Your Daily Dose: 6 alternative sports commentaries
Just because the sports world has stopped doesn't mean your sports consumption has to. In this Daily Dose series, Kimberly Kwek looks at alternative commentaries.
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1 MARK CHURCH
BBC London commentator Mark Church has taken a different approach, commentating "live" on some of the most memorable classic cricketing moments.
He initially recorded these videos alone before roping in his mother and 10-year-old daughter Isabelle, whose musings have bowled over former and current cricket stars including Nasser Hussain, Kevin Pietersen and James Anderson.
Watch: bit.ly/2SxcbGR
2 NICK HEATH
Who knew that watching people cross the street could elicit the emotions that come from witnessing a scintillating 100m race?
Rugby commentator Nick Heath comes close with his riveting narration of people doing mundane tasks in London - anything from crossing the road to grocery shopping to a passer-by gazing off into the trees.
His videos, which are accompanied by the hashtags #LifeCommentary and #LiveCommentary, inject excitement into the ordinary.
Watch: bit.ly/2zbqIRp
3 MIKE BAGLEY
"Here they come they have completed lap No. 5," Nascar broadcaster Mike Bagley announced in a video uploaded to his Twitter page. "You've got Lexi in the lead, Louie trying to track her down."
For a moment, it seemed like the Nascar season had returned, but Bagley was just providing a play-by-play rundown of a race between his dogs Lexi and Louie as they chase each other around the pool.
Watch: bit.ly/2z35c1k
4 PHIL BOWERS
With the football season suspended, children have kept themselves busy by playing football in their gardens. Port Vale Football Club's community scheme, The Port Vale Foundation Trust, asked families to send clips of the garden goals, which BBC Radio Stoke commentator Phil Bowers has lent his voice to.
Watch: bit.ly/2WpZ0Zc
5 ANDREW COTTER
There have been some gripping rivalries in the history of sport: Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi, Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal and Muhammad Ali v Joe Frazier to name a few.
At a time when most competitions have stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a new rivalry has emerged: Olive v Mabel. In the absence of actual sports to commentate on, BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter turned to his two labradors - Olive and Mabel.
The Scot's dulcet tones have been a familiar backdrop in some of sports' most prestigious tournaments such as the Olympics, the Masters and Wimbledon, and he shows no rust in his latest work, delivering detailed analyses of his dogs wolfing down their food, fighting over a chew toy and going on a walk.
This short series of three videos has won the hearts of the Twitterverse, with his videos garnering over a million likes on the social media platform.
Watch: bit.ly/2W2lIrA
6 CLIVE TYLDESLEY
Now that the sporting world has come to a standstill, one of the most recognisable voices in English football, Clive Tyldesley, has found himself with a lot more free time. But to keep his skills sharp, the ITV commentator has entertained with his live coverage of various events in his household.
Having been ITV's lead commentator for the past 17 Champions League finals, one might think that the Englishman is more familiar with talking about silverware than kitchenware, but his coverage of his wife making lasagne proves otherwise.
He has also organised a Household Olympics, where he provides commentaries of himself tackling tasks like unclogging the shower. The 65-year-old has also turned his home into a golf course, which boasts bunkers (of coffee), water hazards and a roll of toilet paper as the hole.
Watch: bit.ly/2WmA30J
