Gower is ‘being retired’ by Sky after the Ashes. His palpable kindness, making us feel safe in a sport that can be – especially to the uninitiated – a little intimidating, will be missedThe news that David Gower will be laying down his microphone – or, rather, unclipping the lapel mic from whatever elegant silk tie he happens to be wearing that day – caused a murmur of sadness in my family. He had retired from international cricket when I started watching the game, so my memories of him were never those of the golden-haired boy of summer. His batting was already being embalmed in nostalgia, a mosquito trapped in amber, its wings spread in an eternally stylish cover drive....
The bemusement of Liam Plunkett and co is understandable – their glory bid should be available to all on free-to-air TVThere has been a buzz around the England camp as well as a sense of puzzlement. They are in the semi-finals; they are playing well, though not flawlessly. Two victories over India and New Zealand, both easier than expected, have boosted confidence and clarified what they believe to be their best team in most conditions. Now they are kicking their heels until their semi-final at Edgbaston comes around on Thursday. It will be a long wait, though Jason Roy and Jofra Archer may welcome an opportunity to rest aching bodies.And the puzzlement? Well, like everyone else, the players have been...
The broadcaster wants to revolutionise televised racing – and is prepared to invest money and resources to do soThere are unlikely to be many mourners when At The Races officially expires at midnight on Monday. After all, and with all due respect to the television channel’s home in Milton Keynes, it is going to a much better place. Just short of its 18th birthday, the adoption papers were signed and approved earlier this year and from Tuesday, it is official. At The Races is part of the Sky Sports “family” now.The “At The Races” name is old enough for a PR executive with political ambitions called David Cameron to have been peripherally involved with the initial launch in 2000, when...
Racing UK track Salisbury survived an inspection but the channel have lost an important course after Chester signed up for Sky Sports RacingThe good news for Racing UK this morning is that the meeting at Salisbury has passed an 8am inspection and should proceed as planned, as it has escaped the rain affecting many parts of the country and none is expected before the meeting opens as 2pm. The bad news, however, is that two of its tracks – Chester and Bangor – will jump ship in March next year to join their big rivals At The Races, which will by then have been rebranded as Sky Sports Racing. If Chester cannot quite be called a jewel in the Racing...
Nothing damages a sporting institution quite so much as a name change but annuals were dying off long before the internetThere is a new theory, probably devised by researchers at one of the newer universities, that you can tell the approximate age of British sports followers by how they refer to what began as the Football League Cup, a competition that has gone under 10 different names in the past 38 years.Some of us resolve the problem by referring to it hardly at all. But if it’s anything, it has to be the League Cup. And in refusing to mention the sponsor du jour, I would say we are doing football a favour. Nothing damages a sporting institution quite so...