John Pilgrim: Top of the world, despite the riots

AS I am sure you are aware the England cricket team are officially number one in the world and well done to all concerned I say.

The dog and I did no housework during the four days that the fourth test was played. Actually Gemma doesn’t do any housework even when there is no cricket on TV but she does like watching the ball racing to the boundary, which makes her a proper English Springer.

What with all the other bad news being reported from around this country of ours I was glad to be able watch two teams playing a game at the highest level and still being sporting about it.

It’s true that people get steamed up from time to time that’s understandable but nobody crossed the line. I’m not saying that all the other sports are crammed with cheats but it was refreshing to see the way the Indian players handled their disappointment.

It all came at a time when people around the land where roaming the streets setting fire to shops, cars and anything else that stood in their way, stealing just about anything they could lay their hands on and putting ordinary innocent people’s lives at risk.

Quite how we have reached this unhappy stage in our country I can’t say. I do know that it is too simple to blame the police or the Government or the schools and parents because we are all to blame one way or another.

There where some things to hold on to. Tariq Jahan, whose son died in his arms after the car ramming in Birmingham, standing up to the crowds saying he did not want the death of anyone’s family members to be used as an excuse for even more violence was inspiring and very brave.

We have to hope that we are all able to do something to help England get back on a firm footing again.

It was also interesting to hear that the Prime Minister intends to do something to help the most vulnerable in our society and “120,000 troubled families”.

I do hope that this statement doesn’t preclude single people and elderly or handicapped people just because they are alone.

It’s a pity that the government didn’t do this before; perhaps the riots would not have happened.