Entertainment
The Ashes’ Urn: The Story Behind One of Sport’s Most Iconic Trophies


When you think about some of the most iconic prizes in the world of sport, the FIFA World Cup trophy, the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Single titles, the Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy, the Open’s Claret Jug and the Masters’ Green Jacket are some of the accolades that initially spring to mind.
Many will argue though that the urn awarded to the victor of the Ashes deserves a spot on that list. While it is only contested between two nations and might not be the official trophy given to the winner of the Series, nor is it as glitzy and glamorous as some of the aforementioned pieces of silverware, the four-inch accolade still has huge significance.
With England currently hosting Australia in this year’s renewal of the competition, which the visitors are now heavily favoured to win in the Ashes odds 2023 as they hold a 2-1 advantage over Brendon McCullum’s side with two Tests left to play, now seems like the perfect time to take a look at the origins of the urn and how it has become the centrepiece of one of sport’s greatest rivalries.
Australia win in England for the first time
The urn and the term ‘the Ashes’ actually both originate from a newspaper report following Australia’s victory over England at the Oval in August 1882. It was the first time the hosts had been beaten by the Aussies on home soil and British paper The Sporting Times wrote an obituary, saying: “In affectionate remembrance of English Cricket, which died at the Oval”, later adding: “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.”
England presented with the urn
Not long after the mockery, England travelled Down Under for a tour of Australia and the visiting captain Ivo Bligh vowed to return home with the ashes. While playing a match in Melbourne, he was gifted the terracotta urn — which different legends claim either had the ashes of a burnt bail, ball or stump inside — by Lady Janet Clarke and it remained in his personal possession for many years before his wife gave it to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) upon Bligh’s death. It is now found in the museum at Lord’s.
Replica urns
The original urn is extremely delicate. In fact, to preserve it and ensure it survives the trials and tribulations of time, it has visited Australia just three times since Bligh brought it back to England — once in 1988, again in 2006 and then as recently as 2020. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the urn hoisted aloft by the winner of the Ashes every two years is merely a replica.
The official trophy
Believe it or not, there wasn’t an official trophy given to the winner of an Ashes Series until the late 1990s. The MCC were aware of the need for a physical piece of silverware and commissioned a Waterford Crystal trophy in the shape of the original urn. The stunning and elegant trophy was first presented upon the conclusion of the 1998-99 Series, with Australia captain Mark Taylor the first man to get his hands on the prize.


Entertainment
5 Tips on How to Be Better on Table Games


Losing on a game that you love playing can be stressful. Everyone wants to be better at playing their favorite game and improve their skills to increase their chance of winning. Some table game players think what they’re doing is enough, but little do they know, they still have room to improve.
One way of improving your skills and being better at playing your favorite table games is to read up on some tips. So, if you’re ready to up your game and be the best, here are five tips to consider following.
Learn the Game’s Rules
The first thing that you must do before playing a table game is to understand its rules. Learning the rules by heart will also help you improve at that particular game. You need to keep in mind that knowing and understanding the rules of a game is the best way to increase your chance of winning it.
It also helps you learn the game’s mechanics, which is important in creating an effective strategy to increase your chance of winning. If you also know how the game works, you will determine if it’s the right game for you.
When you examine the rules of the game, one of the things that you will figure out is the Return to Player Percentage or RTP. It indicates the amount that you can get if you win the game. If you think the RTP is too small, consider skipping the game and look for another to try out.
Practice Makes Perfect
After learning the game’s rules, the next tip you must follow is to practice the game. Like with any other game or sport, constantly practicing will help you strengthen the pattern you discover as you play the game.
You can familiarize yourself with the game even more, which is a huge help when you want to design a strategy that could help you win. Additionally, by practicing, you will also find the mistakes in what you’re doing and can correct them.
The more you practice, the more you see and eliminate the mistakes, leaving you with a seamless pattern and strategy that increases your chance of winning. You can play table games like blackjack online and make it your practice session. Online table games offer bonuses to players that can be used to play and practice any table game you want to learn.
Establish a Strategy
The next thing that will help you become better at table games is to have a strategy. A strategy will prepare you to counter your opponent’s move and maximize your resources, leading to winning the game.
One way that a strategy can help you win is that it’ll always make you one step ahead of your opponents. Moreover, a good strategy can help in decreasing the house edge and increasing your chances of winning.
Even if it’s just a basic strategy, it will significantly impact the outcome of each game you play. So, before you start playing you must create a strategy first to increase your chance of winning the game you’re about to play.
Avoid Chasing Losses
If you had a streak of bad luck, it’s best that you stop playing. Many people tend to bet more and play more to chase their losses which is a big “no-no” in table games. If you chase losses, you will only exhaust your bankroll, which in the end, will make your finances suffer.
Most players who chase their losses are desperate. So don’t be like them, and learn when to stop. It’s one of the vital things that you must always keep in mind if you want to be a better table game player.
Be a responsible gamer, and stop playing when you feel like you’re becoming desperate to win after losing continuously. The reason behind this is that your judgment will be clouded by your losses, so you can’t make a good decision that affects your game negatively. As a result, you will experience more losses and more frustrations.
Take a Break
The last tip you should always remember is to take a break. Playing a table game can be stressful as you must use your mind throughout the game to win. Therefore, it’s not bad to stop and give yourself a break before continuing.
It doesn’t matter if you’re playing online or in real life, but playing any game is mentally and physically exhausting. If you’re playing for too long, your concentration and decision-making might not be as reliable as when the game started.
Moreover, taking a break occasionally will also help you stretch your bankroll and time spent playing. You can always go back to the table and play the game again after you have rested for a while. Grab a snack or a drink and relax your mind, then you’re ready to play again.
Bottomline
If you want to improve at your favorite table game, consider these five tips above. Stop what you’ve been doing and consider changing your ways to increase your chance of winning any table games you play.
Entertainment
Roy Hodgson: The Transformation of Crystal Palace Culture


Crystal Palace Football Club has enjoyed a highly successful transformation under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson. In 2017, Hodgson started working with the team. He made them feel good and excited about playing football again. He gave them the ambition to try their hardest and make their dreams come true.
The First Steps Towards Success
When Hodgson took over at Crystal Palace, he inherited a squad that was struggling on the pitch. The team did not do well and finished 16th in the English Premier League. This made the players feel unhappy, and they were not sure what to expect from their new manager.
Hodgson quickly set about changing this by bringing in his own staff to help implement his ideas and philosophies. He also began making small changes to encourage players to remain focused on achieving success.
Hodgson’s approach has enabled Crystal Palace to create a more positive atmosphere. The team is acting more confident and professional. They are also showing respect for each other. This has made the team do better in their games since Hodgson joined the club.
With Hodgson’s leadership, there is optimism that Crystal Palace can continue to improve in the coming seasons. The team has been doing better for the past two years. They have an experienced coach now, and they are ready to keep doing well and even do better. Supporters are encouraged to visit 1xbet site for more updates on their progress.
The manager is a good example for the players. He knows how to win and he has lots of experience managing different teams. This helps the younger players learn and do better in matches.
Roy Hodgson has made a big change at Crystal Palace. He helps the players do their best and gave them the tools to do well in future seasons.
The Impact of Hodgson’s Leadership
Coach Hodgson made sure that everyone was treated with respect. Everyone felt important, and this made them work together to reach a goal. This created trust in the team, and it helped them play better on the field.
Hodgson helped the team work together. He told everyone what was expected of them both while playing and not playing. His philosophy was to work hard and be skilled. This has made Crystal Palace one of England’s most successful teams since he joined.
A New Hope at Selhurst Park
Perhaps even more important than any tactical or technical adjustments made by Roy Hodgson, however, is how he has bolstered belief within the dressing room at Crystal Palace – both amongst players and supporters alike. It is now commonplace for fans to chant “Come On, You Eagles!” as they witness their side challenging for European qualification year after year, something which would have seemed inconceivable prior to Hodgson’s arrival at Selhurst Park Stadium back in 2017.
Under Mr. Hodgson’s leadership, Crystal Palace became only the second team in Premier League history to win seven games in a row away from home. This is something that would not have happened without Mr. Hodgson’s strong leadership. He changed the attitudes of the team and pushed them to do more than anyone ever expected they could do.
Conclusion: The Legacy That Continues Today
Roy Hodgson made a big difference at Crystal Palace. He helped change the culture and performance of the team. People will remember him for a long time after he leaves. His influence still matters today and will stay important in the future. He is an example for other managers who want to learn from his legacy – it should never be forgotten!
Entertainment
Is the Three Musketeers Story about to Go Mainstream Again?


The release of a new Three Musketeers movie earlier in 2023 and the promise of a second installment later in the year have put this story of heroic swordsmen back into the spotlight. Could this make the 19th-century tale by Alexandre Dumas one of the year’s more unlikely success stories?
How the Three Musketeers Have Captured Our Imagination Over the Years
While various versions of the original book have remained popular over the centuries, many of us are familiar with his historical adventure thanks to the various movie versions. 1921’s The Three Musketeers was a silent version featuring Douglas Fairbanks that was followed by many other attempts. 1993’s light-hearted version starring Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland is perhaps the most familiar to modern viewers but the Musketeers also feature in 1998’s The Man in the Iron Mask starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
We’ve also seen these dashing characters appear in other parts of popular culture over the years, including TV shows, board games, and theatrical presentations. If you play online slots for real money, you’ll see a Musketeers Heroic Spins slot by Core Gaming. Like other slots, it’s based on the idea of getting a winning sequence of matching symbols, with the main characters among the most valuable images. This game is featured alongside many other slots based on diverse themes that are present in popular culture, from vampires to pirates and so on.
A Summary of the Movie
The most noteworthy Musketeers movie in 2023 is a French production directed by Martin Bourboulon, while there’s a British version directed by Bill Thomas which is described as a stripped-back, low-budget effort in this review. The higher-profile French movie stars François Civil as D’Artagnan, while Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, and Pio Marmaï play the three Musketeers and Eva Green takes on the role of Milady de Winter.



This review of the French film confirms that it’s an entertaining affair with plenty of fight scenes and great attention to detail in terms of the setting and the clothing. However, it suggests that the script lacks a satisfying sense of character development. The review also expresses some concerns over the way that the camera gets in too close for comfort during some of the fight scenes.
The second movie in this two-part series is called The Three Musketeers: Milady and will be released in December this year. As the most expensive French production of the year, hopes are high that it marks a new era of popularity for the Musketeers. Both movies are short on digital effects, with the director aiming for an authentic look that’s shown in the unusually dirty costumes and faces that we see.
With a couple of spin-off TV series named Milady Origins and Black Musketeer also planned, 2023 looks set to be a massive year for this story. While many modern viewers will be aware of the Three Musketeers to some degree, this could be the introduction of movies and TV shows about them for a lot of people. If the movies are a success, we can look forward to hearing a lot more about D’Artagnan and the other characters in the next couple of years.
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