A no-win situation

IT was a thrilling match in an electric atmosphere. Before the men's singles final began, a lusty chorus of Waltzing Matilda turned Wimbledon Centre Court into an Aussie outpost. Australians had turned out en masse to cheer Pat Rafter to what they expected would be his inevitable victory yesterday.

Goran Ivanisevic had other ideas, and made sure it was an historic day for Croatia. The Wimbledon wild card won in five sets, to the delight of his 4.5 million countrymen.

Our direct interest in proceedings had fizzled out the day before, of course. The semi-final exit of Tim Henman is now becoming as routine as England being thrashed in an Ashes Test. Or as normal as a northern hemisphere rugby team being turned over by its antipodean counterparts.

All of these sporting catastrophes have just collided, making for a depressing few days. The British Lions slumped to a record loss in Australia; the cricketers collapsed to an innings defeat in the first Ashes Test (with similar humiliation meted out to the women's team); and Tim Henman lost when he should have won.

It should be said that British sport is in a better state than these events and some pub cynics would have us believe. Before the Ashes, our Test cricketers had scored an impressive run of victories. Had they beaten Pakistan at Old Trafford, England would have won five series on the bounce.

The British Lions, depleted by injury, scored an impressive first Test victory over the Aussies. And despite failing at Wimbledon's semi-final hurdle three times, Tim Henman has transformed our attitude to tennis. We used to celebrate if one of our guys made it to the second day of the fortnight; now we groan if Henman does not make it to the last. That is testament to his ability and self-belief.

However, none of this erases the fact that we are, at best, second best. And, more often than not, the ones on top are from Down Under. Goran's victory over Pat Rafter gave them a rare taste of defeat.

It is not just in the aforementioned sports that this remarkable nation, population 19 million, is dominant. Australia were clear victors in the Rugby League World Cup last year. Two of Leeds United's brightest stars, Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, are Australian.

At Sydney 2000, Britain chalked up its best Olympic performance in 80 years. But a table of gold medals per million of the population put Australia fifth (they scored five more golds than us) and Britain 27th. Even in rowing, where Britons have previously excelled, our teams were beaten 4-0 in the finals of the Henley Royal Regatta. Who by? The Aussies, of course.

So why do Australians always win everything? "We don't win everything. It would be nice if we did," said Lincoln McCrae, an Australian batsman who plays for Thirsk in the Hunters Estate Agent York and District Senior Cricket League.

Much of the cricket success comes down to the inspiration of captain Steve Waugh who "would inspire his players to walk through rain, fire or broken glass for him".

Lincoln concedes that the better weather in Australia helps create a sporting culture. His childhood leisure time in Victoria was spent not in front of television and computer screens but out playing sport.

"You tended to get brought up with it. Most children's parents had something to do with sport. You got a fair bit of sport at school.

"We played every break and every lunchtime, before and after school. We would just play between ourselves with a bit of wood, or someone would bring a bat and ball."

In turn, this breeds the famous Aussie will to win. "We're just a little more confident," said Lincoln, 23. "I help coach the juniors at Thirsk Cricket Club in catching and things like that.

"At home kids want to catch everything, they want to try and be the best at fielding, the best at bowling and batting.

"Over here, they're not quite as competitive in general, although there are many kids who are excellent, and are willing to put a lot of time in."

This emphasis on youth and mental resilience will strike a chord with Colin Sanctuary. Colin is a lecturer in coaching studies and physical education at the College of Ripon & York St John. He believes we have neglected the mental preparation of our sportsmen and women.

To this end, he is researching a doctorate which will examine the motor and psychological skills cricketers require for success.

He is working with senior and junior players at several county cricket clubs including Essex, Glou-cestershire and Durham, and with international players. Hopefully, this research will identify gaps in coaching techniques that can be addressed. He hopes new programmes that work on players' focus and motivation could then be incorporated at junior and academy levels, covering the 15 to 19 age range.

It is crucial that the lessons are applied to the up-and-coming generation, he said. "As you get that little bit older, you are not as reconciled to change. If you can identify what's needed at the top end and put that in place at the bottom end, you hopefully will have a positive effect on the future of the game."

At the moment, England batsmen face the world's best bowlers too rarely and often too briefly. Mr Sanctuary wants to see virtual reality technology developed that would simulate this experience at coaching academies. Then young players could improve their speed of thought and action to world class standards before stepping out on to the pitch.

The importance of psychology in sport has been increasingly recognised in recent years. But more needs to be done to increase players' mental resilience, Mr Sanctuary believes.

"The emphasis has been based very much on the physical side. You have to be fit to take part, and we're not a very physical nation these days due to a cultural change. But the role the mental side's got to play has never been examined to a great degree."

Victory can be all in the mind. He cites the case of javelin star Steve Backley. Injured and unable to train for most of the season, he used visualisation techniques to prepare himself mentally for the World Championships. He came away with a silver medal.

Sport is taken more seriously in Britain these days, despite the sports minister, Richard Caborn, being something of a national joke. The Lottery money pumped into British athletics paid off with the Sydney 2000 medal haul (although grants have since declined). Various sporting academies and foundations have been founded, largely on the Australian model.

If the funding lasts and the academies work, we may be winners again. Only time will tell. Until then, there's only one riposte for the Aussies. Altogether now: "Sing when you're winning - you only sing when you're winning..."

Updated: 10:42 Tuesday, July 10, 2001