Last summer, during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships here in London, I wrote this piece about the sport, focussing on the Grand Slams, the four major events in the tennis calendar: the Australian Open (January, in Melbourne), French Open (May/June in Paris), Wimbledon (usually June/July) and US Open (September in New York). It included Trivia Challenges,… Continue reading Tennis Grand Slams, an update
Like most people who first watched Test Match Cricket in the 1970s I have strong memories of the all-conquering West Indies teams that toured England in 1976, 1980 and 1984. My knowledge of Caribbean islands has its origins in the players who beat England so comprehensively on those tours. The 1980 series was more closely… Continue reading Word of the week: Barbados
If you follow a particular sport, and if you have children who also follow that sport, you can pass on to them the things you have picked up over the previous decades: experiences, resentments, wisdom. If your children follow football, you can be the person who explains to them the offside rule, or the difference… Continue reading 2 points per game
Last January, in this piece, I reflected on the way you feel when your team is knocked out of the FA Cup. This weekend, just like the equivalent weekend last year, my team (Leeds United) were knocked out in the 3rd Round. Today’s 2-1 defeat at QPR did not feel anywhere near as bad as… Continue reading When your team is knocked out of the FA Cup, again
We usually leave it late to buy our Christmas tree. For the second year running we did it on the Saturday before Christmas (23 December last year, 22 December this year), £15 for a healthy-looking 7-foot fir, or spruce, or whatever it is. I expected to pay more, but that’s all it was. One year,… Continue reading Supply and Demand, and Christmas Trees
A few little observations about English football, specifically about goal difference. Look away now if that’s not your kind of thing. This season I am spending even more time than usual studying football league tables, the Championship table in particular. Right now it shows my team, Leeds United, at the top, ahead of Norwich City… Continue reading Goal difference
For young athletes it’s the cross-country season. Our daughter started competing at athletics meetings late last year, so we are approaching the first anniversary of her first race. That was on a cold, wet Saturday last December and in a couple of weeks’ time, all being well, she will compete in that same event for… Continue reading Word of the week: spikes
For most of us who follow football here in the UK, the Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday changed the way that we keep up with the action on a Saturday afternoon. The rule about screening league and cup football on a Saturday is very clear and has been in place for my entire life: no… Continue reading “No action as far as goals are concerned”
Leeds United FC drew 1-1 at Millwall last Saturday thanks to a late equalizer by Jack Harrison. Harrison is on loan from Manchester City for the season. Back in 2010-11 Leeds had George McCartney (a Northern Ireland international) on loan from Sunderland. He played 30-odd games for the club. Before that, Aaron Lennon came through… Continue reading Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Leeds United
Back in July, on the day that the FIFA World Cup and the Wimbledon Tennis Championships ended, I speculated that the summer of sport had pretty much come to an end. I was wrong. There have been weekends since then when we have watched more sport on more screens than ever before. It kicked off… Continue reading The summer of sport really does come to an end
