Dead or Alive

World Environment Day was not forgotten in Royal Circles either. Forests champion HRH Prince Charles launched a new web site for his Princes Rainforest Project. Saving trees one day, promoting cricket the next? These two interests converge nicely in the Australian Cricket Bat Willow Project.

By responsing to the increasing scarcity of Cricket Bat Willow - Salix alba var.caerulea - some canny Aussies set up one of those rare win-win-wins. A win for the environment (although I'm making a presumption on water); a win for business (with increasing global demand they must be literally quids in) and, sadly... (yet another) win for Australian cricket. And the Poms no longer have the opportunity of holding them to ransom by restricting supply. A level playing field indeed.