2012 World Snooker Final – 4th Session: Ronnie O’Sullivan v Ali Carter

Presenters: Hazel Irvine & Rishi Persad
With: Steve Davis & John Parrott

Commentators:
Dennis Taylor & Willie Thorne (Frames 26-29)

It finished early but if it had of went past the mid-session interval the commentators probably would have been John Virgo & Ken Doherty

Will Shane Warne be part of Sky's commentary team for some of the upcoming international cricket summer?

Eurosport's commentators for this final session were David Hendon & Joe Johnson.

Not sure if this right place but hey ho...watching the racing back from Sunday at Newmarket and just before the 1000 guineas a horse suffered an injury and delayed the start. All the channel 4 team were superb in how they handled it but I want to say John Francombe was outstanding and gave viewers some brilliant insight to what happens even though it was a sad subject. So well done channel 4 racing team!!!

I agree. He really does know his stuff

Friday 11th May - BBC Two Wales and BBCi

Scrum V Live: Ospreys v Munster

Ross Harries presented from the Liberty Stadium alongside Robert Jones, with Sean Holley providing analysis from the truck

Commentators: Gareth Charles and Jonathan Davies

Reporter: Phil Steele

Red button commentary options

Redzone commentators: Gareth Rhys Owen and Gareth Llewellyn, with Pete (Sheppard?) reading texts and tweets and Phil Steele making occasional contributions

The game was live on Freeview channel 301 with the audio feeds available being the Redzone and Welsh language feeds. Not sure who the Welsh language commentators were this week.

Peter Shuttleworth (who, like me, will be watching the 'pwert tomorrow). Lyn Davies and Dafydd Jones were Welsh Language commentators (and during this season, the co-commentator usually pops in at half time, as what happened this time).

During the season on the 'Redzone' some texters would comment as to why they wouldn't get 'normal commentary'. Although there was some 'chat' between the commentators and viewers, there was a lot more normal commentary, and was greater for it.

Thanks for the information Ian. I noticed that last night's Redzone was pretty straight, aside from the odd (usually relatively sensible and rugby related) text it was pretty much a standard commentary.

Gareth Rhys Owen is a regular rugby union commentator with BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and on the highlights edits of the Scrum V magazine show so he'll be used to commentating like that, and I got the impression that he was pretty unfamiliar with Redzone/Fanscene.

I did miss Rick O'Shea but while his jokey style is fine on your average bog-standard Pro12 match (which are often fairly dull for the neutral), with the main feed not being available on Freeview I think those of us watching outside Wales benefited from getting a straight commentary on a game of that magnitude.

Wigan v St. Helens

Presenter: Claire Balding
With: Brian Noble & Ian Millward
Commentators: Dave Woods & Jonathan Davies
Pitchside: Damian Johnson & Robbie Hunter-Paul

Now that I fully know what the red zone is do these guys chat/commentate from the ground or they offtube somewhere?

At the ground.

Last nights was a MILLION times better than the normal offering. Gareth Rhys Owen's was fantastic and has far greater knowledge than Rick.

Kid Gallahad v Josh Wale & Chris Eubank Jr. v Harry Matthews

Presenter: Mark Pougatch
Commentators: Dave Farrar & Al Bernstein
Reporters: Adam Darke & Joe Tidy

(Live from BBC Sports News Studio Salford)

Presenter: Claire Balding
With: Brian Noble & Ian Millward
Commentators: Ray French & Jonathan Davies
Reporter: Tanya Arnold

Just to -re-confirm, they are only on-site (to use the terminology) when a Welsh region are at home.

Tour of Califrnia (British Eurosport) - Robert Hatch and Brian Smith

Surrey v Somerset - Clydesdale Bank 40 Group B (Friday 4th May)

Presenter: Ian Ward (also commentating)
Commentators: Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, David Lloyd, Nick Knight and Bob Willis

Yorkshire v Kent Spitfires - Clydesdale Bank 40 Group C (Sunday 6th May)

Presenter: Charles Colvile (also commentating)
Commentators: David Lloyd, Nick Knight, Bob Willis and Paul Allott

Middlesex Panthers v Gloucestershire Gladiators - Clydesdale Bank 40 Group A (Monday 7th May)

Presenter: Ian Ward (also commentating)
Commentators: Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, Bob Willis and Paul Allott

Sussex v Lancashire - County Championship Division One (Wednesday 9th May - Saturday 12th May)

Presenter: Charles Colvile (also commentating)
Commentators: Michael Atherton, David Lloyd, Bob Willis and Paul Allott

With rain on the opening three days, Sky had plenty of opportunities to dig into the archives.

One of these was the 1996 NatWest Trophy final between Lancashire and Essex. Sky only had four commentators - Mark Nicholas, Ian Botham, Bob Willis and Paul Allott.

This got me thinking about a few [very boring] things...

Would Sky have shown this live? Or was it just highlights, with it live exclusively on the BBC?... And if so is that why they only had four commentators, or was that then the norm even on finals?

Also, in the time I've been watching cricket on Sky Beefy hasn't ever done a domestic game. Did he do them regularly then and when did he stop?

Pretty sure it would have been exclusively live on the BBC. From 1995, Sky had exclusive live coverage of the ODIs and the Benson and Hedges Cup, with the BBC having exclusive coverage of the latter stages of the NatWest Trophy (and the Test Matches, of course). I think, too, that both shared live coverage of the Sunday League.

As was mentioned above I believe the BBC had live coverage of the Natwest Trophy final until 1998 when their contract went to Channel 4. It was only after this that Sky got a bigger foothold in the competition.

On the Ian Botham point, I believe his first ever game for Sky was a B&H game in early 1996/7 (possibly Notts vs Warwickshire) I don't think he has ever done many county games during the season though, just the odd few, which have become fewer as the commentary team has expanded

Cricket on Five is back this summer with the usual team: Nicholas, Boycott, Vaughan and Hughes.

Just a couple of queries about the coverage:

1. Do they have a sponsor this season? I've only been watching it via Demand 5 and there's no mention of one there, but I wondered if there was one mentioned on the linear TV coverage.

2. It's back in HD this year, as plugged endlessly on the programme. I know that it first came into HD for the 2010 England v Pakistan Test series, and believe that it wasn't in HD last year. Is this correct, and if so, does anyone know why this is the case?

Leinster V Ulster (Heineken Cup RU Final)

S4C - Gareth Roberts hosting pitchside from Rugby HQ (aka 'Twickers') with Dr. Gwyn Jones and Arthur Emyr as guests/analyst(s). Commentary from Wyn Gruffydd and Derwyn Jones.

On a side note Mark Nicholas is meant to be an integral part of Channel Nine's Olympic coverage later this year, so it'll be interesting to see whether he still covers the test against vs South Africa which clashes with the games.

BBC 2 NI: The Championship

Donegal v Cavan- Austin O'Callaghan is joined by Martin McHugh as he presents deferred coverage of this opening game from Breffni Park. Mark Sidebottom in joined in the commentary by one of Ulster's best known

Is 'Cricket Writers On Tv' not returning this summer? Expecting to see it this morning as it normally slots in as soon as the Sunday Supplement finishes for the season.

It's in the EPG for next Sunday morning.

Premier League Darts- Play-Off/ Finals Night- Thursday 17th May- Sky Sports 1HD/ Sky 3D

Dave Clark presented from Wembley with Rod Harrington & Wayne Mardle

Commentators

Whitlock v Hamilton : John Gwynne & Rod Studd
Taylor v Wade : Sid Waddell & Wayne Mardle

Final : Taylor v Whitlock : Sid Waddell & Rod Studd (1st Half)
:

John Gwynne & Rod Studd (2nd Half)