LUFCTALK

Viduka Hits The Mark wrote:
Pistol Pete was very good particularly at Wimbledon, but the grass is favourable to the big servers isn't it. The matches can be quite boring when you have say Sampras at one end and Goran Ivanisevic at the other. It's like a shootout at the ok corral.

Also won the US open 5 times and Australian twice to go with his 7 Wimbledon titles i believe, beating the likes of Agassi, Roddick and Chang all noted for their recieve of serve.

Funny thing Sampras fastest serve is recorded at 135mph same as Federer.

Where's the French title though. To be truly great you have got to complete the set imo. Agassi another great player won all four major's just lacked the big serve. All Roddick had was a big serve. As I said Sampras great player just boring to watch imo

Viduka Hits The Mark wrote:Where's the French title though. To be truly great you have got to complete the set imo. Agassi another great player won all four major's just lacked the big serve. All Roddick had was a big serve. As I said Sampras great player just boring to watch imo

Don't really get the Sampras big serve theory when comparing with Federer or Nadal, records show all 3 of them at the same max speed.
Where he was better was accuracy which to me is all about skill.

Selby White wrote:

Viduka Hits The Mark wrote:Where's the French title though. To be truly great you have got to complete the set imo. Agassi another great player won all four major's just lacked the big serve. All Roddick had was a big serve. As I said Sampras great player just boring to watch imo

Don't really get the Sampras big serve theory when comparing with Federer or Nadal, records show all 3 of them at the same max speed.
Where he was better was accuracy which to me is all about skill.

For the record one of the best matches I've seen at Wimbledon was Borg V Gerulitus (prob spelt wrong), classic and think it was a final.
Always enjoyed Nastase back in the day despite his antics, great entertainer.

I'm off to the Munster Gaelic Hurling Final tomorrow. It will be held in Thurles, Co. Tipperary and my own team and county, Cork are playing Clare. It should be a great day out and a cracking game. It's a sell out with a capacity of approximately 50,000.

I haven't been to final in about 10 years. The game is stunning to watch live because it is so fast, skillful and tough. No one takes a dive in this game as they'd be laughed out of court. Plus the players are amateurs.

If you want to see an example of Gaelic Hurling there's a game live on one of the Sky Sports channels this evening between Kilkenny and Waterford, local rivals and that will be physical!!

Selby White wrote:

Selby White wrote:

Viduka Hits The Mark wrote:Where's the French title though. To be truly great you have got to complete the set imo. Agassi another great player won all four major's just lacked the big serve. All Roddick had was a big serve. As I said Sampras great player just boring to watch imo

Don't really get the Sampras big serve theory when comparing with Federer or Nadal, records show all 3 of them at the same max speed.
Where he was better was accuracy which to me is all about skill.

For the record one of the best matches I've seen at Wimbledon was Borg V Gerulitus (prob spelt wrong), classic and think it was a final.
Always enjoyed Nastase back in the day despite his antics, great entertainer.

Some great matches over the years the 2005 semi final clash between Roger Federer v Marat Safin in Australia Open some of the most powerful ground strokes I have ever seen from Safin.

Federer and Nadal in that Wimbledon final. Djokovic v Del Potro in the semi's of Wimbledon the year Andy Murray won his first title Djokovic had nothing left after that match.

Sampras was a master server for sure that's probably why I thought he served faster than the rest.

White Knight wrote:I'm off to the Munster Gaelic Hurling Final tomorrow. It will be held in Thurles, Co. Tipperary and my own team and county, Cork are playing Clare. It should be a great day out and a cracking game. It's a sell out with a capacity of approximately 50,000.

I haven't been to final in about 10 years. The game is stunning to watch live because it is so fast, skillful and tough. No one takes a dive in this game as they'd be laughed out of court. Plus the players are amateurs.

If you want to see an example of Gaelic Hurling there's a game live on one of the Sky Sports channels this evening between Kilkenny and Waterford, local rivals and that will be physical!!

Sounds like a good day out that WK. I must confess the one sport I detested at school was Hockey, people with no control whacking me on the shins.

So the fact you can swing that stick anywhere you want in Hurling gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

I'm also impressed by the 50,000 in attendance.

Anyway hope you will be popping some Corks after the match.

I remember playing 'deck hockey' on the troopship coming back from Singapore. Walking sticks and a rope quoite - lethal. There was a rule, no swing above shoulder height, but the stitches in head wounds and broken fingers told its own story. The Scottish regiment teams were the worst. Black Watch and Royal Scots Fusiliers. I think I still have some bruises and that was in 1957! When I think that, compared to Hurling, it was like comparing netball to rugby. Glad I never took up Hurling.

Viduka Hits The Mark wrote:

White Knight wrote:I'm off to the Munster Gaelic Hurling Final tomorrow. It will be held in Thurles, Co. Tipperary and my own team and county, Cork are playing Clare. It should be a great day out and a cracking game. It's a sell out with a capacity of approximately 50,000.

I haven't been to final in about 10 years. The game is stunning to watch live because it is so fast, skillful and tough. No one takes a dive in this game as they'd be laughed out of court. Plus the players are amateurs.

If you want to see an example of Gaelic Hurling there's a game live on one of the Sky Sports channels this evening between Kilkenny and Waterford, local rivals and that will be physical!!

Sounds like a good day out that WK. I must confess the one sport I detested at school was Hockey, people with no control whacking me on the shins.

So the fact you can swing that stick anywhere you want in Hurling gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

I'm also impressed by the 50,000 in attendance.

Anyway hope you will be popping some Corks after the match.

Cheers VHTM, i hope we'll be popping "Cork"s too
Many hockey clubs look for hurlers to play with them through the winter. They have the hand eye coordination and the madness required!!

johnh wrote:I remember playing 'deck hockey' on the troopship coming back from Singapore. Walking sticks and a rope quoite - lethal. There was a rule, no swing above shoulder height, but the stitches in head wounds and broken fingers told its own story. The Scottish regiment teams were the worst. Black Watch and Royal Scots Fusiliers. I think I still have some bruises and that was in 1957! When I think that, compared to Hurling, it was like comparing netball to rugby. Glad I never took up Hurling.

Helmets were introduced in the early 2000's and that reduced the facial and head injuries considerably. Most of the injuries now are hand and wrist ones. Funnily enough you don't tend to get the serious leg or body injuries as the focus is on the small ball at the end of the stick, at a remove from the player himself.

As for your injuries from the 50's, i can well imagine them. The Scots play Shinty with very big heavy sticks, so they would have had loads of practice. You were a lamb to the slaughter in that game .