Posted in Sport on Jul 15th, 2012 No Comments »
I weep for the waste of talent so far. I weep for the tragedy which may well lie ahead. Am I over-reacting? Judge for yourselves….. Here is a young warrior. He has courage, he has skill. More to the point, he is taller and stronger and has a longer reach than almost anybody in his […]
Posted in Sport on Jun 2nd, 2012 No Comments »
The Grand National, first run in the middle of the 19th century, developed into the ultimate test for horse and rider, over a long distance and across what used to be described as “a stiff country.” That’s what it was there for, and perhaps that is still what it is there for: a test to cater […]
Posted in Sport on May 20th, 2012 No Comments »
. Haydock Park.12th May 2012 2.00 Hurdle Race 3 miles 18 runners 3.40 Hurdle Race 2 miles 19 runners The runners stayed on the track throughout the preliminaries before both of these races. This was good, because it eliminated the quite legitimate “Am-I-going-to-be-left-behind?” worry which is so often a feature of races with big […]
Posted in Sport on Apr 15th, 2012 No Comments »
(BIG FIELDS, CHAOS) Aintree, 2012 Thursday. I watched the Foxhunters, a big field, with I think two false starts. Amateur riders, and I am sure management will claim that everything that went wrong was the riders’ fault. Management chooses to ignore the fact that at Cheltenham the best start of the week (with a big […]
Posted in Sport on Mar 18th, 2012 No Comments »
The first race on the Wednesday of the Cheltenham Festival (I had been otherwise engaged on the Tuesday) was the National Hunt Chase, with 20 runners ridden by amateur riders. This was likely to be the perfect example of the current starting system at its worst when dealing with a large field. As I have […]
Posted in Sport on Mar 4th, 2012 No Comments »
In the past, steeplechasers cantered down to the start, then walked round in a circle behind the tapes while tack adjustments and similar preliminaries were attended to. All this in an atmosphere of calm and quiet that suited the horses, their jockeys, their owners and trainers, and the public. This system proved satisfactory for two […]
Posted in Sport on Feb 25th, 2012 No Comments »
Mr Paul Bittar’s reaction to the whip problem has been a marvel to behold. One “Comment” in the Racing Post said “He’s the best Ozzie to come to England since Scobie Breasley.” Absolutely right. He may even turn out to be in the Bradman class. Let us not forget that the whip business is merely […]
Posted in Sport on Jan 21st, 2012 No Comments »
Throughout the Whip Debate so far I have been intrigued by occasional expressions of concern, within the racing community itself, about the public’s “perception” of racing’s Animal Welfare (AW) arrangements, and about the possibility of legal action launched by those who think that racing’s performance is not up to standard in that department. I found this […]
Posted in Sport on Oct 26th, 2011 No Comments »
No jockeys featured on the BHA’s Whip Rules Committee. Membership was restricted to BHA insiders. The functions of most of them suggest that they were Disciplinarians. (See BHA website). The most interesting member of the party is Dr Tim Morris, BHA Director of Equine Science and Welfare. His details read as follows: “A visiting professor […]
Posted in Sport on Jul 18th, 2010 No Comments »
Throughout the world sport is under siege from criminals who wish to corrupt it in order to enrich themselves through the agency of worldwide crooked gambling and other ramifications of a sinful nature. We are not talking peanuts here. The vastness of the numbers involved has become truly impressive since globalisation became a reality. Certain sports have […]
Posted in Sport on Jul 4th, 2010 No Comments »
For the first eight games of his Wimbledon semi-final, Murray played Nadal like a smart angler outwitting a less than brilliant fish. He achieved this by guile, subtlety and consummate skill, without ever resorting to brute strength. The rapier rather than the bludgeon. These endeavours were magnificently supported by a first serve which was often unplayable […]
Posted in Sport on Dec 23rd, 2009 No Comments »
I have always known that Carwyn James was the greatest rugby coach ever (his Lions’ tours were both successful and his Welsh club Llanelli beat a touring All Blacks side). I also knew that not everybody liked him – he was never coach to the Welsh national team because the men at HQ didn’t like […]
Posted in Sport on Jul 30th, 2009 No Comments »
In the third Lions’ Test, the wretched Springboks wore armbands in support of one of their forwards, who was banned for a misdemeanour in the previous test, and the International Rugby Board (IRB) charged them with an improper gesture. Big deal! For the last ten years to my certain knowledge, up to and including the […]
Posted in Sport on Apr 2nd, 2009 No Comments »
The FA is within touching distance of football paradise, but refuses to pop the question, tie the knot and live happily ever after. I wonder why. As things stand at this moment, every television viewer in the land knows everything that happens on the field of play, often beyond dispute, always immediately, and usually with the benefit of […]
Posted in Sport on Nov 25th, 2007 No Comments »
All at Donec are of Celtic origin, and usually indulge in a certain amount of hilarity when England suffers, but the dismal situation of her football team demands a multinational approach, so we are all pitching in. Who is responsible for England’s dismal record? Chief among the suspects is the FA, an odd group who seem to […]
Posted in Sport on Apr 26th, 2007 No Comments »
From our Sports correspondent. The time has come to tackle the weird and wonderful world of English Cricket – before it’s too late and the national side embarks on the next stage in its downward spiral. What right have I got to pontificate on a subject as arcane as the realm of leather on willow? […]
Posted in Sport on Mar 30th, 2007 No Comments »
From our sporting correspondent: In Sport 3, I referred to the disappointing form of the England football team. Since then we have had the game against Israel, which caused tumultuous wailing and gnashing of teeth like you wouldn’t believe. Also the Andorra game, which did little to change the public’s perception of how things are. […]
Posted in Sport on Mar 22nd, 2007 No Comments »
I know nothing about football, but I watch the best games fairly regularly ( International matches, European club competitions, also the top teams in the Premiership). One thing particularly intrigues me: the England team is made up of players who perform magnificently, week in and week out, in the Premiership. When they play in international […]