Holidays In Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire
Sport
Northamptonshire County Cricket. A bit in the doldrums of late but an evening of 20 20 Cricket is one well spent.
Leicestershire County Cricket. Doing better.
Northampton Saints. After a season in the lower league a couple of years ago, The Saints bounced back and had their best season since winning the Heineken Cup in 2000. Sadly, they misfired at the end of a season that had us only a few matches away from an improbable treble. Still, for a club that had only won one senior trophy in their history, they have managed two in two seasons and did it playing entertaining rugby.
I have a pair of season tickets which I can't always use and are, immodestly, the best seats in the ground. I can't always make it so, if you are interested, do ask as it is a shame to leave them empty.
Leicester Tigers. The Man U of rugby so we try to look the other way in our house when they do well which is rather often.
Northampton Town FC. The Cobblers are famous for two things; a run that took them from the bottom division to the bottom division via the top one back in the sixties and being on the receiving end of 'six of the Best' from George. It's good for the soul supporting a team that disappoints so consistently that any sort of win is a bonus. You can almost always get tickets on the day but things are not as bad as the days when they joked that a supporter, running late, called to check the time of kick-off. 'What time can you be here?' he was asked.
Peterborough United FC. The old enemy but a similar, local club, struggling to survive and who temporarily hit heights unknown in the region for 40 years. If only The Cobblers had beaten Grimsby in the playoff final of 1996 we too could have tasted the forbidden fruits of second tier footie. Mind you, Grimsby are now out of the league entirely and Peterborough only lasted a season so perhaps it is better to languish in comfortable but lasting mediocrity after all.
Peterborough have had my sympathy ever since a Mrs Beckham tried to sue them for using the name Posh. There's nothing posh about either but at least one party has a sense of irony. Indeed, did Peter Templer not tick off his wife for using the word in A Dance To The Music Of Time? But before I get carried away, in the same novel, a family is put down as the sort who would use sideplates... but I am drifting away from local football now.
Newmarket Races. Wonderful racing on the July Course in the summer and the Bunbury Mile for the Guineas. The summer evening meetings are a lovely way to spend an evening and there is a concert afterwards for those who like Jules Holland, West Life and similar stuff.
Towcester Races. The house might have been sold but the racecourse thrives. You don't get the top races here but it is a friendly, family oriented National Hunt venue where I won my first bet in 1968; Baton Rouge came in at 8 to 1 and I will never forget the thrill.
