THE look of disgust and embarrassment on his face said it all.

It was Monday morning and one Halifax RLFC supporting reporter here was still trying to come to terms with his side's defeat at the hands of the Cougars on Sunday.

Full credit to Peter Roe and his side for the thoroughly deserved win against a Halifax side tipped for big things.

What rubbed salt into the wound for our scribe (James Gosling, mentioning no names!) was the fact he covered the game -- and was then hit by a stray ball as he made his way out of the ground!

I won't be mentioning that I'm a Halifax lad too and used to work for the club.

BRAGGING rights in the Roberts household are all mine after India's stunning capitulation in the Third Test in Mumbai.

England had gone 21 years without a Test win in India. But Flintoff -- who it seems can do no wrong at the moment -- coaxed a truly monumental effort out of his patched up side.

His restrained batting -- combined with Jimmy Anderson's international resurrection -- set up a win right up there with last year's Ashes heroics.

I don't think my wife (she of Indian origin) was best pleased when I emailed her the terrible 100 all out scorecard from the home side's second innings though.

Let's just hope we don't get a pasting when the one-dayers get underway, for my sake if nothing else!

I had to feel sorry for Steve Bruce as I watched him trudge dejectedly from the sidelines at St Andrews after Liverpool's 7-0 mauling of Birmingham.

When they spell the number out next to the scoreline, you know you've been trounced -- but his highly-paid, expensively assembled squad must bear the brunt of the blame. They simply gave up and I haven't seen defending that bad since I saw Jean Alain Boumsong play for Newcastle!