The English Achilles heel

How does one find the grit, the steel to succeed in top end sport? It seems to elude the English. Just over a week ago England’s cricketers took an improbable lead against Australia a team generally noted for their hard as nails approach to the “gentleman’s” game. The victory, on the back of an invigorating performance in the ODI series against New Zealand, pointed to a much needed new dawn following the disastrous Ashes series down under and inept PR in the wake of the ECB’s dealings with Kevin Pietersen and the sacking of Alistair Cook as one day captain. But a week is a long time in cricket and yesterday England’s boys returned to type by capitulating on day four of the second Ashes test at Lords. Set the best part of a day and a half to survive (for they were never going to reach the target of 508) England lasted a mere 36 overs to record the heaviest defeat against Australia since 1946. I accept that it is easy to sit on the sidelines and carp about our failings when you are not having to face 90 plus mph deliveries from the likes of Starc and Johnson. But we had been promised a new England, one playing with a sense of freedom unhindered by fear, and what we got was rabbits in headlights. Had England shown some semblance of positivity it would at least have demonstrated intent. As it is they were utterly cowed and the Aussies know it. They now have the mental advantage and will retain the Ashes at a canter.

At about the same time that our cricketers were experiencing meltdown, some miles north on a Fife coastline young Eddie Pepperell was enjoying the round of his life. Playing in his first Open Championship the Englishman, who had started his third round at -2 was by the 16th hole at -10. More significantly, as he stepped onto the 17th tee, he was joint leader. Ten minutes later Eddie walked to the 18th tee no longer joint leader having taken a double bogey six following an errant drive into the Old Course Hotel which adjoins the 17th fairway. Now I accept that this is his first major championship and the first occasion when he has experienced the rarefied atmosphere of leading. But Jordan Spieth is younger and when he claimed his first claret jug five years ago Louis Oosthuizen was an unsung unknown.

Some four hours later another Englishman, Danny Willett, reached the top of the leader board. His round was not the birdie fest of his previous day’s effort but he was playing steadily and outscoring his formidable playing partner Dustin Johnson. But just as rarefied air was being sampled, the wheels started to come off. At the 13th he hit a poor drive which stopped just short of a bank of gorse from where he dropped a shot. At the fourteenth he hit his tee shot out of bounds and he dropped a further shot at the idiosyncratic Road Hole. Like Pepperell one minute leading the next amongst the chasing pack, prospects much dented. Nick Faldo may have been unloved but he knew how to win. He was that rarest of species “An Englishman with steel”.

So who will triumph this afternoon? My heart says Willett, Rose or Paul Dunne. My head says Oosthuizen, Spieth or Day.

©Mark Brennand