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View from the cemetery - March 2016 - 2

Submitted by Ghostly Gadgie on Thursday, 24 March 2016

It all seems to be getting a bit wearisome. This long, long season is taking its toll. Maybe it's when you get a warmer afternoon, or maybe it's when the floodlights don’t go on at half time, but there always comes a time in every season when thoughts drift away from the game in front of you and turn to a summer in the sun and plans for next season. There is of course a certain type of football fan who says that they can’t stand the close season and think only of August when it all starts again. That's not me. Apart from tennis fortnight, my views on the Wimbledon shenanigans being well known - see below - I look forward to summer sport. Cricket, golf, the Derby and Royal Ascot, what's not to like is my view. I used to love it when football had a full four month close season and footballers could go off and ply their summer trade. Steve Ogrizovic the Coventry and elsewhere goalkeeper was probably the last in a long line of real double professionals, following the likes of Chis Balderstone, Willie Watson and Denis Compton, but many a cricket club had a pro footballer as their professional, and the local football clubs were always turning out sides to play in charity and challenge matches over the summer. Raich Carter was a dab hand by all accounts. Could our lads field a cricket team do you think? Jon Wightman is a noted bowler but I don’t know of any others. I may be wrong. And none of them would make a jockey....

In the wider world, or at least Indian Wells wherever that is, I note that political correctness continues to take its toll, with the director of a tennis tournament having to resign for saying that equal pay for male and female tennis players doesn’t make sense. I have no idea, or opinion, as to whether he is right or wrong, but I do think it shouldn’t be be a resigning matter that he expressed a view. Seems like many people are easily offended these days, are they not? A Mary Whitehouse at every turn, not a pretty sight....