Wimbledon, Silverstone and Henley - what a weekend for British Sport
Being a British sports supporter can often be something of a disappointment. Less said about recent football and rugby efforts the better. However, that doesn’t mean that we cant host cracking, world class sports events…. and sometimes even produce the odd home victory…
Take this weekend.
Wimbledon’s Mens Finals - not only is Wimbledon a staple of the British summertime but this year the epic Nadal / Federer final was about the most outstanding 5-hour 5-set nail biting game of tennis you could ever hope to see. Who cares that both finalists were from across the European pond? The TV viewing public clearly didn’t with a peak of nearly 13million viewers as it stretched towards the post 9pm final - well up on 2007. What shone through was great tennis at a great venue.
Silverstone Grand Prix - Again, a TV ratings winner up on 2007 figures with a peak of 6million viewers cheering Lewis Hamilton to his first ever Silverstone victory. Silverstone has been described as the spiritual home of Formula 1, drawing some of the largest crowds of all Grand Prix events and for Hamilton to offer up a racing master class there is a great day for British sports.
Henley Regatta - anyone who’s walked the length of the Henley race during Regatta week has enjoyed classic upper class Britain … post knee-length dresses for the ladies, chinos for the men, champagne picnics by the riverside, Great Danes dressed in rowing ties, Pimms on tap and even the odd burst of sunshine. Glorious. Who can say who actually won most of the events … we were too busy enjoying another brilliantly hosted British sporting event.
If the London Olympic Committee could just take a leaf out of these books - then 2012 will really be an Olympics to remember whether as host nation we cover ourselves in golden glory or not.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Wimbledon is rubbish - it’s for middle class housewives from East Cheam who don’t know the first thing about tennis. The fact that they care more about an injury prone Scot who’ll never win a Slam event and a 14 year old girl who’ll be forgotten within two years just about sums up their knowledge and interest in the wider sport. Ok so the Nadal v Federer final was a decent match but that had little to do with British organistation or those in the crowd.
Silverstone is rubbish - the spiritual home of Formula 1 has now lost the contract to stage Grand Prix because it has proved itself to be so inept over recent years.
Henley simply has nothing to do with sport.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
The reason we ‘Brits’ don’t do aswell as we ought to is because of the negative attitude of the cynics. Tell everyone what we can’t do is easy, but we do loads of things brilliantly. The whole world comes to SW19 for two weeks, why? The 14 year old can become a star, what she needs is more supporters and less detractors. We need more kids out there trying to become somthing, and not people dismising her and others like her. The reason why Silverstone has lost it’s crown is more to do with Greedy Ecclestone than racing., afterall Money Talks.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Is Wimbledon rubbish? Well, given the entire fortnight generated more interest and debate than most other recent sporting spectacles I’d have to say “no” it is actually rather good. Consider the “injury-prone Scot” who, despite being lower ranked and generally outplayed by his French counterpart in the fourth round, somehow managed to claw his way into the match (and on to the quarter finals) with the help of 15,000 British fans….Ok, so he lost to “Rapid-fire Rafa”, but surely there’s no disgrace in that?!
As for Silverstone - Lewis Hamilton managed to win his home-grand prix from the second row of the grid in terrible conditions. Wouldn’t you agree he gave us all something to cheer about and actually acquitted himself rather well (yet again)?
“Wimbledon is rubbish”, “Silverstone is rubbish”, is anything not?? Tim, please don’t tell me you’re one of those football fans that has spent the summer secretly yearning for yet another disappointment from the English football team……or do you think they are rubbish too? If so, we might actually agree on something!
July 9th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
I suspect Redgrave (5 times Olympic Gold Champion), Cracknell, Pinsent et al may strongly contest that Henley / rowing is a sport….
July 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Rowing - It’s not a sport, the only time anyone shows any interest in it is when it can be accompanied by drinking.
Formula 1 - It’s pushing the boundaries of the definition of the word sport! Sport is an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess. On the grounds that Formula One is sport then I want Guitar Hero and Sing Star to be classed as sports!
Tennis - A sport is for life not just for 2 wet weeks in July!!! No one cares when there is a Davis Cup match, Australian Open, French Open, etc… are being played, and just because something is happening in SW19 doesn’t make it a great British institution. I’m sure the great people of Wales, N.Ireland, Scotland, the North and the Midlands frankly couldn’t care less.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
As devout football fan I think it is healthy and refreshing to have other sports to distract you in the summer months. It makes you appreciate the beautiful game even more when the season starts again in August.
I do concur with Tim’s comments on the East Cheam brigade though. For many it is about participating in something that is intrinsically English and has little to do with their love of tennis.
I wonder if any of this mob will be tuning in come August when the US Open begins?
July 9th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
After regailing us with stories about how he nearly copped off with a middle class housewife last year but instead spent the night asleep under a boat trailer, my housemate (a policeman) brushed off his chinos and jacket - unwashed since the last time he wore them (Henley 07) - and headed off to Henley on Saturday morning. He left with the quote of the weekend, “I’ll be back tonight and I won’t be drunk”. He got home drunk at 7pm Sunday night looking like a lost tramp and having clearly slept al fresco again.
Rowing’s all chewing the fat, skin-tight lycra and quaffing champagne. Awful.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:10 am
‘Wimbledon is rubbish’? What twisted nonsense. I guess that’s what being a Spurs fan does to you.
I do, however, have an issue with the commentary. What on earth is Andrew ‘once ranked 80 in the world, total smarmbag, borderline racist’ Castle doing in the commentary box? How on earth to Messrs McEnroe, Lloyd et al stop themselves from screaming obsentities at him and/or punching his lights out? Perhaps it’s him drawing in those housewives from East Cheam? I would dearly love to unceremoniously shove him into a cannon and fire him back to the GMTV sofa, where he belongs.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Don’t you think its refreshing to see and hear about “sports fans” enjoying themselves, behaving and able to have a drink or two without causing a riot! Compare this to our national sport, football, and I think there is a lot that can be said about our other great national sports. Pity there are some people out there who feel they have to moan, gripe and bi*ch about any sporting activity us Brits try to host and pursue. Lets live in the dark ages, go to football matches, leave the kids at home and trash everything in our sight….
July 15th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Oddly it seems our more consistent sporting successes can be found in the arena of, well the pub actually..
Darts
Snooker
Poker
Lawn Green bowls