by Rory Boyd
Friday 23rd March 2012, 15:51 BST
Someone once said that sport matters because it doesn’t matter. A sentiment which would suggest that all activities we may include under the term ‘sport’ assume a place within a sphere separate from all other human engagement which, for better or for worse, does matter. A sentiment which I, growing up on the terraces, happily adhered and conformed to, proudly aped as if it were my own. For this ideal confirmed all sport, and more specifical...
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by Rory Boyd
Tuesday 21st February 2012, 20:04 BST
The Dutch, I found out this week, are really into ice-skating. I mean really into it. In particular, they harbour a special affection for speed-skating and consider this winter sport to be ‘their own’. Speed-skating, whilst clearly a highly demanding exercise which must require years of practice and dedication to master, is not exactly my idea of Saturday afternoon television. However, on this dull grey February afternoon, as I flick th...
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by Rory Boyd
Thursday 9th February 2012, 14:21 BST
It’s (already) that time of year again. As the seasons slowly but surely begin to change, the mornings get lighter, we are welcomed in from the wintry weather by perhaps the world’s friendliest sporting event: the Six Nations. For one month, and one month only, we’ll all shuffle into pubs and bars to gesticulate at a TV screen more violently than usual, down more pints in eighty minutes than usual and pelt out our national anthems w...
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by Rory Boyd
Sunday 29th January 2012, 10:07 BST
Well, it’s been another busy week in sport and the biggest news would have to be the opening of the African Cup of Nations: a three-week long football tournament contested bi-annually by African nations who have earned their ticket prior to the finals via a broader qualification group stage. The tournament always enjoys a significant amount of media attention ...
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by Rory Boyd
Sunday 22nd January 2012, 16:29 BST
Thierry Henry & Paul Scholes
When I was young, back in the days when Scotland still played competitive games against the likes of Brazil, I had but one dream: to lead my hometown team, Dundee United, out onto the field as the Matchday Mascot. I was in awe of the idea. Meeting my heroes, sharing their pre-match tension in the tunnel before receiving the warm embrace of thousands as we entered the pitch, led by (little) me. On...
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by Varsity Blues
Monday 21st November 2011, 18:57 BST
The violence of ice-hockey in all its unregulated glory. Watch the referees...do nothing.
A most satisfying celebration.
Every sports centre should have one......
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by Varsity Blues
Friday 11th November 2011, 18:13 BST
Remember the days when Roger Federer could produce winners on tap? Well, this one’s not bad. Not bad at all
General FAIL
The approach track to the long jump is not a pedestrianised zone. Look behind you.
...
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by Chris Humpleby
Monday 7th November 2011, 16:07 BST
Despite the continuing presence of the whip debate, and the embarrassing Levy settlement that bookmakers and the industry finally agreed on after a year’s worth of negotiations this week, there have been plenty of positives over the last seven days. And it is these positives I am going to focus on, as it is becoming tiring watching bureaucracy and legislation overshadow the action itself.
Last Saturday saw the true beginning of the National ...
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by Varsity Blues
Wednesday 2nd November 2011, 20:10 BST
Deep in the foothills of Rochdale, this bitch likes to amuse her fellow pub-dwellers by retrieving darts straight from the board.
The Russians certainly know how to use their head in this one. Is it necessary? No. Does it look good. Yes.
"Oh, the Frenchman!"
...
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by Chris Humpleby
Sunday 23rd October 2011, 15:55 BST
It has been a while since I last wrote a blog for Varsity, but the racing world has certainly not stood still in the meantime. After a long and painstaking review over the use of the whip, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) recently introduced much more stringent rules for jockeys, including a maximum number of times a horse can be hit and devilish penalties for those who fail to adhere to the new legisla...
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