Sport
Is Harry Brook a good captain?
How cheering to realise that, as winter decides to make itself properly felt, the world of cricket has given us…
Can racing survive Labour’s gambling tax rises?
By the age of 13, Alex Wood was a virtuoso violinist, though he was later sentenced to seven years in…
What cost-of-living crisis? A day at the Newmarket sales
Inspecting yearlings in the rain at Newmarket last Thursday was a bit like looking at girls in the Windmill Club…
World rugby is changing for the better
It’s rugby, Jim, but not as we know it, as they nearly said on Star Trek. The Northampton vs Bath…
The day we welcomed the Queen Mother to our Lambourn pub
With the recent passing of Johnny ‘The Fish’ Ferrand and Graham ‘Brad’ Bradley, racing lost two of its most loved…
I find it hard to be outraged about the Man City saga
When the sonorous voice of Clive Myrie describes something as the ‘biggest sports story of the century’ in tones normally…
Rain never stopped play – cricketing feats of Victorian Britain
Enthusiasm for the game saw cricket played on ice or in ankle-deep mud – by fathers against sons, the bearded against the barefaced, and even by the one-armed against the one-legged
Why did a tech genius want to buy the most successful commercial stud in Britain?
Alan Brazil was an icon on the pitch for Ipswich Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Scotland. Now he’s a…
Face it: Frank Lampard just isn’t a good manager
As Spectator readers will surely be aware, many of the stories we read in the papers nowadays are there not…
‘Maybe I’m better when everyone hates me’: An interview with Oisin Murphy
‘I used to live with three jockeys in a small village called Dualla, near Cashel. They would watch the wrestling…
Letters: the insanity of Labour’s attack on private schools
Bad education Sir: Lara Brown (‘Class warfare’, 1 August) lays bare the baleful consequences – intended and unintended – of…
Americans, do your duty: support England
Soccer is not a quintessentially American sport. Just as Brazil is forever the country of tomorrow, soccer is always the…
Why does the UAE value British racing more than we do?
You might remember that I mentioned His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UK, a couple…
Buckle up for the smack-downs: the media behemoth that is modern wrestling
Part sport, part soap opera, part stunt show, part Hollywood franchise, wrestling is now a billion-dollar business
How to rescue English cricket
There was always something of John Cleese’s Sir Lancelot about Ben Stokes, ever eager for a flamboyant rescue mission in…
The joy of chucking little wooden blocks around
Neil Squires delights in the Finnish game of Mölkky, whereby players aim to knock over 12 numbered wooden skittles using a single throwing pin
Why are the Belgians so bad at football?
Whisper it if you must, but it looks as if Gianni (‘Today I feel gay…’) Infantino might have got it…
My first trip to Britain’s best racecourse
The importance of Royal Ascot can never be overstated. It was beautifully summed up by His Excellency Mansoor Abulhoul, the…
The Derby is the most interesting race of the year – and I missed it
In 1949, the 18th Earl of Derby revived the tradition of the Derby Club dinner in London, three days before…
Who cares if cricketers drink?
Cricketers Have Beer, Shock: well, who knew! This wretched incident in some joint in Chelsea involving Ben Stokes and Gus…
Might England just do it in the World Cup?
The World Cup has never been just a football tournament. Even if we don’t realise it at the time, it…
Why real Americans can’t stand football
It’s World Cup time again, and Americans from Bangor to Batavia don’t even bother to stifle their quadrennial yawns, while more fervent patriots are praying to…
I’ll be praying for Arsenal’s God squad
Looking forward to the World Cup? I do hope so. You can complain and say that a gargantuan tournament without…
Declan Rice is an island of decency in modern football
As all but the most tribal fruitcases would agree, Arsenal’s Declan Rice is an island of decency in the rather…
I admit it: I was wrong about the Premier League
Yes, of course, one sometimes yearns for the old days. The friend who, appearing in court on a charge of…
