Posted in Monthly update on Mar 3rd, 2014 No Comments »
Football A My interest in the round ball game is more than half-hearted, but less than full-on: mainly I confine myself to the Premiership and the pan-European club scene. The way the game is played nowadays is fascinating: the players achieve an amazing standard and there are times when one finds it difficult to believe […]
Posted in Monthly update on Feb 6th, 2014 No Comments »
John Porter of Kingsclere (1838 -1922) Wikipedia suggests that the great trainer’s father wanted his son to become a lawyer, but his son opted for the turf. When it was arranged that he should be apprenticed to John Day of Michel Grove, the fifteen-year-old John Porter drew up his own indentures. Anyone who has seen […]
Posted in Monthly update on Jan 8th, 2014 No Comments »
Racing 1 The Starting Jungle is fascinating. On Hennessy day at Newbury the 1.50 was a 17-runner hurdle race. The field came on to the course from the “holding area” in a long thin procession which set out across the track from the midfield, heading towards the stands – walking. When the leaders […]
Posted in Monthly update on Oct 28th, 2013 No Comments »
JUDICIAL REVIEW (PART 2) In my HARD WORDS article (Sport) I suggested that it would not be too late to seek a Judicial Review of the Government’s decision to pocket £90 million (half the sale price of the Tote) which by rights belongs to the racing industry. I now discover that applications for Judicial Reviews […]
Posted in Monthly update on Oct 2nd, 2013 No Comments »
The prophet Jeremiah never stopped castigating his fellow men for various shortcomings; to such an extent that quite soon (we’re talking about 600 BC) the average citizen took to the hills at first glimpse of the old soldier’s bristly chin. My plan is to practice sweetness and light in this Mupdate. The “hard words” can […]
Posted in Monthly update on Jul 31st, 2013 No Comments »
The Lions The ways of providence never cease to amaze me. A second judicial officer decides that Australian captain James Horwill did nothing wrong when he tap-danced on the upturned face of a Lion in the second Test. Therefore Horwill was eligible for the third Test. This travesty of justice was in one way a […]
Posted in Monthly update on Jun 24th, 2013 No Comments »
Racing Ascot is already a bit of a blur in my memory – there was too much going on, and I was constantly being distracted. My strongest impressions? I suspect that John Warren is helping the Queen to get more fun (and success) out of her racing than has ever been her lot in the […]
Posted in Monthly update on Jun 2nd, 2013 No Comments »
Racing 1. Just before the 2000 Guineas I was interested to hear a C4 voice saying: “There is no parade. The horses go down to the start one by one, passing the stands on their way. This is to avoid getting them stewed up by the preliminaries.” It’s ironic that in jump racing, whenever a […]
Posted in Monthly update on May 1st, 2013 No Comments »
Racing Liverpool Foxhunters and Topham Trophy. In both cases the starts involved two bad practices (close-packed formation and a period of uncomfortable rotation) and both races experienced false starts. Grand National. The two bad practices were omitted and the start was perfect. Scottish Grand National. The bad practices were re-introduced and the start was a […]
Posted in Monthly update on Mar 29th, 2013 No Comments »
Racing 2.40 Cheltenham. 12th March.”They’re whizzing round” and “ Such-and-such is sweating buckets.” Two of the comments from C4’s eagle-eyed watchers. Describing the scene,in the holding area, off the course, before the start, when two lines of eight, plus a few, were rotating at the “Watranter” pace, an ugly composite of the equine’s first, second and […]
Posted in Monthly update on Mar 3rd, 2013 2 Comments »
Football In view of rugby union’s ongoing “trial” of Television Monitoring of Foul Play (with the power to intervene instantly), it is interesting to see Sepp Blatter bouncing with excitement over his decision to implement Goal Line Television Supervision in soccer. I am always intrigued by the way Blatter talks a good game on the […]
Posted in Monthly update on Feb 1st, 2013 No Comments »
Racing Saturday 26th January saw the return of top class NH racing and another chance for the new look C4 TV to make an impression. This all came together at 1.50 when Clare Balding approached trainer Nickie Henderson and announced that ” racing’s on and we’re all raring to go!” She had failed to appreciate […]
Posted in Monthly update on Jan 8th, 2013 No Comments »
Most of the things I think about, this winter, make me spit with rage. Perhaps it’s something to do with the weather. However, putting that sort of stuff into words on paper does nobody a favour, so I am going to keep my rages to myself. Instead I will offer my public something that can […]
Posted in Monthly update on Dec 6th, 2012 No Comments »
England’s victory over the All Blacks was absolutely stunning. I don’t think they played better when they won the World Cup. The late great Carwyn James himself would have enthused over their performance. Its significance is like an iceberg – four fifths is invisible. Let me try to illuminate. The All Blacks came to Twickenham […]
Posted in Monthly update on Dec 1st, 2012 No Comments »
Rugby Union From what little I saw of the autumn internationals, we can look forward to a rubbish winter on a global scale. I have only two lasting impressions. South Africa reminded the world that, with the whole-hearted backing of the Old Testament, they continue to feel justified in inflicting GBH on such opponents as […]
Posted in Monthly update on Oct 30th, 2012 No Comments »
At the end of November, we will issue an account of all that has caught our eye during the month, for better or for worse – the good, the bad and the ugly. Without fear or favour. At the end of each subsequent month, unless the world gets frightfully boring, the same process will be […]