Birmingham Mail

IF THE number-crunchers and their political masters in Whitehall are serious about tackling traffic congestion and pollution, there should be no question of ending free parking at this region's railway and metro stations.

Public transport has to be a convenient and cheap option if commuters are to be teased out of their cars.

FROM the southern tip of England to the most northern point of Scotland, the names that dominate our high streets and shopping malls are the same.

There is no denying the convenience or cheap prices of these giants.

DEMOCRACY is the cornerstone of the liberties we enjoy, but is fragile.

Politicians who fail to inspire or who do not fulfil their pledges deal it a serious blow by encouraging cynicism and apathy among voters, but there is a more immediate danger.

DRIVERS cuss about the location of many speed cameras, claiming they are there simply to raise revenue rather than save lives.

But few people would raise a word against the siting of a new camera in Watery Lane Middleway, Bordesley.

MEN like Leonard Smith, veteran of the D-Day landings, helped to ensure the survival of the freedoms that today we take for granted.

We who were too young to serve in the Second World War are honoured to have in our midst heroes who risked their lives so that future generations may live in peace, free of the threat of tyranny.

AS THE last few votes are counted, expect the headlines to be dominated by the major parties. Quite rightly.

Conservatives are delighted at tightening their grip on Birmingham City Council, their Liberal Democrat partners are celebrating their own successes and Labour supporters are happy that the party did not face the meltdown that they feared.

AS THE number of deaths among our soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq rises to horrific levels, it would be easy to become anaesthetised.

Easy to forget that each of these losses is a life cut short. Easy to forget that each of these losses means anguish for the family, friends and comrades left behind.

IT IS easy to overlook the courage shown on our behalf by police officers.

Officers like Pc Richard Gray, shot dead as he attended a domestic disturbance in Shrewsbury at the weekend.

I MET a woman once. No, I really did, it can happen. And I fell in love with her I heard it's good for the soul.

During an intimate moment I asked her "Do you like speedway?"

And blow me down she replied: "Speedway? I love speedway."

So I'm thinking 'Get in this could be The One'. Then she said: "I used to be a Cradley Heathen!"

Typical you find the woman of your dreams and she is a Cradley Heathen!

IN A city that endured the horrors and heartbreak of the pub bombings, the Northern Ireland peace agreement has a special resonance.

As the number of casualties mounted on both sides of the Irish Channel, few would have thought that one day the two sides in the vicious divide would sit down in government together.

THE agony being endured by the parents of little Madeleine McCann is beyond imagination.

But that has not prevented the nation sharing their grief as they wait for news of their little daughter, who vanished six days ago from an apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.

COUNCILLORS have a duty to play by the rules. But they also have a duty to act in the interest of the people they represent and sometimes these responsibilities collide.

Liberal Democrat councillors Martin Mullaney and Ernie Hendricks have found themselves in hot water over their campaign to safeguard the Grade II listed former Tram Depot in Alcester Road, Moseley.

IF THE treatment John and Sue Porter received at the hand of British Gas was unusual, their case would be worrying.

Here was a couple who were hounded by the energy company for electricity bill that had been run-up before their house was even built.

THE group of Birmingham youngsters who headed out to South Africa to work with schoolchildren there have come back wiser people.

The 24 teenagers saw levels of poverty far removed from anything they would have witnessed in the well-heeled West Midlands.

THERE is no point in mourning the passing of those magnificent Birmingham buildings that were bulldozed in decades past. Nothing will bring them back.

Instead it crucial that this city creates new buildings that please the eye, lift the spirits and are unique.

DRINK-driving, once viewed as little more than high jinks, is now rightly recognised as a serious offence that brings carnage to our roads.

But, of course, humans are frail creatures and all too often people behave in ways they know to be wrong.

JUST yards from Villa Park faithful stands one of Birmingham's historic gems.

Aston Hall, a fine Jacobean house surrounded by rolling parkland, has been preserved for the people of this city to enjoy.

Hopes of a prompt start between Warwickshire and Durham today have been scuppered. Half an hour before the start, though no rain is falling, the Edgbaston groundstaff bring on the covers, apparently having heard bad news from the Met Office.

A prompt start is clearly out of the question. No announcement yet over the P.A - but then, apart from the ever-diligent pressmen, there are only half a dozen people in the ground to announce to. Just as easy to pop down and tell them directly.

The groundstaff knew what they were doing. Steady drizzle. Not a scene of total inactivity, however. Two crows have just flown across the ground in the direction of Moseley.

Rain now falling heavily, water gathering on the covers, still no official announcement, players must be taking lunch. A loan seagull pecking the outfield. No crows visible.

To say prospects of play are remote would be the biggest under-statement since Emperor Hirohito told his people, after the Japanese surrender in 1945.

"There has been a development in the war situation - not necessarily to Japan's advantage."

Umpires have conferred. Groundstaff emerge and start to remove covers. Motorised blotter is at work on water lying on edge of square.
Commendable show of enterprise. Slight snag - glowering clouds overhead which appear to contain more rain than you could shake a stick at.

Covers fully back on. Drizzle.

Two spectators present. One at back of RES Wyatt Stand, one in member's area in front of the scoreboard.

A pied wagtail hops over the boundary rope at the City End. Surely they've got to call it off soon...!

4pm - and called off for the day.

THIS is an area that's been starved of football glory over recent years so let's rejoice West Bromwich Albion's success in reaching the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

The job, of course, is only half done. The Baggies must beat Derby County if they are to win a place among the elite of the Premiership.

AT THE age of 26, businesswoman Reena Thakrar should have been looking forward to a life full of happiness and success. Instead she was cut down by ovarian cancer.

Our hearts ache for her family, friends and colleagues as they struggle to come to terms with such a tragic loss.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

It's never very encouraging to drive to a day's cricket with your windscreen wipers on full throttle. Sure enough, Edgbaston is looking very, very wet. The motorised blotter is out there doing its best but the sky looks poised and ready to dump plenty more wet stuff on the ground.

The umpires have taken a look. Lunch will be taken early at 12.30pm, with another inspection at 1pm. Any play before tea looks highly unlikely and no play today a distinct possibility.

By the way thanks to everybody who posted messages yesterday. Keep 'em coming.

I clearly need to clear up the matter of the loan seagull. I can exclusively reveal that it is on a season-long loan from the Sealife Centre with a view to a longer-term move to Edgbaston at the end of the season.

Re. today's birdlife. Not much so far but there is a big crane lurking behind the Tom Dollery.

EVER wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the Mail? Well with our new blog you'll get the chance to find out.

From time to time I'll be popping in to give you a glimpse behind the scenes of the Birmingham Mail and responding to your comments.

PICTURE bill power is the buzz word on the Birmingham Mail's editorial floor today.

'Bills' are the posters we display outside newsagents on those A-boards, and also what we plaster all over vendors' boxes in town.

Our newspaper sales manager Gemma Tandy had the idea after seeing the dramatic picture earlier this week of the bus smash in Dudley. It sent a real buzz through the circulation department as they reckoned it would attract readers' attention more than just words.

Inspection still scheduled for 1pm, but rather ominously, slight drizzle has started up again.

Covers have been removed and the pitch rolled but much will depend on how wet the outfield is.

A quiet morning, but there was a flurry of excitement when the crane swivelled 180 degrees and lowered some breeze blocks on to the development at the Pavilion End. It was an 'I was there' moment.

Good news. Play scheduled to start at 1.45pm. Durham won toss and field. Sangakkara makes Bears debut, Daggett omitted from 12 so Groenewald returns to team in place of Tahir.

Underway at last - and Ian Westwood and Darren Maddy must wish it was still raining. Westwood shouldered arms to his 13th ball and was lbw Otis Gibson for 0.

1 for 1. Sangakkara strolls out under thick cloud with the ball swinging - tricky conditions for his first Bears innings. Maddy promptly misses a drive - lbw Onions 0. 1 for 2.

Sangakkara benefits from Warwickshire's first five of the season - a tight single adorned by four overthrows.

Then Trott is bamboozled by Onions' slower ball, which misses off-stump, but next ball edges to Gibson in the gully. Trott out for 3. 19 for three.

Warwickshire are in a right old pickle, after the intervention of Mustard and Onions.

Jim Troughton edged Onions to wicket-keeper Mustard to leave the Bears 23 for 4. A good toss to win for Durham, it seems.

Sangakkara, 18 not out, is batting with considerable skill against a swinging ball and a skein of geese has just passed over the RES Wyatt stand.

Derek - much more of this and they will be printing "I was there" t-shirts for Sangakkara's debut innings! He is on 77 out of 126 for four and, in poor light against a moving ball, batting simply majestically.

Loudon is supporting well at the moment with 39 and the pair have so far put on 103 in 21 overs.

Sangakkara's batting has been very special. At one stage he had 53 out of 65 for 4! Light closing in again but if anyone lives close enough I recommend getting down to Edgbaston for this.

Loudon completes a rather unusual half-century.

He took 26 balls to get off the mark, then moved from 0-50 in 33 balls!

138 for 4. Sanga 77, Loudon 51,

Tea: Warwickshire 157 for 4 (39 overs). Sangakkara 90 (15 fours and a five), Loudon 57 (ten fours).

They have so far added 134 in 26 overs.

Sangakkara reaches century from 137 balls with 17 fours and a five. Standing ovation. A simply brilliant innings. Partnership with Loudon passes 150. 182 for 4. Sanga 103, Loudon 65.

The loan (not lone) seagull returns. Frankly, I'm surprised it has not brought a few mates to watch this knock from Sangakkara.

Of course, maybe it hasn't got any mates.

Although it looks gregarious enough to me.

190 for 4. Sangakkara 105, Loudon 71.

Sangakkara and Loudon, having turned down an offer of bad light, post a 200 partnership in 44 overs. Sanga 119, Loudon 89.

223 for 4.

It is also revealed that sweetcorn is responsible for more blocked drains in the UK than any other substance.

Loudon reaches ton from 140 balls with 19th four. Partnership 226 and counting.

AS they say in luvvie land it will be alright on the night but the Brummies first bow on national television was almost a washout.

I suppose it was lucky no-one did break a leg.

The whispers were it would have been called off if Sky was not ready to beam Birmingham into warm homes across Britain.

The first bit of Sky stardust I noticed Murdock's men had sprinkled on Perry Barr were the four dolly birds standing on the start line before each race. The in-house camera man had also obviously been taken with the girls' spandex shorts as he repeatedly zoomed in on their rain soaked rear ends.

267 for 5 at the close. Loudon caught at slip for 105 but Sangakkara unbeaten on 137 having played simply beautifully.

A day containing some truly memorable strokes, but none better than Jimmy Anyon's cover-drive for four from the last ball of the day.

Good night folks. Get here tomorrow if you can to see this man Sanga bat!

WHEN the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is trundling around Britain in one of his Jaguars, chances are that he will have travelled along one of this city's motorways.

It is hard not to pass through or near Birmingham: the city is, after all, at the heart of the country.

Alright Barry.
Alright Dave, how am ya?

Ahh fair to middlin
I ay seen ya for bit, you been up to much?

Ahh a bit of this and that and going here and there.
Last time I saw yam you had hair and tosh
Ahh the sands of time ay been kind kidda then again yam didn't have a spare tyre round ya waist.

LESSER people might have crumbled after suffering the injuries that struck Anne Luttman-Johnson when, at the age of 21, she was left paralysed from the hip down after a car crash.

But Anne, now 44 and a manager with law firm Irwin Mitchell, skies, microglides and has sailed the Atlantic.

Amazing how sports stories and opinions sell so many newspapers. Take today: on the Baggies triumph we have a new column 'Boyden Biting His Nails', where Baggies fan and broadcaster Malcolm Boyden tells how nervous fans are "glowing like a glass-blowers' arse", and fellow-fan Adrian Goldberg asking 'Is the Premiership really worth it?'

And yet the strength of sports is ages old. Not wanting to brag about today's paper too much, but page three has snippets from two golden oldies... our 1957 Villa reporter Alan Smith musing on his memories of the 1957 FA Cup triumph, and 1982 Sports chief Leon Hickman remembering Rotterdam. Who said newspapers were dying!!?

Morning folks. I am sure we are all feeling a bit melancholy this morning, Lincoln City's play-off bid having tragically failed for a fifth successive year but better news is that Edgbaston is dry at the moment so play should start on time.

Thanks again to all who have commented in the formative days of this blog. I should mention that, being pretty much a Luddite (I'm still getting to grips with the pocket calculator - just how DO you do percentages?), I don't know much about the land of blogs so if anything seems strange or upside-down or inside-out or you think the whole operation needs moving a little bit to the left then feel free to let me know.

A Sanga double-ton would be jolly nice. Started on time, although in rather poor light.

Sangakkara is the ninth player to make a century on his Warwickshire debut (and the first, we think, to do so in the presence of a seagull AND a crane).

Speculation in the press box about whether any of the previous eight debut tons were better. Hard to say but I might cast a vote for Horace Venn.

After 40 minutes of solid progress, Warwickshire lose their first wicket of the day to the sixth ball with the new ball. Jimmy Anyon, having raised the 50 partnership by chopping the previous delivery for four, edges Onions to Mustard.

Anyon made 34. 304 for 6.

The question remains: Is the first 64 seconds of the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't it be nice?" the most beautiful 64 seconds of music ever created?

Sangakkara also edges Onions to Mustard and goes for 149 from 230 balls with 22 fours.

Didn't touch the heights of yesterday this morning but a very special innings. The second highest score by a Warwickshire debutant against another county, it falls just short of Horace Venn's 151 against Worcestershire in 1919.

The second new ball is doing all sorts out there. I think that's why that guillemot has arrived on the roof of the Ryder Stand.

There's plenty of life in this wicket. If Warwickshire can get 350-plus, even with all the time lost, Durham could have a battle on their hands here.

Just shows the quality of Sangakkara's 320-minute masterclass.

Well, they went down in a bit of a heap in the end, all out for 335, though that doesn't look too bad a total.

Onions ended up with eight for 101 (including five c Mustard b Onions's!) and is on a hat-trick in the second innings having dismissed Steyn first ball. Mind you, it might have been Steyn just wanting to get out there and bowl on this wicket!

Yes, if that seagull is campaigning against leg-byes then it is one very shrewd sea-bird.

Ah, Mr Tanner. What an enormous pleasure to hear from you. How's Elsie?

Durham one for nought after one over. Quiet start - but still 45,000,000,000,000,000,000 times more entertaining than Formula One.

Look, I'm the first person ever to spot that Mustard/Onions connection.

Lunch: Durham 25 for 1. Early breakthrough when Di Venuto flails at a wide one from Steyn and edges to Ambrose.

A good hour after lunch and the Bears are in with a real chance here although the clouds are gathering and it would be a surprise if play is uninterrupted.

Steyn and Ambrose presented with their county caps before play resumes after lunch.

Crane motionless. Driver possibly still at lunch.

Onions 8 for 101 is the second best analysis ever by a Durham bowler.

Durham 77 for 1 with Smith and Muchall knuckling down diligently against the Bears' seam attack.
The occupants of the press box are cheered by the arrival of cakes from a very kind passer-by. Always welcome. Lovely gesture.
These long, lonely hours in the press facility need the occasional fillip like that. One day last season someone passed round boiled sweets and the excitement did not subside for two hours.

The breakthrough arrives as Anyon tempts Smith to drive at a wide one and an inside-edge demolishes middle and leg stumps. Next over Muchall edges Maddy to Trott at first slip. 82 for 3.

Fair play to the players, by the way, for playing through quite heavy drizzle for the last hour. Rain and a strong wind too so the batting side, in particular, takes credit. You wouldn't send a hamster out in this weather.

Yep - even in a plastic ball! So wet is it that now even the cricketers have gone off. RSP at 87 for 3.

Cakes went down very well thanks. Such gestures are always welcomed in the press-box. Cakes, drinks, sweets. Er, actually, Mary and I need an new ironing board...

Two geese have just honked their way elegantly across the sky heading in the direction of Acocks Green. Sun breaking through. Shouldn't be a long stoppage.

They are back out there.

Durham 113 for 3. Warwickshire need brisk wickets if they are to force victory from this rain-affected game but Dale Benkenstein, a thorn in their side before, is digging in.

The word 'hamster', by the way, is derived from the German word 'hamstern' which means 'to hoard'.

Tim Groenewald, who does not own a hamster, has just come on for his first bowl of the match.

Teatime. Durham 124 for 3. Need another 62 to avoid follow-on. Draw looking odds-on.

Thanks for all the feedback, ladies and gentlemen. Much appreciated (although not quite as appreciated as the cake!).

Coetzer and Benkenstein take root after tea despite wholehearted spells from Groenewald and Streak. Coetzer strikes the first six of the day, a pull off Groenewald.

Warwickshire seriously need some wickets tonight to have any chance of winning this game tomorrow.

157 for 3. 48 overs. Steyn comes back on. Still no sign of spin.

Steyn, who also does not possess a hamster, strikes with his fourth ball back. Coetzer goes for glory again with a pull but is caught by Loudon on the square-leg boundary. 159 for 4.

Bill demands...and Warwickshire deliver! Loudon strikes with his 13th delivery as Mustard chops to slip where Maddy takes a sharp catch.

More wickets needed in a hurry though. Durham having avoided the follow-on, this match is destined for a draw unless something spectacular happens.

Close of play: Durham 214 for 5. Looks a nailed-on draw, I'm afraid.

Blog to resume on Sunday for the one-dayer against Leicestershire. Thanks to all who have dropped in and/or contributed these past three days.

The seagull remains. The guillemot has flown. Sadly, this match looks as dead as a dodo.

Cheers.

Good morning ladies and gentleman. Sadly, very frustrating technical difficulties have prevented me getting this on until now. Apologies. Hopefully they will resolve themselves.

Warwickshire, put in, progressing well, 50-0, in 13th over, Westwood and Maddy looking in good nick.

Just to clear up two things from the Durham game. Steyn is pronounced stain, as in underpants. And yes, Mustard chops do exist.

Readers will never believe just how difficult it is to reproduce ‘archive’ editions from years gone by.

Yesterday the Mail inserted eight pages from 1981, from the day of Charles and Diana’s wedding, and the pomp, circumstance and regal pictures literally take you back in history. But it wasn’t just a click of a button that did this… there are no computer files from back in the days of hot metal. No, this was a careful and complicated effort of librarians, picture technicians and senior designers, photocopying, patching, cutting, pasting, scanning and enhancing.

But it was more than worth it, as those of you who bought yesterday’s Mail can see.

FOR a boy of 11, Niall Lowe has got a remarkably cool head.

The youngster sprang into action when disabled Dorie Baker collapsed as she suffered an epileptic fit in Erdington, alerting the ambulance service and then staying with her as she lay unconscious and injured on the ground.

FIRST-TIME visitors to Birmingham frequently express their surprise at how green it is.

They arrive expecting the concrete wasteland of popular myth and instead find canopies of trees and acres of parkland.

Many will have seen the bizarre story about house-hunters chasing an Edgbaston detached home for £53,500... because they read the old advert in our archive edition printed earlier this month to mark Villa's 25th anniversary of the European Cup. The house is, of course, now worth 10x that.

Well, it hasn't ended there. Today we've received £30+ in cheques for people wanting to take part in a Reader Travel offer of a Horse-drawn canal trip... again, it was an offer reprinted within the archive edition from 25 years ago!

THERE will be disquiet over today's revelation that many hospital trusts have not carried out criminal checks on staff who started work before tough new vetting rules came into force, but let us not panic.

Trusts are not required by law to check staff who began work before the Criminal Records Bureau came into being in 2002.

THERE have been musicals about a fictional antique shop and a controversial American television chat show host.

So maybe we shouldn't be too surprised that a show about Birmingham's legendary Reddington's Rare Records store is about to hit the stage.

Engineering works on the trains, weak lager, cardboard food, extortionate prices, no car parks for miles (apart from a Polish-owned scrapyard charging £20 to look after your vehicle*) and a third of the stadium going to people who wouldn't know where Sandwell is on a map. Oh, and it's in London - the biggest slum in the country.

Apart from that next Monday's play-off final at Wembley should be a fantastic occasion...

See you there.

*In Polish we call them Zlodzieje. Look it up on Google...

AFTER pocketing £30,000 of taxpayers' money for doing very little, ex-councillor Margaret Wells does not seem to be a shining example of someone who has provided unstinting civic service.

Ms Wells remained as a Stockland Green councillor despite moving to Northumberland and, for more than two years, did not host advice surgeries, ignored correspondence from voters and failed to attend ward and constituency meetings.

VISION is not the only ingredient needed by politicians when they hold power. A grasp of detail and a readiness to listen to other opinions are crucial, too.

The debacle over Home Information Packs suggests that the Government has failed to draw up properly considered plans.

Just when you thought Fifa or the FA had cornered the market for stupidity up pop the Football League to leave Albion and Derby fans bemused and furious.

The 17,000 Club Wembley seats - purchased on a 10-year debenture - had only half been filled, presumably by those who have heard that there is life beyond the Premiership.

The Baggies, having already sold their 33,000 allocation, tried to buy unused tickets to sell onto Albion fans. The Football League told them that they wouldn't allow this because of segregation problems.

THE wild-eyed fanatics who lurk in the shadows would seek to drive a wedge between communities who co-exist happily in our city. They must not be allowed to succeed.

It is too easy to dismiss these figures as harmless, but there is ample evidence that their fiery words and unwavering conviction can seduce the gullible and disenchanted.

EDWARD House, the "home from home" for the parents of seriously ill patients at Birmingham Children's Hospital, will be sadly missed.

For years it has provided more than just accommodation: it has offered support and comfort, too.

The internet is the future, it will make communications easier than ever, it is the answer to all our evils... or so some say.

But who and when and how will someone STOP the ability to send trash email? As an editor, what was initially a brilliant piece of communications equipment (and still is on many matters) has also turned into a nightmare of daily junk.

But as editor, you have to open most of it JUST IN CASE. It will be the death of me.... Any suggestions??

There were no clues that I was entering the house of an Albion Legend.

No signed shirts, no football memorabilia, no trophies. Perhaps they were in another room. Perhaps not.

The only clue I got was a small framed picture of the Legend shaking the hand of the Queen Mother before the FA Cup Final.

THE mountains of rubbish this country produces will not be reduced by tangling up local authorities and householders in yet more red tape.

And it is difficult to believe that the government's new plans for "pay-as-you-throw" waste collections would do much more than produce yards of the stuff.

AS leukaemia patient Eva Winston-Hart lies desperately ill in an isolation unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital following a stem cell transplant, all will wish her well.

It will be two or three weeks before doctors know if the treatment has been successful, but the whole of Birmingham will be rooting for the three-year-old battler.

As most Albion fans make their way down to Wembley on Monday morning, a coach will be pulling up outside a West Bromwich hotel ready to take a group of VIPs down to the new national stadium.
But these are no ordinary VIPs.

The head count will include Ally Robertson, Joe Mayo, Graham Williams, Ian Hamilton to name just four. The coach-load of Albion's Former Players Association members will travel down to cheer on Tony Mowbray's class of 2007 hoping to see a new hero write his name into Albion folklore. Question is, who will bag the much-coveted front row seats on the Legends Express?

The Baggies are certainly a draw right now - I'm told that even Don Howe and Bobby Gould want to see their former club in action and have been trying to get Wembley tickets.

Speaking of play-off finals, don't expect to see John Hartson playing much part at Wembley. He wasn't even included in Albion's Harvey Nichols-inspired photo call at the training ground this lunchtime...

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. As you can imagine after 36 hours of virtually constant rain Edgbaston is saturated,

Drizzle still falling. Covers on. Water on covers. Prospects of play extremely remote.

It's tempting to clear off, find a goggle-box and watch the Baggies beat Derby 4-2 at Wembley but, of course, in the press box we are far too professional for that...

An announcement has just filled the dark, damp air. The umpires will not even take a look until the rain stops and the groundstaff can get on the outfield and start trying to mop up.

But it's still drizzling steadily.

No teams announced yet. Three crows are circulating the ground.

I blame Kumar Sangakkara. Until he arrived, the sun had shone all season. Since he arrived, it hasn't stopped raining.

In Douglas Adams' book "So long and thanks for all the fish" there's a bloke who can't understand why everywhere he goes it rains. In fact he's a Rain God - all the clouds love him and devote their lives to following him and raining on him.

Sanga's not one of those is he? Remember the World Cup final.

The players will take lunch at 1pm, after which the umpires will inspect.

It's stopped raining. The covers are off and the hard-working groundstaff have removed much water from the field. With a strong wind blowing to dry the grass there is a chance of play later on.

Further showers could be terminal though and it's still gloomy and cold. Trade for the ice-cream van behind the City End - slow.

The umpires have been out to inspect but as soon as they reached the pavilion rain started to fall again and it's turned into another steady downpour.

This looks terminal.

On and on we wait. Still grey overhead, but now briefly dry again. An announcement holds out a vestige of hope: "The umpires report there has been very little change but will look again at 3.45pm".

All over the world, people are doing momentous things right now. Building, healing, inspiring, nursing, teaching.
Resisting oppression, supporting the sick, motivating the dispirited. And we're sat here watching a seagull waddle round the outfield. Strange.

Despite the worthy efforts of the groundstaff the umpires decree that the surrounds are dangerously wet. Match abandoned.

One point apiece, not too bad a result for Warwickshire who already have plenty of points on the board, of course.

Heath Streak has suffered a recurrence of his back injury and is doubtful for Warwickshire's championship game against Hampshire starting on Wednesday.

If Streak does not recover, Naqaash Tahir is likely to return.

TODAY'S ceremony at Longbridge to mark the relaunch of Birmingham's most famous factory is another significant step in the Chinese revolution which has been quietly taking shape for the last two years.

LONG faces and soggy clothes aren't the only fall-out from one of the wettest May Bank Holidays on record.

With just a mere day to go before Big Brother begins again, debates are already raging over what crazy capers are likely to take place this year.

In the past the show's producers have been dragged over the coals for encouraging binge-drinking, violence and showing us George Galloway in a leotard.

But, bar a minor miracle, they'll never sink as low as Dutch television.

A restless night's sleep, thoughts racing through your mind, sweaty palms and an irrational desire to check the clock can only mean one thing - you're mad.

And yes, the wife has decided I'm clinically insane thanks to my inability to focus on anything beyond 8pm this very evening when Davina (minus bump for once) welcomes in the latest bunch of wannabes.

The squash game has been cancelled, dinner's being made early, the dog's had rohypnol put in her feed (only joking!) and the family have been told unless there's an above 75 per cent chance of death then phoning me post-8pm is out of the question.

I'm even avoided the British Soap Awards on ITV. Now that, my friends, is addiction!

The national media have been setting tongues wagging as they try to guess the identity of the new Big Brother housemates.

Early reports from that there London village suggest we'll be seeing Manchester United winger Kieran Richardson's cousin, a member of the womens institute and a cleaner this year.

But it's the prospect of a former child prodigy which really worries me.

IT sounds like the answer to the prayers of anyone whose life has been made a misery by gangs of youths.

An ultrasonic device which drives away yobs by emitting a high-frequency noise which can only be heard by those under the age of 25.

IF you struggle to get up for work spare a thought for poor old Martin Birch.

The real ale buff has to 'drag' himself out of bed each morning and spend the day tasting beer after winning the dream job of head brewer at Batham's Brewery.

Forget Lauren Harries, word has reached us that the obligatory house totty will be a Brummie lass!

Fresh from gracing the pages of such esteemed publications as Zoo, FHM and Nuts (well done their campaign to get her in), it now seems Lucy James will be testing our intellects for the next however many weeks.

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.
Eskimos have about 200 different words for snow. So much of it do they see that every type, intensity and nuance of the stuff has its own description.

Cricket reporters are in a similar position regarding rain and Warwickshire watchers have got through a fair few permutations in the last two weeks.
This morning, it's type 73 (light drizzle, irritating but not terminal to prospects of play) which delays the start at Edgbaston. Covers on but ground not too wet.

Steady drizzle (type 44) has set in. The groundstaff remove the covers but hurriedly put them back on as the rain thickens up again.

A venerable pigeon soars away over the pavilion, perhaps reflecting nostalgically on Hampshire's visit to Edgbaston in 1922 - perhaps the most amazing county championship match in history.

Hampshire were bowled out for 15 in their first innings - and won by 155 runs!

Heavy rain sweeping across the ground now. Early lunch to be taken at 12.30pm, after which umpires Trevor Jesty and Roy Palmer will inspect - and, unless things brighten up, might well call it off for the day.

Lentils are good for you.

But so dull. How on earth do you make them enjoyable to eat?

Ian Bell has been made available by the ECB for Warwickshire's Friends Provident League match away to Worcestershire on Sunday,

Lunch has occurred but there was no inspection as slight drizzle has set in again.

The prospects of play remain remote. Warwickshire will hope that, if they do sustain a serious bid for the county championship title, they don't count the cost of all this lost time later on.

Round and round, watch the rumour mill swing.

The latest BB tale is that, for the first week at least, it'll be all ladies in the house with men to be thrown into the mix later in the series.

Claws and saucers of milk at the ready.

An early tea will be taken at 3.40pm after which the umpires will have another look. The weather is brightening and the groundstaff are getting busy, although there's a lot of water to shift.

Shane Warne is out there assessing the scene in his flip-flops.

In which, incidentally, he would not be allowed into the new Wembley. Flip-flops are, for some bizarre reason, prohibited there.

Lunch and tea having been safely digested, play is officially abandoned for the day as another downpour arrives.

Okay, so we hedged our bets on the identity of the footballer's relative and we didn't get a local lass in there, but we did get the all-female house right.

But we're really gutted that Lauren Harries didn't make it. We can only assume she was valuing a silver platter from the mid-18th century.

Either that or she was shaving her back...

WHEN 28 elderly people died at a Birmingham nursing home in less than 12 months suspicions were raised.

Especially when two doctors who owned the Maypole Nursing Home were later struck off by the General Medical Council.

THOUSANDS of commuters were stranded this morning after vandals put the Metro out of action.

The damage caused to the overhead cables in Soho was the latest in a spate of problems which has put extra strain on Birmingham's overburdened transport network.

And they're off! The girls are in the house and BB is go, go, go!

But what about this year's housemates and what are the first impressions.

Well let's go through them and see what first impressions we can gain...

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Dramatic news.

A large yellow orb is evident in the sky and play will start on time. Hampshire won the toss and will bat against a Warwickshire side including Naqaash Tahir for the injured Heath Streak.

Hampshire captain Shane Warne is not a man to let matches drift so, even though all day yesterday was lost to the weather, we could still have a contest on our hands here.

Anyon, unusually operating from the City End, strikes with his 15th delivery as Jimmy Adams edges to second slip where Darren Maddy takes a smart low catch.

Adams out for one. 15 for one.

Anyon, replaced by Naqaash, rests with one for 23 from five overs. Steyn has bowled well, six overs so far for eight runs.

Ominously for Warwickshire, John Crawley has played two magnificent shots, through point and mid-wicket. They could do with nipping him out.

There are an estimated 36,000 professional Elvis impersonators in the world but it appears that none of them are here today. 33 for 1.

Steyn rests after an aggressive hour-long opening burst of 8-2-13-0.

No wickets but a good spell offering almost nothing to hit. Warwickshire will miss him badly in the second half of the season.

43 for 1. Brown 23, Crawley 16, seagull at long-on.

A real bonus wicket for Warwickshire. Anyon overpitches on leg-stump and Crawley flicks the ball straight into the hands of Tim Groenewald at square-leg.

A stroke of luck. But the seamers have beaten the bat plenty of times this morning so were due a bit.

If Crawley's wicket was a bonus, then what about this? Michael Brown, having batted diligently for 39 in 29 overs, offers no stroke to a Groenewald delivery which nips back a fraction to disturb off-stump.

69 for 3. A good morning's work for Warwickshire although some rather ominous clouds are gathering overhead.

Actually, where else would they be gathering?

Michael Lumb checks a drive and lifts the ball to mid-off where Alex Loudon takes a fine catch.

Groenewald two for five in his first 3.1 overs.

A heavy shower sends the players into lunch five minutes early. Hampshire 75 for 4 (32.4 overs). Carberry 5 Pothas 1.

A good morning's work by Warwickshire, making up for yesterday's lost time,

EXCLUSIVE: Warwickshire cricket operations manager Keith Cook used to possess a hamster called Pippa.

Play will resume at 2.50pm, somewhat later than most of the spectators believe was necessary.

Umpires emerge in bright sunlight to ribald reception from crowd.

A thundery shower has arrived. Hampshire 98 for 4 (41.1 overs). Carberry 14, Pothas 13.

Judging by the amount of covers that have been put on, the groundstaff are expecting a monsoon.

Tea to be taken early at 3.40pm.

If it was a bit baffling why the players were not on the field at times earlier on today, it is entirely understandable now. Fork lightning is arrowing around the ground in spectacular and highly dangerous fashion.
Raining hard too. Rather frustrating for Warwickshire who have had another good day, as far as it goes. But the weather really seems to have its teeth into this season at the moment.

Mind you, some way to go yet to match 1954. That season the Bears lost 163 hours, 39 minutes cricket (almost a month) to the weather.

The sun has come out and the groundstaff are hard at it shifting all the water from the covers and driving blotters round the outfield. Remarkably, there's a chance of further play it seems.

Play will resume at 5.15.

It's drizzling. The light is poor. The umpires confer but don't offer it. Next ball, Nic Pothas edges Maddy and Ambrose parries the ball for Trott to complete the catch.

Maddy and Loudon are on because anyone quicker would have the umps offering the light in a flash.

Tough on Pothas. 121 for 5 (50 overs). Any way out of a cul-de-sac for this match?

Off again for rain, surely for the final time today, at 121 for 5 from 50 overs.

Abandoned for the day. I think all connected with Warwickshire have had just about enough rain for now.