1) Grand National weekend makes it obligatory to begin with Red Rum. Here’s his lesser watched 1974 triumph, the second of three, when carrying top weight; he became the first horse since Reynoldstown in 1936 to win in consecutive years. In that classic vein, here’s Foinavon from 1967 and Aldaniti from 1981. And here’s AP McCoy recalling the 2010 race, which he won on Don’t Push It; it was his 15th attempt at so doing. Going back through the decades, here’s Comply Or Die winning in 2008, Earth Summit in 1998, Rhyme ‘N’ Reason in 1988 and Lucius in 1978, after a blanket finish.
2) It’s raining outside so it must be time for cricket’s County Championship, which begins on Friday. Here’s Clive Tyldesley at the other Old Trafford in 1990, presenting some Roses action. Last season, Surrey’s Kumar Sangakkara, playing his final first-class season, made history by becoming the first player to score a century in five consecutive matches. Here he is, taking apart the attack of eventual champions Essex. And who can forget the incredible finish to the 2016 campaign, when Middlesex took their first title in 23 years after a Toby Roland-Jones hat-trick against Yorkshire on the final day of the season.
3) This advert for a £79 Lego bus commemorating Hearts’ 1998 Scottish Cup win is quite something.
4) Last week, the world of darts last week mourned the loss of Eric Bristow. The Crafty Cockney was the biggest name in the game in a pre-Phil Taylor world. Here’s the final leg of his classic 1980 World Championship victory over Bobby George, a match which cemented the sport in the public consciousness, and here’s his 1989 final defeat to Jocky Wilson. Bristow is also remembered for the one that got away: in 1983, he lost to Keith Deller when, typically confident, he chose not to go for bullseye in favour of setting himself up for double 16, assuming that his young challenger wouldn’t check out 138; he was wrong. And how about Arrows, the 1979 documentary about Bristow? It received a cinema release and was second feature to Bob Hoskins gangster flick, The Long Good Friday.
5) Roma players turn their dressing room into a seething mass of bouncing flesh after knocking Barcelona out of the Champions League.
Our favourites from last week’s blog
1) Some MLB base thievery: Kevin Pillar becomes the first ever Toronto Blue Jays player to steal second, third and home during their 5-3 win against the New York Yankees.
2) Wolverine and Les Miserables star Hugh Jackman faces Shane Warne in the nets and hits him for a six.
3) Another brilliant bicycle kick from the Marco van Basten showreel.
4) A miss to rival all misses.
5) And from last week’s Masters’ buildup, here’s Jack Nicklaus’s grandson, Gary Nicklaus Jr, sinking a hole-in-one while caddying for gramps during the final hole of the Par 3 Contest.
