The real match
Tomorrow sees the start of England's third test against Sri Lanka — a contest arbitrary constant hopes will be high on the agenda of most of its readers.
For those that can't make it along to Trent Bridge, the Guardian's over-by-over (OBO) coverage will have to suffice. But it is here that you will find another fine contest — this one between arbitrary constant and one of its good friends. For each time a test match is covered by the OBO team, arbitrary constant (represented by Rich Watts) and its opponent (one Stefan Webb) fight to get the most mentions on the OBO during the course of the test.
Until the start of the England–Sri Lanka series, Stefan had recorded a 1–0 series victory by securing a mention (81st over) in the fourth test of the India versus England series. This was soon followed up by a strong start in the current series, with a mention (139th over) in the first test. arbitrary constant has fought back, however, and is currently leading 2–1 thanks to an immediate response (preamble) in the first test and a telling blow (search for "Soccer Aid" or look just under the advertisement) during the second test.
The third and final test, then, will be a tense affair — and one that will hopefully level the OBO series in time for England – Pakistan in July. If anyone else wants to join in the fun, please let us know who you are and we'll keep a look out for your contributions.
Update: Rich W takes a 3–1 lead in the series with a stunning mention in the 17th over of the morning session of the first test.
Filed in Sport