An Unexpected Tearjerker
When Chloe Kelly smashed in her penalty on Sunday night, I felt that now-familiar surge of emotion. Bottom lip quivering, lump in the throat, the whole works. I don’t know why this keeps happening in my latter middle age. Maybe it’s hormones. Or maybe it’s the same reason I get choked up when someone fixes a dusty old jukebox on The Repair Shop or when the movie ‘Up’ comes on at Christmas. There’s ...
After 13 years steering the good ship Oakley Cricket Club, I’ve decided that this season will be my last as Chairman. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, but it is one I’ve reached with peace, perspective—and, inevitably, a hint of sentimental wobbling of the bottom lip.
So why do we do it? Why do otherwise sane people give up their evenings and weekends to run grassroots clubs, often armed only with wit and an ability to ...
I’ll be honest—I know next to nothing about wine. My knowledge of reds and whites pretty much stops at the supermarket offers and which one gives me the worst headache. But since moving to the Test Valley some 10 years ago, I’ve seen more vineyards than chalkstreams, and that got me wondering: why on earth are we suddenly surrounded by grapevines?
Soil, Sunshine and a Bit of Luck
Turns out, there’s a bit of a quiet wine revolution ...
England lost on Tuesday. No one cared. Why?
There was a time — not so long ago — when international football was the pinnacle of a player’s career. Pulling on the shirt of your country was the ultimate dream, the highest honour, the ticket to immortality. It was where legends were made, where the game transcended club allegiances and players became national heroes and household names.
Now? Now it’s a logistical headache, a ...
Picture the scene. You’re an angler. You’ve lovingly and regularly caught a 50lb carp named Barry for half a decade. Barry’s more than a fish—he’s a legend, a slippery mirror carp with a fan base and a gut a barstool bullshitter would envy. Then, one frosty morning, you find poor Barry half-eaten on the bank, looking like he's been on the wrong end of a knife fight with a furry torpedo.
Enter the otter, Britain’s aquatic comeback ...
