new opportunity (the waterfront, that is) as a vast playground for all who live there or come to visit. 

Here is a short photographic essay, with suggested themes that could be developed in the future :

 River Bordeaux

Theatre Bordeaux

Smart Bordeaux
(what you see right opposite the previous picture)

Street Bordeaux

Door Bordeaux
(most old private houses have been divided into flats)

Gateway Bordeaux
(one of the few reminders that this was also a medieval city)

Pavement Bordeaux

Roman Bordeaux
(yes, they were here too)

Chinese Bordeaux (yes, they are here too)

Bollard Bordeaux
(Back to the river. Interestingly the French word for this is "bitte", which has a double meaning)

Wine of the week

I have now lost count of the wines that I have named "wine of the week" in the 6 months since I started this blog. I know for sure that it has not been every week, but I have tried to keep this going as a fairly regular column, and I do taste a lot of wines, so there are many candidates!

Anyway, I will only make a post when I find a wine to be particularly good, and to merit its place at whatever price, but always linked to the quality it delivers for that price. Talking of which, this weeks wine is rather expensive for its appellation (Anjou), but it is very good, so one cannot really quibble at the price, since if one put it alongside other dry white wines (to which category it belongs) at similar price levels it should show up very well.

 Les Noëls de Montbenault, Chenin 2009, (vin de France / Anjou blanc, from the Loire)

There seems to be some confusion as to the appellation of this wine, meaning its administrative designation. I bought it in a shop in Paris that sells it under the simple designation "Vin de France",  which could indicate that it did not officially receive its appellation for some silly reason. Yet I have also seen it on sale under the "Anjou" designation, which is indeed the geographical region from which it comes. Who cares, except that this may make it a little more complicated to find in a shop or on a wine list.

Its label is banal and the name of the the cuvée is hard to remember and far too long. But the proof of the pudding is always in the eating!

The main thing it that the wine is very good. It is made entirely from the chenin blanc grape, and it comes from the left bank of the Loire region near Angers. The producer's name is Richard Leroy.

tasting notes
This is a fairly powerful but perfectly dry white wine whose keen acidity just underscores its ripe citrus and tropical fruit flavours. It thus manages to be both full of flavours and very refreshing. It is one of the best wines of its type that I have come across for some time, and it is well worth its price range (20/25 euros in France, according to the retailer).

Here are links to two retailers who may have the wine in stock:

http://www.cave-spirituelle.com/
http://www.lavinia.fr/

girls on motorcycles 4

Seen this week on the very chic French blog (which is in English) called Southsiders

http://southsiders-mc.blogspot.com/

I couldn't resist posting it almost immediately. Now I quite realise that this lady is not dressed correctly for any serious biking. I mean her helmet is not even fastened properly!

According to the Southsiders blog, her name is Kylie and she lives in Bali (not a great rhyme, but I guess we will have to take it as it comes). Ah, now I begin to see the bike conection more clearly. Look at the fuel tank. Can you see "Deus" written on there? 

http://www.deus.com.au/

Deux ex Machina is an Australian outfit that puts together some pretty amazing specials out of old bikes, updating them in a way whilst maintaining a rustic spirit that I like a lot, even if some of the bits can occasionally get a bit clumsy for my taste.  And Deus have opened up a subsidiary in Bali, building specials from the machines -mostly Japanese- that you see running around this beautiful island.

How about this beauty, apparently based on a Yamaha SRX 600? I think this one must be in Australia (definitely not Bali, is it) or are those the Bonneville salt flats? Really nice bike anyway.

Back to our initial topic, which, I think, was girls on motorcycles. Here is to goddess Kylie (the Balinese are mainly of the Hindu persuasion, in case you were wondering). Want a ride anyone?

Down to the gym

I know, there is something more than faintly ridiculous about going to the gym, but I do it regularly and enjoy it a lot, so here goes with a short article, as these things are far better kept short: action, not words, is of the essence, naturally.

Winston Churchill, when asked how he came to live to 90 whilst drinking and smoking heavily for much of his life, famously answered "No sport!" Maybe this story is apocryphal, and maybe, as often, he somewhat re-arranged the truth to suit himself and the image he wanted to project of his behaviour. But since he, like myself, went to a British public school (not the same one and obviously not at the same time), I very much doubt whether the great man managed to escape from sport altogether throughout his lifetime. And he was for a some time an accomplished horseman, so maybe the proper response to his comment would be "horseshit!"

English private and public school education (the same system, but different ages of the children for those who wonder about this curious denomination for what is an almost totally private and elistist system) puts sports very much at stage centre. In fact at the schools that I attended, and at the time I was there, it was considerably better for image amongst one's peer group to be good at sports than to be good at studies! I know, the old saying "the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton" is a bit hoary, but maybe it had some truth in it. Then again, there was also Blücher and the Prussians, which certainly counted for much more!

Cricket, rugby, the "Field game" (a strange mixture between soccer and rugby), fives (the Basques will recognize this game, on the right above), rackets (this one too perhaps), squash, boxing and long-distance running were part of my regular menu when a schoolboy. I then quit most of that in order to have time to draw and paint, just going to the gym and boxing to keep fit. I later worked physically as a joiner-cabinet-maker and stone mason for quite a while, which I suppose helped to kept me in shape, and played a little amateur rugby. A long time later I realised that if I didn't want to let myself decay too fast, I had better take some regular exercise again, and started running a bit and going to the gym regularly.

So just what is it that makes one feel good after and taking some fairly strenuous physical exercise? Part of it is psychological, due to the feeling that you have manged to push yourself into making an effort that you were not that keen to make in the first place. Part of it is chemical, as the body secretes stuff during effort to reduce the pain, and this seems to have a conducive effect on body and mind, making you want more of this activity. Masochism in action maybe? And then there is the sheer physical and mental pleasure of actually feeling better, somehow more in balance and in harmony with the world, in your own small way. Mens san in corpore sano, I suppose, even if this quotation from Juvenal may be a little off its intended track.

Get down to the gym, or something

Isle of Man TT circuit with Guy Martin anybody?

Guy Martin is currently one of the best specialists of this redoutable road circuit that has probably killed more riders than any other. He had a fearsome crash here in 2010 but is planning to ride it again in 2011, and I hope that he wins. A film on the TT (Tourist Trophy) and Guy Martin will be released shortly and I for one will run to see it.


This fireball below is the result of the crash that Guy survived. Not much left of the bike, which was doing around 150 mph when it occurred, but he let go of it quick enough and was wearing an air-bag suit. He spent quite a while in hospital with multiple injuries but was very lucky to survive.

Meantime here is a film of a run he did in 2007 on the Isle of Man TT circuit (sometimes called the Moutain circuit), commented by the man himself with plenty of tips on how to tackle the tricky bits. And when he says "clip the border", you would better believe him!

Another word of warning: when he says let the throttle go, he usually means, I think, turn it hard on. And for those who do not live in the UK, Guy has a pronouced northern accent and speaks very fast: he needs to speak damn fast in order to keep up with his riding speeds! And remember that in this film you are travelling at average speeds of around 130 mph (209 kph) on ordinary small roads, which makes for top speeds of over 200 mph.





And now there is also the film, Closer to the Edge, that has been made about the TT, starring all the usual suspects and especially Guy Martin. Here is the piece that I have written about it, but get the DVD on all accounts!

Joe Lovano and Charlie Parker

Joe Lovano played for one evening in Paris recently, at the New Morning, and I went to hear him. I very much enjoy his latest album, entitled Bird Songs, about which Luc, who is a mainstay of the comments section of this blog, first informed me. This album was the basis for the two sets that Lovano played with his current quintet, unusually composed of 2 drummers (a Cuban and an American), a Bulgarian bass player and an American pianist.

It is never an easy exercise (or else so easy that people settle for pure facility) to revisit what have become standards, especially when these were created by one of the greatest that jazz has ever seen (I mean Charlie Parker). Lovano deals with the matter beautifully, never loosing his own style, sound and phrasing. This is perhaps helped by the fact that he plays mainly tenor, compared to Parker's alto. But his occasional use of the soprano sax or the flute are equally convincing.

On the night that I heard Lovano play, he appeared to have a new bass player, called Petar Slavov, who was beautifully musical, as indeed were the two drummers, Francisco Mela and Otis Brown. I admit to having had some apprehensions that two drummers would over-dominate the sound, but they are as discreet as they are complementary, and the combination works just fine.


I notice that Downbeat magazine, in its 58th annual referendum awards, has recently elected Lovano best tenor, best musician of the year, and his US Five as best group of the year. This sort of thing will not impress Luc, but I guess it means something. Anyway I really enjoyed the two sets. His sound is beautiful. 
(photo David Cobbold)


And now for your present. This record is great!

2011 Cricket World Cup: a total victory for the Indian continent

I realise that the sport called cricket may be fairly unknown to many of my readers, but it is a great game which also happens to be the second most popular team sport in the world, after soccer (yes, 2 billion Indians make an impact, for a start!).

The 2011 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup has just terminated, with 14 participants in the initial pool stages. Held this year between February 19th and April 2nd on the Indian sub-continent (with India, Sri-Lanka and Bangladesh as joint hosts, Pakistan having been removed as a possible host following the 2009 terrorist attack in Pakistan on the Sri-Lankan team). When this contest started about six weeks ago, I predicted India to be favourites, and was proved to be right, India having just defeating Sri-Lanka in the final by 6 wickets. This is the second time that India has won this contest, which is hosted in a different country each time.

In fact the whole contest was a pretty resounding victory for the Indian sub-continent, with Pakistan, India and Sri-Lanka all reaching the semi-finals, the odd-team-out being New Zealand. This constituted a considerable upset as many of the top teams were beaten in the quarter-finals: England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies. Even if it was predictable that India would at least make it to the final on their home ground, the fact that three teams from the continent were in the semi-finals is surely a surprise and a credit to the quality of cricket as it is played on the sub-continent. And the way that the Pakistan team gracefully accepted their narrow defeat by the Indians, their arch enemies, is perhaps a sign of hope that sport might, finally, do more than fan the flames of stupid hatred between nations. Let us hope so!

congratulations to the Indian team

Here are the results of the final stages of the tournament:

FINAL: Saturday, 2 April
India v Sri Lanka, played at Mumbai (India)
India won by six wickets

SEMI-FINALS
29 March
Sri Lanka v New Zealand, played at Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka won by five wickets

30 March
India v Pakistan, played at Mohali (Punjab, India) 
India won by 29 runs

QUARTER-FINALS

March 23
Pakistan v West Indies, played at Mirpur (Bangladesh)
Pakistan won by 10 wickets
March 24
India v Australia, played at Ahmedabad (India)
India won by five wickets

March 25
South Africa v New Zealand, played at Mirpur (Bangladesh)
New Zealand won by 42 runs
March 26
Sri Lanka v England, Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets

A word on the performance of the English team
England were on the end of a gruelling tour of Australia, about which I have already spoken on this blog. On that tour they brilliantly beat Australia in the Ashes contest (the best of 5 five-day matches), and then comprehensively lost a series of one day games against the same opposition. The players clearly arrived at the World Cup quite tired and jaded, and indeed several team members dropped out through injuries. They were in fact lucky to make it to the quarter finals of this World Cup, having been beaten by Ireland, which is not usually a top-notch cricket team but who played a fantastic game that day. They also lost to Bangladesh, not a top team either, although they did beat South Africa and the West Indies. Their tied game with India, the final winners, was one of the highlights of the tournament. So a mixed performance, with great highs but too many lows and a probable explanation of too many games played in the past few months.

wine of the week: what price is right for a very good wine?

The problem with looking down on the wines of a particular region for some time is that you tend to lower your expectations of them, and so the level of price that you are prepared to pay for them. Now I have never actually looked down on the wines of any region, including those of Provence. This is a region capable of producing some very fine reds and whites, often the equal of those from its neighbourong Rhône valley. I will not mention the rosés, which are in a sadly huge majority and which sell quite easily by themselves with no help from me (and some are very good too!).

I recently tasted a range of red wines from a Provençal estate called Château Grand Boise, and they attracted my attention for a number of reasons. There were four different wines and all were quite different one from the other. Two used cabernet sauvignon, blended with syrah or with grenache and syrah. The other two were blends of syrah and grenache, or syrah, grenache and carignan. One of the wines had a ridiculously heavy bottle designed, presumably, for weightlifters. All the wines were good, but one of them stood out for me. It is a cuvée called Jadis, and it is presented in a Burgundy-type bottle, which is quite unusual (but not unique, as the excellent Château de Roquefort also uses this shape) in the region.

Château Grand Boise, "Jadis" 2008, Côtes de Provence

I feel that the choice of the bottle shape of this cuvée is not accidental. When tasting it, I was constantly reminded of the finesse and sensuality of very fine red Brugundy. Naturally it carries more of a southern, sunny accent in its warmth, due both to its climate and its grape varieties. This wine uses grenache, syrah and carignan, apparently from very old vines. The grapes are hand picked and fermented in whole bunches (no de-stemming) in small tanks. The juice is not pumped over, but drawn off from the tank daily into vessels and then poured over the must, thus avoiding oxydation and ensuring that the extraction of tannins and colour is fine and gradual.  After its fermentation and maceration it is aged in large barrels for 18 months. 

tasting notes
Reasonably deep but not excessive colour (I should say that I attach slight importance to the colour of a wine). A fine and delicate nose with aromas that reminded me successively of fresh red fruit, wild herbs and mild spices, plus a slightly earthy touch that made me think, as well as its type of fruit aromas, very much of Borgundy in a warm year. This finesse is much in evidence on the palate, which is incredibly silky in its texture, with fruit flavours that also show freshness and focus. It feels warmer than a Pinot Noir, but is perfectly balanced for its type and has a lovely finish that tapers away gently: soft, smooth and elegant.

Now for the price aspect. When one tastes a wine as fine as this, one tends to forget the price factor for a while, remaining concerntrated on the sheer sensual pleasure. I suppose that if I was pushed into putting a price on this without knowing where it came from, I would say between 25 and 50 euros, as price depends so much on the reputation and market of a region or the individual producer. Now knowing that this wine comes from Provence, I may well have gone for 25 euros, simply because I am used to wines from this area that cost between 7 and 20 euros, but rarely above. This is of course unfair in a way, as I know that I would be paying upwards of 30 euros for this kind of quality in Burgundy. Yet Provence does not have the reputation and recognition of Burgundy for its red wines, and I was surprised to learn that this bottle is priced at a hefty 36 euros. Is it worth it? That will depend on your point of view. It certainly gave me as much pleasure as the most refined of good burgundies, say at a Premier Cru level. So, in that sense, it is worth its high price. Yet will the market follow its palate? It may be a little early for this kind of price level in Provence, however much I can recommend the quality of this wine. 

Take a look at their web site. As well as producing very good wines, Château Grand Boise also looks like a really nice place to stay, with views over the Mont Sainte Victoire

http://www.grandboise.com/

My thirteenth bike is another Ducati Multistrada...

Ducati Multistrada 1000SDS

You will have noticed the IS in the title. This is the bike that I currently ride. It has, of course, had the odd modification from this original specification. The Norton Commando is at the doctor's for a mechanical and esthetic face-lift at the moment.

I owned my first Multistrada (the grey one shown in the previous entry to this series) for 3 years, and, when participating in the Centopassi rally in the Alps with it during the summer of 2005, I spent quite a bit of time riding with a few Ducati-owning friends I made there. One of them was a guy called Marcel Camilleri, the owner (at that time, and still today) of the Ducati concessionaire in Toulon. I understand he has since expanded his business, and I am glad for him. He is a really nice guy and a very good and fast rider, including when he has his wife, Michèle, behind him. (If you read this Marcel, all the best!). Anyway Marcel was riding the "S" version of the Multistrada 1000 (a red one), whereas I had the ordinary version. The "S" has Ohlins supension front and back and a few other goodies, including stronger handlebars. Maybe my bike of that time had some slight handling problems as I had dropped it previously and perhaps the front wheel had taken a small ding. In any case I found it hard following Marcel along the twisty bits (hell, there wasn't much else!) even when trying quite hard, and he was riding two-up and me solo. So he agreed to swap bikes for a while and the difference was so amazing that I decided then to switch for an "S" version as soon as I could. This is how it went, when following a KTM which loves the same kind of going...

Marcel's Multi also had some very sticky Michelin tyres, whereas I ran (and still do) the standard Pirelli Scorpions that were apparently developed for this machine. I think I will try the latest Michelin tyres on the bike this summer. The real revelation was the supension though. It made the bike feel like it was glued to the road even when the surface got bad. And it kind of ironed out a lot of the smaller bumps. My grey Multi used to shake its head often coming hard out of corners, whereas the S version was so much easier to keep straight.

So, during the winter of 2005/6, I traded the grey one in for a low-mileage black 'S' model that had been the Ducati Paris dealer's demo bike.  And I still have it and love it. Problems and modifications? Oh, a few in both compartments, but just as with any bike that lives and has its own spirit. Let's do the modifications first. 

Termignoni exhaust system with suitable admission programming, to let it breath a bit better, as well as making a nicer sound (the original noise I found a bit tinny). A 14 tooth front sprocket, to lower the gearing and improve acceleration low down. A small mudguard at back to protect the rear suspension. Later on I got rid of the catalyser in the exhaust system, which made it breathe even better and make a slightly deeper sound too. The motor has felt much crisper since then. When I go on long trips I add on rear paniers. As the left-hand mirror kept breaking through vibration, I have fitted smaller and more solid Ducati Performance ones, which seem ok so far (they had better be, given their price). These are not fitted to the bike in this photo, which isn't mine. A clutch kit which has slightly reduced the clattering and prolongs the clutch life, and a partly open cover to the dry clutch. Other minor mods so far have been aesthetic. I have kept the original seat which I find quite ok on this model.

Problems? I have mentioned the rear-view mirrors. Much more serious have been the valve guides which, on the engine series of which mine is a part, apparently had a metal deficiency of some kind making them wear prematurely after about 15,000 kms. This meant changing the cylinder heads. Expensive, but I hope worthwhile in the long run. Since I had this done last summer the bike starts better, idles evenly even whether cold or hot (this wasn't the case before) and seems to accelerate better too, although the latter impression may have something to with removing the catalyser, which was done at the same time. It currently has over 25,000 kms and will do a lot more this summer. Great bike, and it can do much more than I am able to let it.

Am I tempted by the new 1200 Multistrada? Well, for a start I cannot remotely afford one, and I don't like the look of the thing much either (that horrible duck's bill at the front would have to go!). It is, by all accounts, a very good bike and perfoms well above the level of my 6-year-old model. But why change a machine that suits you so well? It can do town if needed to, with no problems. I hate motorways on a bike but it cruises fine thanks to the fairing, and when equipped with the side packs and a tank top makes travel easy. Its best part of course is playing the twisties and the hills. That is its true element. A very good all-rounder, with an engine that has feel, good acceleration and quite enough power for roads, excellent handling and braking, and just a couple of foibles to keep you amused (that ******* fuel gauge). And I love the clatter of the dry clutch.

If I had to (or was able to) buy another Ducati, it would be a 749 or 999 (the S or R versions) for another kind of fun. I tried a 999 once and loved the feel. But that is not on the cards right now. We will talk about dreams another time.

Night, night.