The Masters
Fallen trees, a wash-out on Saturday and then it all came good. All the stories are around a handful of golfers who come into our living rooms at major championships (or at least do eventually – if you have Sky).
Rahm the gentle giant – Koepke – a similar player with none of the charisma. Continental rivalries – memories of the Spanish romance with Seve Ballesteros (born the day of Rahm’s triumph and winner of the Masters 40 years ago to the day).
Sport still grips us like nothing else
The National
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Royale Pagaille
Today is the Irish National in which I’m backing English raider Royale Pagaille , trained by Venetia Williams to shock the Irish in their own backyard.
Next week is the Grand National, which is still free to view – providing you’ve paid your TV license. It’s the same – jockeys, trainers and horses are front of mind for a few hours and then disappear to all but a cognoscenti.
We’ve been up to Aintree for three out of the last four years and will miss it this time. I have compensated with anti-post bets on almost every runner (and a few non-runners)
The Football
What a game – I mean Yeovil’s battling draw against Aldershot though you may have been watching Liverpool v Arsenal which I admit had a slightly higher quality factor.
LIVERPOOL ARE LEVEL!! 🔴
Firmino heads home! WHAT A GAME! pic.twitter.com/spjVnxAuV2
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 9, 2023
Whatever level you watch (or play), the back end of the season creates tension. This year, it’s like a spring, everything seems to be 2 months behind because of the World Cup.
Scotland did not let us down either. For Des, a 3-2 classic in the old firm, for Andy , Patrick’s 4-0 demolition of Queens Park. Dundee United beat Hibs on Sunday for Callum and only St Johnstone failed in the Plowman’s Acca – going down to fellow highlanders Ross County.
And the cricket
The story of Rinku Singh hitting five sixes in the last five balls to win the IPL clash for Kolkata Knight Riders over Gujurat is something again.
It’s a joy to start our weekly meetings on a Monday with a discussion of the weekend sport. Half of our team are living in India, half in or around London, sport brings us together.
Rinku faced probably the worst bowled final over in limited over history and his sixes are not things of beauty but the backstory is!
Reminds me of my fav moment from Moneyball “How can you not be romantic about baseball” /cricket after a match like this! Rinku Singh is 5’5″, experts make fun of him. He took janitorial jobs to make ends meet. Just smoked 5 impossible sixes off the last 5 balls to win it for KKR https://t.co/PT6ht1WEds
— Shalin Shodhan (@ShalinShodhan) April 10, 2023
KOEPKE thought he had won the masters and then remembered that real golfers have to play 4 rounds. Poor lad.