1) As you may or may not have heard, the Premier League starts this weekend, so let’s start with some memorable matches from opening days past. At the start of 1989-90, Michael Knighton played keepy-uppy on the Old Trafford pitch before Manchester United’s game against Arsenal, the defending champions. Heralding a new dawn, United promptly stormed to a 4-1 win with new signing Neil Webb scoring a belter, after which Knighton went on Grandstand to pontificate. Shortly afterwards, he was revealed to be a bluffer, around the same time Webb knackered his achilles, and not long after that United were flirting with relegation. In other frolics, Norwich marked the opening of the first Premier League season with a 4-2 win in front of Arsenal’s new mural, Mark Robins scoring a hat-trick; in 1983, “a thriller from the Villa” saw them beat West Brom 4-3; and in 1980, Spurs saw off the European champions of Nottingham Forest.
2) Jimmy Anderson celebrated England’s brilliant win over India with a round of golf; happily, his good friend Stuart Broad was on-hand to immortalise his skill for the benefit of a worldwide audience. Speaking of good shot: here’s Nick Kyrgios’s very good winner.
3) The American Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games delivered all manner of brilliance: here’s a great finish to a boys’ 1500m race; here’s Detroit TLU breaking the national record for 14-year-old girls in the 4x100m relay; and here’s 13-year-old Cha’iel Johnson running 55.89 for the 400m, then telling it like it is afterwards.
Cha'iel is going for the #AAUJROGames 13yo 54.7 national record tomorrow pic.twitter.com/kViogdVuvs
— MileSplit US (@milesplit) August 3, 2018
4) More from the kids, here’s a hat-trick every young defender dreams of.
5) Dani Ceballos takes a break from training with this trick shot.
6) On Saturday 8th September, Liverpool’s Darren Till will challenge Tyron Woodley for his UFC welterweight belt. Here’s Till explaining why he doesn’t care about his children, born or about to be born ... and here’s Joe Lauzon explaining a different perspective.
7) And finally, some football-related mirth: Grimsby start the season in fine style ... oh yes they do!
Our favourites from last week’s blog
1) A spectacular synchronised dive from the Reno 1868 FC v Saint Louis FC USL game.
2) In the Western Australia AFL derby match, West Coast’s Andrew Gaff landed a left hook on Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw, breaking his jaw and displacing three of his teeth. It probably stung.
3) And another glorious error from the opening weekend of the South African Premier League. Poor Wayne Sandilands of Orlando Pirates.
4) Some exciting finishes from last season’s AFL.
5) Base jumping from Kjerag, Norway.
Spotters’ badges: TheCedarRoom, whobroughtoranges, Peter Evans.
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