9 minute read
THE ROUNDUP
Jeremy Smithson-Beswick nds out how professional athletes, and those closer to home, are keeping motivated and t. You might be surprised…
TEN WHOLE WEEKS and still we fi nd ourselves in sporting purgatory 8nless tennis or golf are your bag, obviously. Which, at the risk of alienating a fair proportion of you, is of no help to me as I’m at that di cult age too young for the latter and too old for the former. 6o this month we focus on what the rest of us have been doing instead to keep active and happy.
At least we’ve had a rare opportunity to feel sorry for (but only a teeny bit and temporarily of course) somebody we more often envy the professional sportsperson. )or a change, they’ve had it toughest of all, poor bunnies, losing both their leisure and work occupations simultaneously and, with the gyms closed as well, they’ve had to resort to fi nding increasingly novel, not to say eccentric, ways of maintaining their fi tness. )or example, with typical disregard for those of us less fortunate, many of the privileged and overpaid footballing community treacherously worsened those early lockdown shortages by taking part in a global keepyup challenge on social media with loo rolls instead of balls. Barcelona’s /ionel 0essi and 0anchester 8nited’s Aaron WanBissaka have particularly impressive tube control but the most amusing, especially if you’re not a /iverpool fan, is a spectacularly incompetent -amie Carragher. <ou’re just a Tuick internet search away from a modern classic. 0eanwhile -onny 0ay, soon to leave Tigers to return to *loucester, seems to have completely lost it, taking to Twitter to post ´4uarantine training adaptation – 1ordic +amstringsµ complete with a video of him doing strange things with elastic bands and a window frame to the tune of ´(ye of the Tigerµ whilst 1ew =ealand’s cricket captain .ane Williamson can be found on Instagram deliberately edging the ball off his bat to give some slip catching practice. To his /abrador. -olly good at it the dog is too very safe mouth. (It’s a tennis ball, should you be reaching for a phone to call the R6PCA). Talking of tennis, our own number one player, -ohanna .onta, picks up on the canine theme by lifting weights on <ouTube
Instagram @johannakonta
accompanied by a somewhat superfl uous and bored-looking dachshund. But the wackiest work out award of all goes to USA Olympian long-distance runner and silver medallist Paul Chelimo (second in the 000m fi nal to Mo Farrah, no less). Finding himself deprived of a running machine he resorted to putting washing up liquid in his bath. Yes, I do mean so he could run on the spot on the slippery surface. “No treadmill, no problem. Tough times call for tough measures” he said defi antly through gritted teeth – or would have done, if he’d had any left.
Closer to home, our local sportspeople have variously covered themselves in glory and in shame. In a story covered widely by the national press – the only sensible course would have been to treat it as a hoax otherwise – a lighthearted online knockout tournament set up for village cricket sides to compete for the title of best-supported team had to be abandoned due to vote rigging, backhanders and fake social media accounts. It’s true! One team in particular was singled out for criticism. The organiser, Leicestershire & Rutland League’s Mike Barber, said “Sadly, some individuals have decided to not enter into the spirit of the competition as it was intended. It was meant to be a bit of fun.”
Good grief, what were the culprits thinking of? It just goes to show how one can lose all sense of proportion under lockdown. 1ever has the saying ´The devil fi nds work for idle hands” been more apposite. However, at the risk of a multi-million pound lawsuit, I can assuage our community shame by pointing out that Egerton Park CC is at least ten miles outside of Rutland.
Surely innocent of any such shenanigans is the saintly Oakham CC who, in their 150th anniversary year, put their unexpected spare time to better eff ect by deciding to celebrate the milestone by raising £1,555 (and counting) for the food banks in Oakham and Stamford with a cycling and running challenge. The target was a total of 614 miles – the distance from their ground to The Grange, Scotland’s international stadium where team member Rob Taylor played international cricket, and they made it in just a week. Their JustGiving page is still open by the way....
Plaudits as well to Bourne’s rugby and cricket clubs who joined together in a competition they called the “Battle of Bourne” to see which squad could run the furthest in thirty minutes in aid of the NHS. The cricketers duly won, a result that will be of no surprise to anyone familiar with the average speed of your typical rugby forward. Some are deceptive though (even slower than they look).
Given that most sane people regard lubricated bathroom fi xtures as too dangerous how are the rest of us to keep body and soul together? Apart from the ubiquitous jog, which for many is no more than a slog, most normal avenues remain resolutely closed. Last month I recommended 6port (ngland’s ´6tay in – Work Outµ website which is packed with videos, free off ers and advice from the likes of -oe Wicks and others. It continues to add content and now also covers outdoor activities and sections for children, adults, the elderly, able and non-able bodied, expectant mothers and so on. If you are motivated to give something a try, there’s bound to be an answer here for you somewhere, so no apologies for giving it another plug.
Rugby fans might be more drawn to the Tigers’ site where you will fi nd its )it)ans initiative. As well as some good overall advice there are new sessions posted weekly with previous ones available by scrolling through the news section. Noisy kids? Stamford RFC have a free workbook available for download for the younger enthusiast.
If all else fails, just dig out one of your precious loo rolls. At least you’ll have more than an even chance of out-performing a certain ex-Liverpool football pundit, even if you’re a Labrador.
Spotlight on tennis Stamford Tennis Club shines a light on the sport
ANYONE CAN PLAY tennis, whatever your age or ability, that’s the great thing about the sport. Tennis is good for your physical and mental health. It can help lower body fat while improving muscle tone, strength and fl exibility. Playing a game of tennis will release those happy endorphins to help you feel great. It is a fantastic way to spend time with your family, friends and to meet new people.
Tennis is a descendant of a medieval game that originated in France, called 'Jeu de paume' – game of the palm. Players used their hands to hit a ball back and forth. The game we know today was fi rst defi ned with a set of rules written in the 1870s.
In its simplest form, tennis involves two players or teams of two, on a court, using rackets to hit a ball to each other over a net. The aim of the game is to hit the ball over the net so your opponent cannot return it within the court markings.
There are eight basic shots for a tennis player to master - serve, forehand, backhand, volley, half volley, lob, overhead smash and drop shot.
It is played on four diff erent surfaces, grass, clay, hard court and carpet (or artifi cial grass) with grass regarded as the fastest surface to play on.
The ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and the ITF (International Tennis Federation) operate the global professional tours.
The four Grand Slam tournaments are considered to be the most prestigious tennis events in the world. They are held annually and comprise of the Australian Open played on hard courts (founded in 1905), French Open; clay (1881), Wimbledon; grass (1877) and US Open; hard court (1881) and of course Wimbledon should have been played this month.
Tennis is also an Olympic sport returning as a full medal sport in the 1988 summer Olympics.
Britain has had excellent tennis players, both male and female. Our top fi ve greatest players being:
1. Virginia Wade - seven Grand Slams including Wimbledon 2. Fred Perry - eight Grand Slams (Wimbledon three times) and six Doubles
Major titles 3. Angela Mortimer - three Grand Slams including Wimbledon 4 Andy Murray - three Grand Slams (Wimbledon twice), two Olympic singles titles in both 2012 and 2016 5. Christine Truman – one Grand Slam at just 18 years old
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is the National Governing Body for tennis in Great Britain.
Tennis has been one of the fi rst sports to resume during Covid-19 lockdown, but with strict guidelines from the LTA. So Stamford Tennis Club’s courts re-opened on May 14 for members to enjoy restricted play following the guidelines. Coaching is available with head coach CJ Selvidge who can be contacted on 07748 720602.
Stamford is fortunate to have a local, well run tennis club with a healthy membership of over 300, situated just off Conduit Road. Stamford Tennis Club (STC) has seven hard courts all with fl oodlights. The top four courts have recently been resurfaced and have new fl oodlights.
So if you are a looking to play, it doesn’t matter if you are beginner, a bit rusty or a seasoned player, do please contact the club. We are a friendly bunch and will be pleased to hear from you.
https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/ StamfordTennisClub
D.G NORMAN
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