Sport letters: How to make the IPL bearable and why the Premier League will be judged if clubs go bust
I love T20 cricket... on mute
You allow space for Simon Heffer to continue his diatribe on T20 cricket. I love the longer version of the game but also enjoy T20. Yes, the showbiz coverage and exuberant commentary are tedious but watch on mute, as I do, and you will soon appreciate the subtle skills of both batsmen and bowlers, plus the extraordinary fielding.
To describe these as “silly” is to denigrate the talent of some of the world’s finest cricketers. Mr Heffer also denigrates those who watch the game. Alas, I have endured many an unpleasant Test match afternoon surrounded by foul-mouthed, drunken members in the enclosures at Lord's whose attention span totally ceases at 11am when the first bottle of champagne is opened. Such behaviour never occurred when I followed cricket in India.
Angela Reid, Henfield, W Sussex
Dreading The Hundred
What a wonderful article by Simon Heffer in Wednesday's sports section. I fully agree with everything he says. However I'm sure he has not forgotten that next year we have the dreaded 100 competition. Ugh!
Brian Howard, Enfield
Too many sixes spoil the broth
Like Simon Heffer, I have no time for the IPL. I do wonder whether it will, in time, become a victim of its own attractions. To me it can be summed up by Shakespeare's line "Surfeited with honey they began to loathe the taste of sweetness" (Henry IV - Part I). In "proper" cricket, sixes are an event to be savoured. In 20/20 they are nothing more than common fodder. That is why such matches soon bore me and are quickly forgotten.
Richard Holroyd, Cambridge
The Premier League will be judged
The Premier League is dragging its feet on the £250 million bailout the EFL has requested for loss of ticket revenue alone. To put this in perspective, Manchester City spent £126 million this summer on new players. Lower leagues are the life blood of some communities and history will judge the PL if many clubs cease to exist.
Christopher Hunt, Swanley, Kent
VAR should not use slow-mo
VAR should review incidents at the correct speed only. How can an error be "clear and obvious" if it can only be detected in slow motion?
Bob Gray, Thornbury, Gloucs
The stats don't lie
Talk of football statistics (James Corrigan, Telegraph Sport, Sept 30) often reminds me of a cousin's explanation many years ago for his school team's 6-1 defeat: "It was just six lucky goals against the run of play!"
Phillip Crossland, Driffield, E Yorkshire
Owens sets the right example
Once again, Nigel Owens showed why he is the best rugby union referee in the world by very unusually penalising the Racing scrum-half in the match against Saracens for failing to use the ball despite repeated instructions to do so. That judgment meant that both scrum-halves moved the ball quickly for the rest of the game, much improving the match as a spectacle. Hopefully others will follow Owens' example and matches will be the better for it.
Ian Bell, Chew Stoke, Bath and NE Somerset
A captain and a gentleman
Farewell, Chris Robshaw, a true sportsman and a gentleman. Always at the heart of the action for both club and country. Harlequins will miss you, England supporters will miss you and your many fans will wish you a happy and successful new career at San Diego Legion where your industry, sportsmanship and overall approach to the game will be an example to all your teammates. I wish you well.
John Ley-Morgan, Weston-super-Mare
