David Lloyd on the England squad for the first Test with Sri Lanka, rubbing shoulders with the stars at the BAFTAs and riding on steam trains with Bob Willis and Paul Allott. Vapormax 97 Italia ... The England squad was predictable. Another option would be that Jonny Bairstow bats five and Jos Buttler keeps wicket but Buttlers still at the IPL so thats put to bed.James Vince is a good pick, hell probably bat five. Theyve been looking at him for a while, hes got a century this season and hes a player whos improving all the time - a good pick. Then theres Jake Ball. I watched a championship game down at Lords, Middlesex versus Nottinghamshire and he bowled really well there, even though he didnt get any wickets when I watched him. But another lad who caught the eye was Toby Roland-Jones, he had a good solid action - very, very similar to Jake Ball and both of them bowl with good discipline. Toby Roland-Jones impressed Bumble at Lords As for the series as a whole, I would think that England are deserved favourites. Youve always got to factor in the weather and delays in the game but Id expect England to win this series comfortably and to win the Pakistan series comfortably too. That means they can get to work moving up the ICC Test rankings, theyre fourth and by the end of this Id expect them to have made a big move forward.This week also sees Mark Butchers documentary England in the 90s go to air and things have certainly changed since then. Wed had enough of playing catch up and central contracts were a vital part of the England Test team moving forward. Theyre now England players, I think everybody has accepted that now. It was difficult at the start, certainly in the 90s, David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, almost had to go cap in hand to the counties and ask if they could rest a player. Understandably, the counties said well were employing him but thats changed now and the England contracted players are exactly that.It wasnt the most successful decade for England but we were up against some wonderful opposition. We had a good side, make no mistake about it. In the late 90s England were a very good side but we were up against some world class performers. Shane Warne was part of a formidable Australian side in the 90s You look at the Australia team who were carrying all before them at that time with McGrath, Gillespie, Fleming, Warne - they had a wonderful attack. Then you had Pakistan with Waqar and Wasim, South Africa with Donald and Pollock, youve Ambrose and Walsh at the West Indies, there were some fabulous teams around.We had a really good team and sometimes wed come out on top, we had some good wins and we probably had some predictable losses. The disappointing loss would be losing in the West Indies 3-1 when I thought we were a better team than that performance, I thought we should have won that series - I was a bit disappointed at that.We did beat South Africa 2-1 in a five-match series, we hadnt played a five-match series for a long, long time and so to win that was a real highlight. We also manoeuvred away from the idea that Test team plays one-day cricket, we were trying hard to establish a one-day squad, a specialist one-day team. Back to the present day and Ive seen a couple of matches and Ive been really impressed by the cricket that Ive seen in County Championship Division One. There are some wonderful players, some really good teams, some potent bowling attacks and youve got to play really well now in Division One.Lancashire have had an excellent start with a good attack. Every team would say we need a good attack - well youve got Anderson leading the attack, Wagner, Jarvis and Kerrigan - thats a damn good attack. The top two teams are Lancashire and Yorkshire and theyve both got really good bowling units.Warwickshire will be round about too, I think theyre an excellent team and if I was making a favourite then Warwickshire would be my favourites. James Anderson has led the Lancashire attack so far this season Accrington Stanley have their first play-off match this weekend but Im still profoundly disappointed with the Stevenage result, we just couldnt get that ball in the back of the net - we just kept hitting the bar! We were all over them like a bad suit but we couldnt score and it was heart-breaking for the lads.John Coleman and Jimmy Bell will work hard to lift the players again and whats gone is gone, thats it. Our next game is Wimbledon on Saturday so we go again. We know what is expected of us as a team, we dont lie down and we will come again. Sky Sports won a BAFTA for the coverage of the 2015 Ashes series Elsewhere, we won a BAFTA last Sunday which was fabulous - mixing it with the stars! Walking up the red carpet, waving to people and they hadnt a clue who I was and rubbing shoulders with Lenny Henry, Mark Rylance, Peter Kay, Alesha Dixon. Oh by jingo, Ill never be the same again!I also went to the Sports Book Awards, Im short-listed for that, and then myself, Bob Willis and Paul Allott caught a train from London to north Wales and weve been riding on steam trains and walking. It was a bit like Last of the Summer Wine - Foggy, Compo and Clegg. Im the scruffiest so Im Compo.As well as that I was interviewed by Michael Parkinson at Lords for the Taverners this week and tomorrow Im going to the racing, a horse that Ive got an interest in is running at Thirsk. Im not telling anybody what its called though because itll stiffen the odds! Also See: Great challenge for Sri Lanka Watch England in the 90s Who is Jake Ball? David Lloyd Vapormax Scontate . According to various reports, the striker is about to sign a five-and-a-half year extension with Manchester United worth a reported 300,000 pounds a week that would see him at Old Trafford until 2019. Air Max 97 Uomo Saldi . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. http://www.airmaxscarpescontate.it/scarpe-air-vapormax-prezzo-basso/vapormax-uomo-saldi.html .com) - Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called Joe Flacco the NFLs best quarterback last week.SEATTLE -- Justin Smoak had already done his part by hitting a go-ahead double in the eighth inning. But when Fernando Rodney struggled in the ninth, it was Smoak who made another huge play to keep Seattle from blowing the lead. Smoaks two-run double put his team ahead, and his diving catch of Adrian Beltres line drive in the ninth turned into a game-ending double play as the Mariners held on for a 6-5 win over the Texas Rangers on Friday night. Smoaks double was crucial. It drove in the first runs this season for Seattle in the eighth inning and sparked a four-run rally for the Mariners. But his grab in the ninth trumped what he did at the plate. Beltres ball was hit so hard, there was no time for Smoak to think. All he could do was dive, stretch and hope. "I kind of blacked out there for a second. Just jumped and stretched as far as I could stretch and it went into the glove," Smoak said. Robinson Cano had a two-run double for the Mariners, who won consecutive games for the first time since the opening week of the season. Canos double was the only time the Mariners got to Texas starter Robbie Ross Jr., but they battered reliever Neal Cotts (1-2) in the eighth inning, scoring four times to end the Rangers win streak at three games. With no outs and the bases loaded, Smoak avoided the temptation of two inside pitches from Cotts and worked the count full. Then he lined a pitch down the left-field line and just out of the reach of Michael Choice, allowing Cano and pinch-runner Michael Saunders to score the go-ahead runs. Seattle had been outscored 18-0 in the eighth inning heading into Fridays game. The Mariners had not won two straight since their three-game sweep of the Angels to open the season. The Mariners rally started thanks to Cano, who led off the eighth with a single on the first pitch. Corey Hart worked a full count before being hit on the knee by Cotts pitch -- the fourth Seattle batter to be hit by a pitch -- and Stefan Romero loaded the bases with a bunt single. Thats when Smoak came through wwith his fifth double. Air Max 270 Donna Scontate. Kyle Seager added an RBI single and Smoak scored on a wild pitch from Alexi Ogando for a 6-3 lead. The Mariners ended up needing all those runs because although Rodney got his fourth save, he made it uncomfortable in the ninth. He loaded the bases with one out and wasnt helped when Smoak couldnt handle the relay from Cano on a possible double play early in the inning. Rodney then walked Choice and Elvis Andrus to force in runs and make it 6-5. Beltre hit a liner that appeared headed for the outfield. Smoak snared it and doubled Andrus off first to end the game. "Thats Fernando. Sometimes hes going to have you on the top step. In the end he gets it done," Seattle manager Lloyd McClendon said. "Probably not all his doing. We could have made it a lot easier for him if we turned the double play." Seattle relievers Dominic Leone and Yoervis Medina (1-1) bridged the late innings after starter Roenis Elias lasted 5 2-3 innings. Leones wild pitch that allowed Prince Fielder to score with two outs in the sixth was the difference until the late rally. Ross threw six innings, giving up six hits and two runs. He has gone 84 batters without issuing a walk. His lone trouble came when he hit Abraham Almonte with a pitch with two outs and then gave up a single to Willie Bloomquist. Cano followed by lining a double off the wall in left-centre, scoring both runners. It was his fourth double of the season and fifth extra-base hit. "Its frustrating because you want to get the guys before you have to face him," Ross said. NOTES: Texas C J.P. Arencibia snapped an 0-for-19 skid with a double leading off the third. It was his third hit of the season and first since April 6. ... Injured Seattle LHP James Paxton threw for the first time since straining a back muscle this month. Paxton threw from 45 feet. Injured RHP Taijuan Walker (shoulder) is expected to start throwing on Monday. ... Seattle Seahawks DE Michael Bennett threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ' ' '