CRICKET
The Ashes, starts 8 July
The sporting event of the summer as England bid to come back from the Mitchell Johnson-led 5-0 drubbing they were given in Australia. A fourth successive home win is up for grabs, after victories in 2005, 2009 and 2013, and despite recent upheavals England will go into the series hopeful they can regain the urn. They will look to good omens from Cardiff in the first Test where, at the opener in 2009, James Anderson and Monty Panesar held out for a thrilling draw on the final day and there are limited numbers of tickets available for the Swalec Stadium now. The Oval ballot has closed but the chance to enter the draw for tickets at Lord’s remains open until Wednesday. Trent Bridge is sold out bar the final day but Edgbaston still has availability for all days except Friday. Details at ecb.co.uk.
World Cup, starts 14 February
A long old trip to watch a form of the game in which England are struggling but with some guaranteed winter sun should a jaunt to Australia and New Zealand be in order. Good news if it is, as there are tickets still available (tickets.cricketworldcup.com) for all of England’s group games: against Australia at the MCG, New Zealand in Wellington; Scotland in Christchurch; Sri Lanka in Wellington; Bangladesh in Adelaide and Afghanistan in Sydney. For the latter, it will be a great event regardless of results, since it is the first time Afghanistan have qualified for a World Cup, having defeated Kenya by seven wickets in their final qualifier, a win celebrated in major cities across the nation. If it is a bit far, tickets for England’s ODI series against Australia after the Ashes are also on sale now.
Alternatively There’s also an Ashes challenge for England’s women, who start the defence of their title (21 July) with three ODIs at Taunton, Bristol and Worcester. A single Test at the Spitfire Ground in Canterbury follows and it concludes with three T20s at Chelmsford, Hove and Cardiff (tickets from the grounds). Equally, while Kiwis would hate to think of it as such, England men’s warm-up for the Ashes is two Test matches with New Zealand, an excellent chance to see how the team is faring. Tickets for the Lord’s Test (from 21 May) are via the ballot, as above, but seats at Headingley (from 29 May) are available now.
RUGBY UNION
World Cup, starts 18 September
There are still some tickets available and unwanted tickets can be sold back and will be put on offer to fans in the spring at tickets.rugbyworldcup.com. Admittedly, most of the primo fixtures are sold out and the remaining tickets are at the slightly more expensive end of the market but there are still chances to enjoy the World Cup live at: France v Italy (Twickenham, 19 Sept); Italy v Canada (Elland Road, 26 September); Ireland v Canada (Millennium Stadium, 19 Sept); Ireland v Romania (Wembley, 27 Sept); Wales v Uruguay (Millennium Stadium, 20 Sept); Wales v Fiji (Millennium Stadium, 1 Oct); Samoa v Scotland (St James’ Park, 10 Oct); France v Canada (Stadium MK, 1 Oct); Australia v Fiji (Millennium Stadium, 23 Sept), while the All Blacks can still be seen against Namibia (Olympic Stadium, 24 Sept) and Georgia (Millennium Stadium, 2 Oct).
Alternatively The northern hemisphere nations play warm-ups for the World Cup in August and September. Tickets go on sale through the usual channels of the respective Unions.
FORMULA ONE
British Grand Prix, 5 July
Nothing brings the crowds like a British world champion and understandably Silverstone will be more popular than ever. Mercedes will almost certainly again be dominant and that means Lewis Hamilton going head-to-head with Nico Rosberg at this marvellous circuit. It should be a thriller but there is also a chance to see Sebastian Vettel in his first season with Ferrari and how Fernando Alonso is settling in on his return to McLaren as they, in turn, welcome Honda back as engine supplier. Tickets are currently 10% off for three-day grandstand seats, with general admission priced at £175 for the weekend (silverstone.co.uk).
Alternatively Alongside Silverstone the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka (27 September) is one of the few remaining stone-cold classic circuits on the calendar, it is a unique experience and very reasonably priced. Early bird three-day tickets from bookf1.com available in February/March for the inside of 130R are only £60. Flights are expensive but budget hotels are common in Japan and good prices can easily be found. Local towns are generally booked up but nearby Yokkaichi is a short train ride away. Make a proper holiday of it with a seven-day Japan rail pass (£154) and take in Tokyo and Kyoto as well.
BEST OF BRITISH
British swimming championships, starts 14 April
The London Aquatics Centre, a 2012 Olympic venue, hosts its first British championships since the trials before the last Games. It is a great chance to see the scaled-down pool put to competitive use and also serves as the selection trials for the world championships in Russia in July. An opportunity to catch the potential stars of Rio 2016, such as Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, the 19-year-old from Bath who won six medals in six events at last year’s Commonwealth Games. Tickets will go on sale at swimming.org/britishswimming.
Alternatively Buoyed by the huge popularity of last year’s Grand Départ, the Tour de Yorkshire (1-3 May) is another chance to see top teams in action. A UCI-approved tour event, organisers hope to persuade top names to take part and bring something of the tour magic back to the county. Bridlington, Leeds, Scarborough, Selby, Wakefield and York host a stage. Full details are released on 21 January at letour.yorkshire.com.
GOLF
The Open, starts 16 July
Rory McIlroy defends the title he won magnificently last year, by two strokes ahead of Rickie Fowler and Sergio García, after leading at the end of every day. This year’s championship is at the glorious St Andrews, where his best Open finish was a tie for third in 2010. After an extraordinary start where he shot a nine-under 63 (only the eighth in Open Championship history) he was hit by the high winds on the afternoon of the second day and went eight over. That he came back to third was some achievement and should the weather stay favourable, in his current form a repeat of that first round is not out of the question. Day tickets start at £70 (parking not included) with a full week for £240. Details: theopen.com.
Alternatively Another golfer who had a superb 2014 was Charley Hull. Last year, at 18 years old, she won the European Tour Order of Merit – the youngest player to do so, a huge achievement confirming that she is an extraordinary talent. In 2013, she was the youngest player to compete in the Solheim Cup and she will no doubt be in action helping Europe defend the trophy at St Leon-Rot in Germany (18-20 Sept). Only a short hop away by plane, tickets are £43 per day or £127 for all three. Details: solheimcup.com.
FOOTBALL
Women’s World Cup, starts 6 June
The tournament in Canada should generate considerable excitement, despite being staged controversially on 3G turf, which has gone down badly with many players. Japan defend their title but Germany who are in top form will be hard to beat. England go in with an improving side who won all their qualifying games. A return flight to Moncton, where England play, is about £700 but the tickets themselves are cheap, if a little complex. Fifa is currently selling a stadium pass or half-pass, entitling holders to attend all or some of the games at each venue in the same seat. It is a novel idea and good for fans in Canada but not those following a particular team. For England fans a half pass will only work as their first two games are in Moncton but their final group game with Colombia is at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. They are available now, however, and as well as a discount for group purchases, give holders the opportunity to purchase tickets to the final. Individual match tickets will made available later. Details: fifa.com/womensworldcup.
Alternatively Watch the big guns battle it out in the Champions League final (6 June) at the historic Olympiastadion in Berlin, which was built for the Olympics in 1936 and hosted the World Cup final in 2006. Fans of the finalists will receive the bulk of tickets but the remainder will be open to public ballot, giving everyone a shot at a spot – details will be announced at uefa.com.
ROWING
World championships, starts 30 August
The qualification regatta for the 2016 Olympics seems a perfect excuse for a holiday. Heather Stanning and Helen Glover won the women’s pair at this event last year where, as well as golds for the men’s four and eight, the team also won the most medals with 10. This year, as Team GB hone their squad for Rio, the event is on the beautiful natural lake at Aiguebelette in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, easily reachable by air into Lyon, Grenoble or Geneva and the icing on the cake: it is free to spectators. Details: worldrowing.com.
Alternatively Again an expensive flight but inexpensive on arrival, there is a great chance to see the Birds Nest stadium put to the use for which it was intended as the world athletics championships take place in Beijing (starts 22 August). It is the largest event the stadium has held since hosting the 2008 Olympics and tickets ranging from £5 to £104 for a session will be made available at a date to be announced on iaaf.org.
