Today, for the first time since 1975, I watched the Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race from the bandstands by Dukes Meadows. I have seen the boats pass by from many different vantage points over the last 43 years, always on the north side of the river, but never from here. Back in 1975 Cambridge (the… Continue reading Boat Race memories
Since late last year I have limited the number of pieces that mention Leeds United, the team that I have followed since childhood, to two or three per month. These pieces have been recording the team’s efforts to return to the top tier of English football for the first time since 2004. Based on how… Continue reading Twists and turns
An entire Saturday and Sunday without witnessing a minute of live sport on TV: this is a rarity for us. From England’s game on Friday night (a 5-0 win at home to the Czech Republic) until the second half of this evening’s 5-1 win in Macedonia, I spent nearly 72 hours without seeing a kick,… Continue reading Two sporting hat-tricks, one good and one bad
Last summer, during the FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia, I wrote this piece about Lionel Messi, the Barcelona and Argentina footballer. I observed that in several hundreds of hours spent watching Messi and his rival Ronaldo playing for their respective clubs on TV I had never seen Messi score a goal in live play.… Continue reading Lionel Messi: the hoodoo is over
Here, for the fourth month running, is a screenshot taken from the BBC website showing the top of the Championship, the second tier of English football. Like the previous three examples this one shows Leeds United (the team I have followed since the 1960s) top of the table and Norwich in second place. Previous pieces… Continue reading Enjoying it while it lasts
Just like emirp and plangonologist, here’s another word that hasn’t made it into the Oxford English Dictionary yet: plogging. A note from my son’s school tells me that this week he will be taking part in his first plogging session, during PE, and explains: “Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter (Swedish:… Continue reading Word of the week: plogging
Here, for the third month running, is a screenshot taken from the BBC website showing the top of the Championship, the second tier of English football. Like the previous two examples this one shows Leeds United (the team I have followed since the 1960s) top of the table and Norwich in second place. I wanted… Continue reading More about goal difference, and 2 points per game
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
The Compartments 