Roaring Rory

What a dramatic Sunday at the Masters this week, as Rory McIlroy embraced his life work, emotional rollercoasters and good golf shots with exceptional, and at the same time, awful shots as he cruised to the win, gave it back and finally staggered over the line.

He became the sixth winner of the 'Grand Slam' and the first European to achieve the feat. Bobby Jones won a similarly rare accolade when he won the US Amateur and US Open together with the Amateur and the Open in 1930. He then went on to design Augusta National and instigate the Masters, and the Green Jacket winners prize.

Having spent almost 5 hours watching events unfold, it got me thinking about other sporting occasions which got the National off their feet either live or in their iwn living rooms. Here is my list, I am sure you can think of others.

Football World Cup 1966 has to be up there near the top, Botham's Ashes and Stokes World Cup winning feats lead the cricketing memories, and Johnnie Wilkinson going to extra holes to win the Rugby World Cup is also a contender.

There are probably Olympic events which others will add to the list, mostly athletics based such as the Coe and Ovett duels, the Mobot, Daly Thompson,  and  the women decathletes but also rowers Pincent & Redgrave, swimmers like Duncan Goodhew and Winter Olympians Torvill & Dean.

Finally I have to add Andy Murray to the list, he is almost more like Rory than Rory, but his Wimbledon winning  efforts had the whole Country united behind a Scotsman, no easy feat in itself!!

Lookalikes

Sir,

It has been brought to my attention that I bear an uncanny resemblance to ex-England rugby coach, Jack Rowell. This similarity was re-enforced on my recent trip to Lille, when a complete stranger engaged me in conversation and addressed me regularly as 'Jack'

I wonder if we are by any chance related?

Me and Jack


Sir,
I am concerned that I have been compared to a young Ian Botham, the ex-England cricketer and Sky Sports pundit. I wonder if by any chance he and Jack Rowell are related?

Ian and Jack

Sir,

Who is Paul Allott? Could he be their love child?

"The batsmans Holding, the bowlers Willey"

The third Saturday in July always means a day at the Lords test match, that's cricket for anybody viewing this from abroad. Its an institution I have been a part of, for almost as long as I can remember.

I first went with my dad in 1962, to see the famous West Indies side captained by Gary Sobers, and including the mighty fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffiths. England's Ted Dexter stood firm against them to score 86 runs and it was an innings widely regarded as worth more than the hundred which eluded him.

When the West Indies batted, Conrad Hunte, Roland Kanhai and best of all, Basil Butcher stroked the ball to all parts of the ground. I was fortunate to meet Sir Gary at a golf event in St Lucia a few years ago, and found him a pleasant, approachable and humble man. Struggling now with arthritic knees, he was still able to swing a golf club in the same relaxed manner with which he batted and bowled. He and Botham, who was also playing golf, still have it in all rounder terms for me, well ahead of Freddie Flintoff.

And in my 45 years (groan) of going to Lords, I must have seen them all. Great batsmen from all countries pitting their wits against equally great fast bowlers. Catches, sixes and subtle cricket have all been a joy to behold.

I have been privileged to watch several times from the boxes in the old grandstand and be treated to lunch and tea in relative luxury, but more generally I have been there in the company of good friends, both male and female.

This weekend my wife was there as she has been for neigh on 17 years. It was our first date then, and the first date in the diary now, ahh, and we joined with Figs and Goodwin for our traditional lunchtime going into teatime session. I met Figs about 30 years ago when we were both working in Croydon, and although he has been 'our man at Wimbledon' for a long time now, we still try to do the Lords gig as we have always done. I met Goodwin through Figs when he kindly put me and Neil Brown up in Singapore when we were doing the Far East in about 1982. That though is a story for another day.

The cricket is still the focal point , but the whole social event which surrounds it is equally important these days. Test matches are the ultimate test of skill and courage as epitomised in the past by Brian Close and David Steele, and the crowd are made up of true aficionados of the game.

While it is good that 20/20 cricket has wafted a breath of fresh air through the game, and embraced the younger generation, the fifty over side of things seems to be struggling to keep pace. The recent home Ashes series has shown how equally exciting the five day game can be and good cricket, good banter and above all good friends will keep it top of our Summer social calender for many years to come.