Could you please reword this sentence

[separanets]

Hello, unfortunatelly I'm not an expert in cricket so I need you help with this newspaper headline or so.



New Zealand newcomer Blair Hartland watches anxiously as his edge eludes the driving Allan Lamb.


1) Whi is Blair Hartland a New Zeland newcomer? He's become presenting a N.Z. team, right?

2) What does "the driving" mean?

3) What does Blair actually watch?

4) How can I say the sentence in other words without cricket terms?

Thank you.

[Casiopea]

You could also try submitting your questions here: http://www.cricinfo.com/feedback/ (New Zealand Cricket Information)

[separanets1]

If it is a joke, I can't understand it, I'm afraid. You could not have suggested that. I didn't know I would be so unwelcome here. I took me rather long to get registered here.

I think I will hardly visit this forum again.

[Casiopea]

Well, hopefully someone around here knows something about cricket. If not, and there's no reply to your post, it wouldn't hurt to look at other options, like searching for (a) Blair Hartland's stats, which by the way list the teams he used to play for (i.e., the reference to "newcomer"), and (b) a cricket dictionary of terms (i.e., the references to "edge" and "drive"). Take the initiative, as well as responsibility for your own learning.

All the best,

[separanets1]

So, you suggested it, because there hadn't be any reply for a long time? Then I take my words back. I am sorry. Still, it looked like you ping-ponged me to a website, that was not dedicaded to English Learning, I'm sorry, again. You could have clarifed at least 2) & 3), I believe.

Well I found what it might be (a guy from Canada helped me):


1) it means Blair is a new member of the NZ team.

2) while

3) He watches Allan's unsuccessful performance

4)
It's not a well written sentence, although probably in context it'd be fine. One grammar problem is that it's not clear if 'his edge' refers to Blairs or to Allan's. Probably it refers to Allan's.

Without any context:


Blair Hartland, a newcomer to the NZ team, watches anxiously as Allan Lamb, who is trying very hard, can not find his usual skill.

[Casiopea]

I see. Thanks. So, Blair is pitching the ball and Alan is driving or batting, right? Blair's edge, his skill at pitching, doesn't phase the batting Alan Lamb. Is that right?

New Zealand newcomer Blair Hartland watches anxiously as his . . .

'his' refers back to Blair Hartland.

[separanets1]

Blair's edge, his skill at pitching, doesn't phase the batting Alan Lamb

That's exaclty what I guessed. Their skills are incomparable to make a success. Thank you. The main thing I've brought up is that cricket is not as popular as I supposed.
Thus, the idea of going on with some cricket things doesn't seem to me very nice (any more).

Thanks again.

P.S. It can't send back my password because it says that my email, (any email actually) is written incorrectly, so I will have to re-registrate as many times as I will forget my password. :) Plus, it locks my typing for 15 min.

[Casiopea]

Oh! How dreadful - about giving up cricket , and your password . Well, you know where we are, separante1, so hope to see you back soon.

[separanets1]

I'm back. Well, I found a line again and I can't understand something in it.
This is from

G. K. Chesterton: The Wisdom of Father Brown
7. The Purple Wig

Here's the paragraph:

His life was a series of distracted compromises between the proprietor of the paper (and of him), who was a senile soap-boiler with three ineradicable mistakes in his mind, and the very able staff he had collected to run the paper; some of whom were brilliant and experienced men and (what was even worse) sincere enthusiasts for the political policy of the paper.



I understand "a senile soap-boiler" means, like, "an old pepper-box" or something, but what do these "three ineradicable mistakes in his mind" stand for? What exactly did the author want to say? The proprietor was an old marasmic man with very diligent people and with what else?. Unfortunatelly, in transaltion into my native language this line about three mistakes is ommited. :(
So what are your thoughts on that?

I'm sorry I've edited

here's the story itself
http://www.literaturepage.com/read/c...brown-103.html

[Casiopea]

That's excellent news. Great!

Since your recent post is a different topic from the one we're on, it would be beneficial if you could re-post it (copy and paste it into a new post), with a new heading, so that others here can reply as well. We've talent here at UsingEnglish. Get the full range. Repost.

See you again after you re-post.

All the best,