Flannelled belle

May be it's just one of those nights where I'm a little in touch with my feminine side (not quite the David Beckham way, it must be said though), I write this as I listen to the softer sound of Simon and Garfunkel :) Jenny Thompson's interview with Clare Connor, the Ashes winning captain of the English women's side, may have had something to do with it. Connor's retirement is no waltz into the sunset, just a silent trip to (relatively at least) oblivion, which says a lot about the state of the women's game. Now, that is a sad state of affairs. Not because she or her teammates couldn't make pots of cash and bag fat contracts with Nike. It's sad because I would love to see women playing cricket at the highest level, with the same levels of intensity as in the men's game. I imagine it would be a much more relaxed affair, where opponents would be less interested in questioning the parentage of the batsman on strike, instead concentrating on skill and subtlety. That of course, is a simplistic and romantic view of things (how could I be anything else when thinking about women?). Bitter rivalries in women's tennis are an old story, and when Australia and New Zealand play each other in netball, the claws are literally out (it helps to have them perfectly manicured). But I would also like to see women's cricket prosper for another reason - at the outset at least, it would be undiluted competition, unfettered by obsessive hero worshipping, TV timings or other such distractions. Alas, that again is another romantic thought. As I mentioned earlier, there is something about this night. Of course, more than anything else, it would be so cool to have a wife/girlfriend/date who loves cricket/sport. On my list of desirable attributes for a partner, that may just top the guitar goddess. All of which makes women like Clare Connor, Jenny Thompson, Sue Mott, Misha Grewal (former Indian squash champion who incidentally is easy on the eye) pretty hot in my mind. - NK