PHILINFRANCE

375 would seem extremely unlikely; I fear the weather rather than Glos. batting. Perhaps the declaration was slightly late, but a nice touch, nevertheless, to give Tom L the chance to get his maiden century.

Or at least let him have a thrash for a few more overs and then declare, but why use two further overs for JD to bat.

My apologies?. It wasn’t you, it was @Lrrr, ex-Hodge I believe, back on page 275.

When the fixture list came out, you were moaning that our away fixtures would necessitate expensive hotel costs. It looks like this match will need just the single overnight stay.

Anybody any idea why George Dockrell is not playing for Ireland? Injured, or not suitable for the playing conditions?

Thanks for that, although I don't really read Rovers' match reports as I have enough of a laugh about them on this thread. Whilst your explanation does make sense, I am not sure why he would receive such negative comments as I thought he was a local boy. From GasHeads: 'Presumably Stevie K is popping the champagne corks right now.' From GasChat: 'Can't wait for SteveK's farewell message to Ollie. "Dear Ollie, I saw someone trying to drown some kittens the other day and I'm pretty sure it was you. Thanks for getting the football season cancelled by the way. I'll never forgive you. With hate, Steven Kaufman".

Hi Miah, Sorry to go off at a tangent, but I notice from your GasChat and GasHeads forums that mention is made of some 'dislike' between the now-departed Ollie Clarke and a certain Steve(n?) Kaufman. I don't recall his name in any recent Rovers squads, so are you able to shed any light on this?

Hmmm...?.

Good Luck Miah.

I should be amazed if there was just one iota of truth in this. Apart from the fact that SKWAWBOX is, let's say, not the most reliable of sources, it was 'announced' on their site yesterday evening and, to the best of my knowledge, there has been not one mention of it on more serious and reliable sites such as SKY or even the BBC. As Dear Old Donald would say, Fake News.

Who said it? Was it Jack Leach?

Nope, definitely a Tuesday night, with a crowd of 10,000 plus - nearer to 11,000 if I recall correctly.

I am intrigued as to how you managed this. I seem to recall there was something loose at the back of the East End, but only saw a few crawling under there on rare occasions.

On a similar theme: A wealthy lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate. He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?" "We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to eat grass." "Well then, you can come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the lawyer said. "But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there, under that tree." "Bring them along," the lawyer replied. Turning to the other poor man he stated, "You come with us too." The second man, in a pitiful voice then said, "But sir, I also have a wife and SIX children with me!" "Bring them all, as well," the lawyer answered. They all entered the car, which was no easy task, even for a car as large as the limousine. Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us with you." The lawyer replied, "Glad to do it. You'll really love my place... the grass is almost a foot high!"

If it is the same Brimington, then I think City fans living near Chesterfield might be more able to help....?

Very touching and, I am not ashamed to admit, it brought a tear to my eye (in fact, several, if truth be known). Which makes this link all the more embarrassing, although perhaps some harmless, lighthearted humour is helpful in these painful times.

How interesting. Curiosity got the better of me, so I did a little research. The Beeches is owned by two former Rovers Directors, Messrs Watola and Durnford - I am assuming the latter is related to the dairy family of ex-directors.

The UK has had more than two weeks to learn and, even now, the lockdown is only 'advisory' as it won't become law until Thursday, earliest. I have witnessed this drama for weeks now and have had the distressing experience of meeting several hospital consultants - wise, professional and rational people - almost in tears as they have tried to explain to me their fears that the general population are just not taking this seriously enough. Their prediction, based on the number of cases arriving in our local hospitals - in a 'privileged' area of France that is not considered a hotspot, or cluster - is that up to 10,000 will have died in France by the end of April. I was given this projected figure in early March, when the death toll was still in single figures - we are now in excess of 1,200.

Of course other countries such as those I mentioned (Italy, Spain, Germany and France) will have tested more people, the virus manifested itself much sooner. My point is that our &age recovery rate is much, much lower - we had our first fatality on 7 March.

Somebody - and I forget who, for which I apologise - posted this link earlier: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6 Now, the link is constantly updated, but, at the time of posting, I note the following figures (ranked by number of cases): Italy: 69,176 cases/6,820 deaths - 9.86% Spain: 39,676 cases/2,800 deaths - 7.06% Germany: 32,781 cases/157 deaths - 0.48% France: 22,616 cases/1,102 deaths - 4.88% UK: 8,164 cases/423 deaths - 5.19% Over and above the comparitively low percentage death rates in Germany, however, was the disparity in recovery rates. You can check on the link, but they are: Italy: 69,176 cases/8,326 recoveries - 12.04% Spain: 39,676 cases/3,794 recoveries - 9.57% Germany: 32,781 cases/3,243 recoveries - 9.90% France: 22,616 cases/3,288 recoveries - 14.54% UK: 8,164 cases/140 recoveries - 1.72% I understand that statistics can often be misleading, and we (The UK) are perhaps two weeks or so behind the other countries listed, but I find these figures quite concerning, especially if, as I am convinced will be the case, the number of UK cases explodes in the next few weeks due to the belated 'enforced' lock-down and the seemingly lackadaisical manner in which it is being adopted by too many blasé idiots.

The second leg was behind closed doors, but the first leg, in Milan, attracted some 40,000 Atalanta supporters, who, of course, hail from Bergamo!

I can only speak of my own experience in France, but I believe the 'lockdown' is working quite well over here. The lockdown rules are broadly similar (although outlets such as Sports Direct are not considered essential, so have been forced to close!). Two comments, though: Firstly, should one wish to leave the house one must fill in and sign a form (on a daily basis) and, after a few days' lenience, the Police have now become much more strict in ensuring people adhere both to the law and to the spirit of the law - they became exasperated by people going shopping several times a day for a few bottles of beer. The lockdown has undoubtedly had some effect on drug dealing, with the effect that some towns have been obliged to enforce curfews and, of course, this has brought about its own tension. Secondly, there is a fixed system of fines (€135 for a first offence, but rising to €3,750 and even 6 months imprisonment for repeat offenders), which is enforced because, of course, people are obliged to carry official ID papers in France. Good Luck with enforcing your lockdown in the UK - I envisage loads of warnings and requests to disperse, but no real change for weeks. One further difference, although I am sure there are many, is that our supermarkets are full: due to the lockdown, population movement has obviously decreased, but whenever I have gone shopping since our lockdown commenced, people have waited patiently in the queues to enter the supermarkets (5 minutes max, and 'policed' by polite security guards), so there has been no 'need' to storm through past nurses and OAPs as people know they will find all they want inside - and this includes fresh fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, all delivered daily! Be aware, though; be aware and, if not afraid, be very respectful of this virus. I hope I am wrong, but should people not self-distance you are all going to see some horrific figures.

Some years ago, I went to Corsica for a few weeks holiday with my family (wife and two young daughters). I drove non-stop from Paris to Nice and slept for barely an hour before catching an early morning ferry. Finally, having ensured everyone was safely ensconced on board, I just crashed out leaving my wife and girls to stroll outside the ferry, enjoy the sunshine and admire the views. Snoring soundly, I was awoken by my daughters' excited screaming, imploring me to come outside to see the dolphins. Needless to say, they had disappeared by the time I could rouse myself to go outside and look....

They should both be nice and warm then.