But anyone intent on running a flourishing sport cannot ignore the increasingly essential part television will play

But anyone intent on running a flourishing sport cannot ignore the increasingly essential part television will play in its future. And whereas the TV companies are in a courting mood nowadays there will come a time when more calculating judgements will be made about audience potential.Formula One is entitled to think that it will retain its mysterious grip on a large slab of viewers even when it is fitted into whatever slot ITV has planned. But today's British Grand Prix, on a prime summer Sunday with little competition, does not appear to have the makings of a stirring race. Indeed, one of the candidates in last week's election to replace the International Cricket Council chairman, Sir Clyde Walcott, has a plan to cut down the number of drawn matches which involves restricting the first innings to 120 overs.

By no means was it being quickened by the cricket at Trent Bridge where the Third and decisive Test against India died a pauper's death as a sporting contest. This was especially disappointing on Sunday when, with play at Wimbledon so intermittent, England's innings brought the game a perfect opportunity to promote itself. They allowed it to trundle past us like an ox-cart.It is ironic that Euro 96 left us with a controversy that is still bubbling in the readers' letters sections of the newspapers. Football's penalty shoot-out method of settling a drawn match brought so much dissatisfaction in the final stages of the tournament that everyone has a pet solution.

My plan to use the corner-count to break the stalemate brought easily our biggest postbag of the summer and I'm happy to report a majority in favour. More to the point is that at least the penalty shoot-out is a positive attempt to solve the problem and no one can argue against the drama it produces.Cricket appears not to be troubled by any urgency in that direction. The second week of Wimbledon did manage to imprison the eye for a few days but, by and large, our summer activities are proving less than arresting and prone to being overshadowed by the prospects of our winter games, particularly as rugby union is busy throwing its new professional weight around with an endless stream of millionaire takeovers, big transfers, massive television deals, double-crosses and a threatened collapse of the game. If you had to take the nation's sporting pulse last week, you would have found it somewhere between Alan Shearer's whereabouts and the future of the Five Nations. The true pavlova starts with a meringue case filled (not topped) with soft fruits, topped with cream and the passion fruit pulp Len Clarke Uxbridge, Middlesex. Political unwillingness is not the only obstacle obstructing serious steps towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and consequent climate disturbance ("West breaks its promises over global warming", 7 July).