Category: <span>Sport</span>

The Formula 1 Season 2021 Comment

Leave a Comment / General, Sport / admin

Mercedes Have Only themselves to Blame

Foreword

I have just finished watching the last race of the Formula 1 Season in Abu Dhabi. Those who know me will also know that Formula 1 is one of my passions, and I will never miss a televised race if at all possible. My favourite F1 Racer is Nigel Mansell – who could ever forget his bravery and commitment and his hugely exciting battles on the track with other “Greats” like Ayrton Senna?

Contrast him with Michael Schumacher – a seven times World Champion – but not a “sportsman” in any sense of the word, winning at least two of his world titles by foul means.

I mention Schumacher because there was a real danger that one of the two protagonists in this year’s championship would resort to – let’s be polite – unfair methods to win the title.

Mercedes and Red Bull – the two Teams in Contention

The F1 Race teams are run by two individuals – Toto Wolf for Mercedes and Christian Horner for Red Bull.
I happen to like Christian Horner who is obviously passionate about his job, and backs this up with excellent team management – especially when team strategy is required. In many of the Races this season, the Red Bull race pitstop strategy has been exemplary – they have almost always made the right decisions.
Contrast this with Mercedes, where in several races in 2021, their pitstop strategy has been – to put it politely – questionable, and in my view have undoubtedly cost their lead driver his chance for an 8th World Title. There was no more glaringly obvious cock-up than in today’s final “winner takes all” Race.

The Contestants – Hamilton and Verstappen

I have huge respect for Lewis Hamilton as a Racing Driver and deserved World Champion, his seven World Titles matching Michael Schumacher. Although I feel that his personal opinions about life outside F1 would be better kept to himself, there is no doubting his racecraft and outstanding ability. Above all, he has a deserved reputation as a “fair racer”. He is in my mind the best F1 Driver out there, notwithstanding the result of today’s final race of the sesaon.
At this point I should make it clear that I wanted Hamilton to win.

Max Verstappen is another hugely talented driver, for whom I have great respect. However, his “will to win” is borderline kamikaze – and he will not back out of a confrontation which will result in an accident, even when he is the driver who should clearly give way – as most reasonable drivers who value life and safety would do. This is why I mentioned Schumacher earlier.

Abu Dhabi Race 2021

The Final Race of the season was as exciting and absorbing as one could have hoped for, but for the wrong reasons, as I will explain.

Red Bull’s Verstappen had put together an awesomely good qualifying lap (possibly with some help with slip streaming his team mate Sergio Perez) and started on Pole, with Hamilton in second.

Hamilton made a blistering start, overtook Verstappen into the first corner, and proceeded to extend his lead, as Verstappen could not make any impression. After some 20 laps or so, Verstappen pitted for fresh tryes, closely followed by Hamilton (Mercedes got that right – all they had to do was mirror the Red Bull pitstop strategy) and the race positions were then (1) Sergio Perez (2) Hamilton (3) Verstappen – at this point, Perez had not pitted.

The Value of a Good Team-Mate
As Hamilton inexorably closed on Perez, we were then treated to a fierce defence of the lead by Perez – some might say that the defence bordered on “dangerous driving” – but after holding Hamilton back for some laps, which cost Hamilton seven seconds of his lead over third placed Verstappen – the inevitable overtake was accomplished and Hamilton re-took the lead.

I have speculated many times on the value of a determined team-mate, for example Alonso‘s defending against Hamilton in an earlier race which allowed his Alpine team-mate Ocon to win, and possibly – in retrospect – denied Hamilton the World Champonship. Valtierri Bottas – Hamilton’s team-mate – has failed time and time again to put up any resistance in similar scenarios.

The Finale

Having passed Perez, Hamilton’s lead over Verstappen had reduced to under 2 seconds, and both drivers were now on hard tyres which could last until the end of the race. However, Hamilton started to pull away again, the lead extending lap by lap until it was some 8 seconds, a comfortable gap to defend. At this point, with only six or seven laps remaining, barring some major track incident, the race was Hamiltons.

Safety Car

Unfortunately for Hamilton and Mercedes, the young and relatively inexperienced Williams driver Latifi lost control of his car and slammed into the barriers, with about six laps remaining. This meant a Safety Car, and Red Bull took full advantage by pitting Verstappen almost immediately for a fresh set of soft tyres (the fastest compound)

WHY ON EARTH DID MERCEDES NOT FOLLOW SUIT ???????
This was where Hamilton lost the Race and the Title – inexplicable behaviour from the Mercedes team, which was later compounded by the Race Director, Micahel Masi, in an inexplicable “about turn”, allowing lapped cars to overtake the Safety Car, which meant that Verstappen regained second place immediately behind Hamilton, on brand new fresh tyres.

When the Safety Car pitted and the race restarted with only one lap remaining, there was only going to be one winner.

If I was Lewis Hamilton, I would be extremely unhappy with the Mercedes Team, whatever diplomatic language we may hear from him. A lack of strategic common sense from his support team has definitely cost him an 8th Formula 1 World Title.

Analysis – Final Pit Stop

Red Bull
There was only one option open to Red Bull when the Safety Car was deployed: Verstappen was never going to catch Hamilton if he stayed out with the Hard Compound Tyre. Bringing him in as soon as possible and hoping for an opportunity was a “no brainer”

Mercedes
The situation was admittedly more complex for Mercedes. Their driver had performed brilliantly, done all he could be expected to do, and the only scenarios which could prevent Hamilton from winning were either a car problem (maybe tyre related) or a Safety Car.

Earlier in the race, Hamilton’s engineer was on the radio asking which tyre he would prefer in the event of a Safety Car – Hard or Medium – which meant that they were at least alive to that possibility. This should have meant that strategies had been prepared.

However, once the Red Bull had pitted for new tyres, the Mercedes team seemed unsure what to do: there was TV footage of Mercedes mechanics appearing to be ready for Hamilton pitting, only to then return to the garage – this happened a couple of times while the race continued slowly behind the Safety Car. Presumably they then thought that it was too late to pit, and maybe the Safety Car would remain out for the rest of the race. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

If Verstappen had stayed out on track, and not pitted, the right decision would have been to leave Hamilton there too. However, the reason these guys at Mercedes are paid the “big bucks” is because they should be able to predict factors such as the actions of the Red Bull Team, the likely delay necessary to clear the track (the position of the crashed car) and the number of laps remaining in the race when and if the Safety Car was no longer deployed.

The correct decision would have been to bring Hamilton in for fresh tyres as soon as possible, and even before Verstappen, if the Pit Lane entrance had been available. Even if he then dropped a couple of places to Verstappen, he would still have had a fighting chance for the win. Once that window of opportunity had closed, they could only hope that the race would finish under the safety car.

Conclusion – An Unfair Result compounded by Inconsistency

The outcome of the final race of the 2021 season and the winner of the Formula 1 World Title was decided by a back marker crashing out of the race. Red Bull and Verstappen should be extremely grateful to Nick Latifi.

And Micahel Masi must go – there is no place for inconsistency in Formula 1 especially from the Race Director, He has lost the confidence of the Teams and many of the drivers.

Please feel free to add any Comment – see below. Did you watch the race?

The Formula 1 Season 2021 Comment Read More »

Sporting Events and Holidays

Sporting Events and Holidays

Sport is not only about playing – it is also about watching the particular sport played at the very best level, and I was lucky enough to be able to do this on many occasions.

During the ’80s and ’90s one of the perks on offer as a recognition for business from my Insurance Brokerage involved tickets and VIP treatment for top sporting events, which included Cricket, Tennis, Formula One, Six Nations Rugby and Horse Racing at Ascot and Sansdowne.

Wimbledon and the Queen’s Club
Wimbledon hosts the one annual Grand Slam event on Grass Courts, and the main Tournament is usually in July. I have been lucky enough several times to be in the “Tented Village” marquees enjoying strawberries and champagne, as well as being one of the many queuing for hours before occupying stall seats on Centre Court or Nos 1 and 2 Courts. As true tennis lovers will confirm, the point of being there is to get involved in the matches, and to try and get a seat which is behind the players rather than mid-court.
Queen’s was only a few miles away from home, and hosts a Grass Court Tournament every year before the main event at Wimbledon. Many of the top tennis players take part as preparation for Wimbledon, and tickets are much easier to obtain and the facilities for both players and spectators are excellent, and so some of my fellow tennis club members would organise a “day out”. Some were also members of the Queen’s club, and I remember on another occasion playing on one of the main courts as a guest with Richard Furber.

Silverstone F1
The F1 British Grand Prix is held at Silverstone at about the same time of year as the main Wimbledon event. Silverstone is situated in Northamptonshire, and so getting there from London requires some planning. On Race Day, the roads near the circuit are jammed with traffic. Because of this, it is preferable to have transport organised, and to be able to arrive by bus or coach, which I was lucky enough to do courtesy of the sponsors. Once there, the VIP package included private marquees lunch and of course, TV coverage. In truth, the noise and atmosphere of “live” F1 can only be fully experienced by being close to the Pit Lane and Paddock, and obtaining a vantage point which allows you to see as much of the circuit as possible. Otherwise, in my opinion, TV coverage provides a much better idea of what is actually happening in the race.

Lord’s, The Oval and Antigua Test Match Cricket
In London. we are fortunate enough to have two grounds for Test Match cricket, Lord’s and The Oval: The Oval was a few stops on the train from my home in Chiswick. Lord’s on the other hand is in St John’s Wood and when a Test Match is in progress, can take an hour or more to reach. I have been to both London venues on several occasions – both sponsored as a VIP and privately – to watch the England Team in action.
The best experience at Lord’s was as a guest of Charles Sayers father, who was a full member of the MCC which meant that we had lunch in the Members Dining Hall and other privileges.
The Oval is the ground for the Surrey Cricket Club and has Test Match status. Although it does not have the same history as Lord’s – which is also the ground for Middlesex Cricket – it was more convenient for me to attend and had all the amenities necessary.
Antigua – On one of my holidays which was in Antigua, I heard that there was a Test Match in progress at the Recreation Ground where the West Indies team were playing another nation (not England!) and so I spent one day there: the WIndies team was in the field and Courtney Walsh was the main “strike” bowler. The noise and atmosphere generated from the Caribbean crowd was quite unlike anything else I have experienced from watching a cricket match!

Twickenham and Six Nations Rugby
Twickenham Stadium is the Home ground for the English Rugby team, and was 15 minutes drive from Chiswick. I attended two or three international rugby matches played there, again with tickets and lunch provided by the sponsors although I cannot remember who the opponents were on those occasions. The facilities at Twickenham were comparable to those at Lord’s and the Oval, and I do remember attending one other event at Twickenham. when it hosted an Eagles reunion concert – one of my all-time favourite bands or groups.

Sporting Holidays
During the ’80s and ’90s, I went on several holidays which were primarily with the intention to play sport better – and take some exercise!

These included several tennis oriented trips within the UK – to Norfolk and Surrey – and one to Malaga in Spain, organised by the Riverside Club.

There were also a few holidays which featured windsurfing as the major attraction for me – amongst those were trips to Crete (Greece), Eilat (Israel) Bodrum (Turkey) and Antigua (in the West Indies). In Crete, Michele and I stayed many times at the Dolphin Bay Hotel, where conditions for windsurfing were good for beginners and intermediate levels, and my resident Windsurfer Instructor was a charming Greek called Stavros.

Sporting Events and Holidays Read More »

Sports Clubs, Friends and Tennis Buddies

Leave a Comment / Sport, Sports Clubs Friends and Tennis Buddies / admin

Sports Clubs, Friends and Tennis Buddies

Sports clubs – and in particular tennis clubs – have been really important to me. Apart from the exercise involved in playing sport both competitively and socially, it is a great way to meet people and make new friends, many of whom will share the same interests.

The first club I joined after I had moved to London, in 1976/77, was the Ealing Lawn Tennis Club. The club had great facilities and a large number of members. I did not find it to be a very sociable club but I was not there long enough to find out for sure, because I soon moved to Neville Road in the Pitshanger area of Ealing, where the local tennis club was the Brentham Lawn Tennis Club

Brentham Lawn Tennis Club

The club was in Meadvale Road and adjoined Pitshanger Park, within easy walking distance of my home at the tme. I was a member between 1978 and 1985 which coincided with the time period of my first marriage. The club was excellently run with a large clubhouse, and had grass tennis courts – which I preferred to play on whenever possible – as well as one or two hardcourts for winter tennis. They also had an active cricket team with home pitches, and the games I remember watching were of reasonably high standard. I played in one of the mens tennis teams for many years – the format was three doubles “pairings” per team and we played in the West Middlesex Tennis League, the aim being to win our “division” and get promoted to the next level – or to avoid relegation! I enjoyed my time there – it was a social club – but I do not remember any specific friends from that period.

Riverside Racquets Club

Although this club is now part of the Virgin Active Group, when I became a club member with my second wife Michele in about 1986, it was a privately owned club – part of the Beckwith Brothers property empire – and set up under the Business Expansion Scheme (BES), a scheme which I later used to raise finance for my Telecoms business. I had noticed the new club listed as a BES opportunity a few years earlier and had applied for a small number of Shares.

The club, near the River Thames in Dukes Meadows Chiswick, had every facility you could wish for in a modern Health and Fitness club, with dance studios, a fully equipped gymnasium, a large heated swimming pool with sauna room, and even a creche for overburdened parents. The tennis facilities were superb with indoor courts, outdoor courts with astro turf and even some clay courts – the only disappointment for me was that there were no grass tennis courts.

Friends from The Riverside Club

Tony Haslam The Manager of the club at the time and a great friend of mine to this day. Tony knew the Beckwiths personally, and under his guidance, the Club was well run and in excellent hands! Unsurprisingly, the club membership flourished – at one time I believe there were about 2,000 members – and Michele and I both met and became friends with some special people, most of whom like myself were entrepeneurial by nature.

Amongst those friends and tennis buddies were also:

Marcus Cullen
“Cynical and obsessive. Excited about things that change the world, skiing, mountain biking and surfing.” I was doing some research to see if I could find a Linked In profile for Marcus, or something similar, and came across the above quote for somebody called Marcus Cullen: if tennis was substituted in place of the other sports I would believe it was the Marcus Cullen I know from Richmond! The link provided does show that he remains very active in business, and still trading from his Kew Bridge Road property.

Marcus is a great fellow, and a very generous person: he is also an entrepeneur with some past experience in telecoms, and like myself, he has family history involving Africa. He is also a pretty mean tennis player with a wicked top spin shot – of which I was forever jealous! I remember him telling me one story about him (nearly) being drummed out of one tennis club for drilling a ball in the middle of one supposedly social game, which nearly took out the lady on the other side of the net! Michele and I socialised many times together with Marcus and his wife Claire.

Charles Sayer
Charlie probably knows more about me and my personal life and business history than any other friend, and I have covered our friendship in more detail elsewhere. He shares my passion for both cricket and tennis. Suffice to say that as my neighbour in Chiswick, we were both members of the Riverside, and played a fair amount of tennis together, including sometimes on our Sunday morning sessions when we were a player short – see below.

Fuad El-Hadery, Paul Webster and Mark Oppe
Fuad Paul Mark and myself made up a reglar foursome for Sunday morning tennis at the Riverside Club, which was followed by coffee and doughnuts and gossip. This went on for many years until I left the Riverside in about 2006, but I did invite them to the new club at Richmond so we could continue the sessions on grass courts! All three were great company: Fuad lived in Barnes and was a computer software consultant, and a very good friend and neighbour of Paul – who was/is a professional photographer specialising in the food industry with offices in Hammersmith. Mark was an independent consultant for various businesses in the Courier industry, and a keen sailor. He also played for one of the local cricket teams as wicket keeper. The last time I heard from him, he was on his boat in some exotic Caribbean location!

Carlo Vagliasindi and Bridget Hunt I met both Carlo and Bridget first at the Riverside Club, and they became great friends of ours. Carlo played tennis to a good standard, and we often played together during the week. Bridget, on the other hand, could be found in the Gym or in the dance studio. Carlo was from Sicily, and I think his family were well connected He drove at the time a black Ferrari, and I remember on several occasions all four of us proceeding at very high speed down the A3 road to one of the clubs where Salsa music and dancing was the chief attraction – both Carlo and Bridget (who was excellent) were “into” Salsa at the time, and I think that is how they first met Always immaculately turned out, Carlo owned an upmarket Men’s Clothing shop in Richmond: some years later they both invested in another upmarket shop called Danielis Gelateria which has had rave reviews and I can confirm that the icecream is outstanding! Bridget also has a strong “on-line” presence with her workout programmes, Six Pack Chick. As fellow entrepeneurs, I am glad to see that they have both achieved great success!

The Bevans – Chris and Fiona, Simon and Anne-Marie
Chris and Simon are brothers – twins if I remember correctly – and they both married very attractive girls who were formerly air hostesses! Chris and Fiona at the time lived near us in Chiswick, and became great friends. As I recall, Chris did not play much tennis, but they both used the other facilities on a regular basis – particularly the gym. Chris was an Air Traffic Controller for many years, and had a PPL (private pilots licence) and part ownership of a light Cessna aircraft (I think it was a Cessna) which was serviced at an airfield 40 miles out of London. Knowing my interest in flying, Michele and I were invited several times on private flying trips – normal destination Brittany, France. Just as my parents had done, Chris and Fiona work together on “doing up” properties using Fiona’s skills and contacts in design and property refurbishment. Simon Bevan was a Captain in the Royal Navy, and when I met him, he was doing a desk job at the MoD (Ministry of Defence) and pondering his future. We visited them and their daughter Lia at their home in Esher on several occasions, and I remember some particularly special “black tie” events that we attended with both Bevan families. I notice that Simon and Anne-Marie moved home in 2014.

Julian Feinstein – Deceased Julian was South African and formerly a professioal bodybuilder, with a great sense of humour. He lived in Richmond and was often at the gym at the Riverside. He was a terrific character, and he knew some of my previous friends and colleagues from Merchant Investors, in particular Chris and Jenny Efstratiou, and Robin Fielder. He was a Director of Robin’s company Leadership Development Ltd and a popular public speaker and motivator. Michele and I spent enjoyable times socially with him and his wife, and I was very sad to hear of his death in Feb 2016.

Team Tennis

The club had five teams of men’s tennis, playing in the same West Middlesex League as my previous club, Brentham: the first team had seriously good (young) players which often included our professional coaches. During my time there, I played in all five teams – on only one occasion for the first team when they were desperate, and short of a player. I seem to remember that my unfortunate partner was Marcus, and – unsurprisingly – we lost every set.

Richmond Lawn Tennis Club

After my temporary business set-backs in about 2002/2003, I left the Riverside Club and joined the Richmond Lawn Tennis club which is in Old Deer Park about a 5 – 10 minute drive from my home in Chiswick, and very close to Kew Gardens. There were other good reasons apart from financial considerations – Riverside membership was more than £230 per month. For the preceding 10 years or so the Riverside had for me lost the ambience that it once had. The facilities were still excellent, but the club itself was not the same as before.

The Richmond Club at the time had 9 grass tennis courts as well as hard courts, a large club-house (part of which could be rented for any event – I remember running an “open mic” music event there for several months) – a large car park, Cricket, Archery, Rugby fixtures in the winter months and – probably most important – the members were very sociable. Many of the members I played tennis with were also refugees from the Riverside Club. The only downside was that all courts were “outside” and so we were at the mercy of the English weather.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and again played tennis for the teams in the same West Middlesex League. Weekends in the summer were idyllic, when on a sunny day and armed with a Gin and Tonic or Pimm’s, one could sit and survey the various social tennis games under way, and check out the talent!

Friends from the Richmond Club

In common with the Riverside Club, there were many great characters at Richmond, but to name a few that I remember particularly well:

Jason Squire Jason is an entrepeneur like myself, and we did have an unsuccessful attempt at winning the club doubles senior tournament together. An experienced tennis player and all-round great bloke, I see on his LinkedIn Profile that he is also an author – something he never mentioned to me! I see also on Facebook that he has now gone south to live in Brighton and Hove and still playing tennis – good for you mate!

Andrew Billinge Andrew was a regular member of a mens doubles that we organised, and we played together many times. Another really nice guy, some years later he and his family – they live right next to the Richmond Club hard courts – visited Crete and stayed in the same Villa that I had previously rented, and so he understands better than most why I left the UK!

Colin Pow I lost touch with Colin but he was one of our regular foursome for men’s doubles. He has a twin brother Andy, and both were originally at Riverside Racquets. Despite being Scottish, both are all-round good guys and decent tennis players!

Peter Brook (deceased) Peter was a lovely man, one of the world’s true gentlemen, and we played social tennis together on many occasions before he became too ill to play. There is a Peter Brooks Memorial Mixed Doubles Tournament in his memory. Sadly missed.

Lee Neale Lee, another great character, is a Community Tennis Coach, and was on the winning side of the men’s doubles final that Jason and I lost – see above! Apart from his interests in tennis, Lee is a very talented guitarist and performer, which meant that we had more in common than tennis.

Sports Clubs, Friends and Tennis Buddies Read More »

Domain Buddy and Sport

Introduction.

Sports are very important to me. I am good at Sports – this is not immodest, but a fact: I have good hand and eye co-ordination, and have played just about every ball game possible. And I love the adrenalin produced by Sports – mostly playing, but also watching.

I have also met most of my friends through a shared love of Sport – particularly Tennis.

One of the good things about life in the 21st Century is that TV sports coverage is excellent, and I look forward immensely to watching international Tennis, Rugby and Cricket – and of course, Formula One.

I suppose my love of sport first started by throwing around (or kicking) a ball with my father, whose particular passion was tennis. In Uganda as a boy, I played some cricket before going to Kenton, my prep school in Nairobi, Kenya

At Kenton, I loved sport and was in all the school teams for Cricket, Football, Athletics, Swimming and Hockey. I was pretty fast over 100 yards, but pretty hopeless at the 440 and longer race distances . Roller skating in the school yard was also a favourite

At King’s School Canterbury, the love of Sports died somewhat – to be 4 foot 10 inches tall when your fellow inmates were a foot taller and three stone heavier was rather a disadvantage. The main games played were Rugby and Cricket (football was not supported or encouraged) but I did eventually make the school 3rd Cricket Team and played House Rugby. I also discovered Squash, where physical size was not so important, and had a very brief attempt at Boxing.

By the time I went to RAF Cranwell, I had caught up physically, and started to enjoy my Sport again. I went on to represent Cranwell at Cricket and Squash. I also played some tennis at a rather average level.

After leaving the RAF in 1972, and as life became more business and family oriented, team sports like cricket, rugby and football became much harder to organise, and apart from the occasional “friendly” cricket match, were no longer a possibility.

Because I needed the exercise, I turned to sports that one could do “solo”, or with a small number of other “playmates”: tennis became my favourite sporting outlet, together with clay pigeon shooting (thanks to Ron Hollett) and windsurfing. And of course, working out in the local gym.

Best Team Sporting Moment (Cricket):
Helping RAF Cranwell beat RMA Sandhurst at cricket with an unbeaten half century

Worst Team Sporting Moment (Athletics):
Failing to win the 220 yards at Kenton’s Athletic Day. Having won the 100 yards, and in the final of the 220 race, I was in 4th or 5th place on the outside bend with 50 yards to go, and I felt I had the energy to make a decisive break to the front of the field. For whatever reason, I decided to hold my position, and ended up losing the race. Of small consequence in the scheme of things, it is something that I still remember and regret – one of the “what ifs…” that everyone encounters in life.

Biggest Sporting Regret
Never learning to hit a tennis ball with topspin: all my shots were “old school” slice, which meant that whenever I came up against a half-decent player, I was annihilated! Also, because of my previous squash expereience, there was too much “wrist” in my strokeplay. Without topspin – as any tennis player will tell you – you cannot hit the ball with power, because any shot will go sailing out of the court. I tried to correct this later, with some coaching etc. but topspin is something to learn as a child, so that it comes to your game naturally.

Sports I have Attempted – with varying degrees of success.

Cricket – Stopped after skippering the RAF Marham Team 1972
Tennis – Still playing if I get a chance. Played for club teams in local West Middlesex league matches over 20 years.
Hockey – Played at centre in Kenton College Team
Football – Played on the wing for Kenton College Team
Rugby – Last played at RAF Cranwell inter Squadron matches. Fullback or Centre.
Squash – Last played at team level RAF Cranwell
Badminton – Played socially but nver really rated the sport.
Clay Pigeon Shooting – I owned three shotguns and particularly enjoyed the Sporting Shoots
Windsurfing – I found mastering the conditions difficult. Just about managed the water start. Far too cold for me as a UK sport, although I did try the local Queen Mary Reservoir
Water Skiing – More of a hobby – achieved mono-skiing – last attempted in Rhodesia 1976/1977
Snow Skiing – Not my finest hour – various holiday attempts – but better to start from the age of 3!
Swimming – At Kenton, school team for backstroke. Otherwise useful for windsurfing!
Boxing – Learnt the basics and had a few “fights” or rounds at Kings Canterbury
Formula Ford – Driving course at Snetterton, and drove at circuits Oulton Park and Donnington
Athletics – I was basically a sprinter – finest hour at Kenton College.
Horse Riding – My cousin Robin in Rhodesia kept horses. Finest hour – taking one of the racehorses called Brigadier around the Salisbury Race Track at full gallop.

Domain Buddy and Sport Read More »