Hopes of a Generation finally fade. (Oct '11)

Alas, the dream is over. Irish Rugby’s golden generation will never lift the World Cup.

Never again will International rugby’s grandest stage play host to one of its greatest leads, Brian O’Driscoll, and his fine supporting cast - O’Callaghan, O’Connell, O’Gara, D’Arcy et al.

Beaten 22-10 in the quarter-finals by the ruthless, firebrand Welsh, the Webb Ellis Cup was a step too far for a side who secured the Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009 – only the second in Irish history.

As ever Ireland - perennial World Cup underachievers - came into the tournament with legitimate hopes of at least a semi-final appearance, despite patchy pre-tournament form.

The Irish campaign began as it ended with a 22-10 score line – a slightly rusty defeat of the USA. After this, they sauntered through the group stages – despatching Russia and Italy with ease and aplomb.  Australia were also beaten in a furious, ferocious 15-9 victory. It was the type of win that had even the cynics daring to believe – they couldn’t, could they?

But it wasn’t to be.

Wales, arguably the most exciting side of the tournament, shattered Emerald dreams. In another brutal, physical battle Wales’ young upstarts were just too good and too fit for Ireland’s old stagers. For Wales, victory was another stepping stone for a side with a bright future ahead of it. For Ireland, it was the end of the road.

Captain O’Driscoll’s post match interview said it all. With a tear in his eye he admitted that this was the end. By winning the group they’d given themselves their greatest chance and their last chance. Now it was gone.

A new generation will now look to take Ireland onwards to 2015. In Cian Healy, Johnny Sexton and the bullish, brilliant Sean O’Brien the future of Irish rugby looks to be in safe hands.

But whatever the future holds, the romantic inside can’t help but rue what might have been for Irish Rugby’s golden generation.

Football and the Big Society. (Oct '11)

Can modern football embrace the concept of ‘The Big Society’? The Mancunion headed to Manchester Grammar School to Investigate.

Britain’s football family could offer a rare example of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Big Society idea in action.

That was the consensus at a Conservative Party conference fringe meeting – “Football and the Big Society” – held at Manchester Grammar School last week.

Over 50 people attended the forum, including Jesse Norman - author of ‘The Big Society’- alongside numerous representatives of the FA and fans groups to discuss the much maligned concept of ‘The Big Society’, and how football offers a key example of how it can work.

Remarkably, with the London Olympics just 10 months away, the forum was the only event to cover sport throughout the three week party conference season - which in itself is a sad indictment of current political priorities.

This apparent lack of political attention and support for sport – particularly at grassroots level – was a key issue for a number of panellists. Jim White – Daily Telegraph columnist and author of the highly regarded ‘You’ll Win Nothing with Kids’ - was particularly vehement in his criticism of the facilities available for young footballers nationwide.  Tracy Crouch, MP for Chatham and Aylesford and an FA qualified coach also lamented the state of the infrastructure available in amateur football.

An overriding theme throughout the forum was the idea that the ‘Big Society’ is an intrinsic part of football’s make up, whatever the level. The ‘Big Society’ is the concept of the social contract between society and the state, and the institutions – sporting or otherwise – which link the two.

Tom Hall, head of policy and development at Supporters Direct, a group campaigning for ‘…the wider recognition of the social, cultural and economic value of sports clubs’, argued that whilst football at the top level may reflect a lot of society’s ills, it also presents a pertinent example of the ‘Big Society’ in action – especially the huge volunteer and community involvement in amateur football.

Whilst the panel gave a lot of credence to community-level football, there was also keen debate on the state of domestic top-flight football - particularly the growing disenchantment of football fans as they become increasingly alienated by commercialised clubs. Sandip Jobanputra, a member of the Manchester United Supporters Trust – M.U.S.T – talked of a desire for fans to become en-franchised in their football clubs, believing the energy and passion they would put into running their club would far surpass that of plutocrat owners.

Whilst this is clear, especially in the case of Manchester United and their crippling Glazer ownership, Norman – MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire – argued that much sort after government intervention to regulate the ownership of football clubs would be politically unrealistic given the expenditure owners often make to procure their assets.

Whilst Robert Sullivan, the Football Association’s head of Social Affairs, championed the numerous schemes the FA have deployed to stimulate grassroots football, the overriding feeling from the panel and audience was that football needs to embrace the concept of the ‘Big Society’ before the game is lost to its audience forever.

Lancashire Claim Championship to End 77 Years of Pain. (Sep' 11)

Lancashire lift Cricket’s County Championship, a victory 77 years in the making…

When Lancashire last lifted cricket’s County Championship way back in 1934 Franklin Roosevelt held the presidency of the United States, George V was the King of England and Adolf Hitler became Germany’s head of state.

Fast forward to 2011 and whilst Das Fuhrer is long gone Lancashire are celebrating being crowned as County Champions once more.

Victory over Somerset in the final session of the season’s final day saw Lancashire finally end a 77 year title drought, lifting a hoodoo many thought would cling to the County forever.

Throughout the last 77 years Lancashire’s squads have been littered with stars, from the home-grown likes of Pilling, Lever, Allott, Fairbrother, Atherton, and Flintoff – to overseas imports Engineer, Lloyd, Akram, Muralitharan, Law and Hooper.

Yet for all the one-day successes and trophies Lancashire’s stars achieved – plus a shared Championship with Surrey in 1950 - none of these illustrious names could ever call themselves County Champions. Lancashire, it seemed, were destined to be forever the bridesmaids.

This year however, everything fell into place. Playing away from their Old Trafford home - which is currently under major redevelopment - Lancashire won ten and drew two of their 16 games, pipping Warwickshire at the last.

There is a brilliant irony in that – on paper at least – it was one of Lancashire’s least glamorous sides which finally broke through the 77 year wall.  The team which beat Somerset on the closing day boasted only a single International cap - and a large contingent of the young squad hail locally, from Blackpool to Chorley and Bury to Preston- a lack of heavyweight names which seemed to benefit rather than burden the side.

It was also a vindication of a policy of promoting youth - a policy which Lancashire, hamstrung by finances in a year in which legal fees nearly bankrupted the club - were somewhat forced into. Unable to afford an overseas professional after Farveez Maharoof departed to join the Sri Lanka squad they promoted a string of home-grown players and reaped the rewards – perhaps a lesson for other counties in the financially restricted arena of domestic cricket.

Throughout the season there were a number of standout performances. But for all the sporadic moments of individual brilliance - whether it was Gary Keedy’s haul of 60 wickets at an average of 23, Kyle Hogg’s 50 wickets and vital lower order runs,  Simon Kerrigan’s 9-51 against Hampshire which kept Lancastrian dreams alive or Glenn Chapple steaming into bowl against Somerset despite a torn hamstring – this was a team victory.

It was arguably no coincidence that Lancashire finally won the title in the year they were playing away from Old Trafford. Historically haunted by the Mancunian weather Lancashire thrived at their temporary home at Aigburth, Liverpool, where the wickets provided lent themselves to results rather than drawn matches.

Next year, Lancashire return to their famous old ground- and somewhere in the grand pavilion the Championship pennant will proudly hang once again.

How long they’ll have to wait for another title remains to be seen, but it’s doubtful Lancashire fans will be suffering until 2088.

England's Indian Summer (Sep' 11)

Ruthless England demolish sorry India to become World number one.

England’s victory in the 2005 Ashes series was breath-taking, captivating - the product of six years of the rebuilding and rejuvenation of English cricket.

 A triumvirate of Duncan Fletcher, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan oversaw a process which helped drag England from test cricket’s gutter – the sensational defeat of Australia a far cry from the 1999 loss to New Zealand which saw them propping up the ICC test rankings.

Yet rather than being a catalyst for dominance, victory over Australia was the swansong of a side soon to fall apart. Loss of form and injury ripped out the soul of the team, and what followed was the nadir moment of an 

Ashes series whitewash defeat in the winter of 2006.

So, the rebuilding process started again - and after a calamitous interjection which saw Peter Moores and Kevin Pietersen flounder as coach and captain - Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss have overseen one of the finest periods in England’s test history.

Under Flower and Strauss, England have won eight and drawn one of their last nine test series – including Ashes successes both home and away against Australia. Total domination – culminating in this summer’s thrashing of India- has seen them soar up the world rankings to number one.

India had arrived in England as the world’s best. They left not only without that mantle, but also with little pride intact. Whilst Indian hopes were hindered by the loss of star bowler Zaheer Khan to injury, only Rahul Dravid rose above and produced beyond the abysmal dross India served up all summer.

Yet this shouldn’t take away from England’s victory.  For whilst India were woeful, England were majestic.

The scale of England’s achievement should not be underestimated.  Not only did they reach the number one spot by beating the supposed best team in the world, it was also only the seventh time in Test match history there has been a whitewash in a series of four games or more.

It was a team performance of the highest calibre. At some stage nearly every individual made a significant contribution – there are no passengers in this England side. The batsmen consistently posted unassailable first innings scores, the bowlers took 20 wickets in every game and only once did they allow India’s batsmen to eclipse 300 runs.

Individually, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Stuart Broad were England’s outstanding performers – Pietersen and Bell amassing over a thousand runs between them, Broad’s Trent Bridge hat trick the series’ champagne moment.

Under Strauss and Flower England have developed a winning mentality akin to the Australia of McGrath, Warne et al. They head to the sub-continent this winter as the world’s best, confident that unlike 2005 this is the start of a legacy, not the end.

Northern Ireland's Golden Year (Sep' 11)

The final major of the golfing year may have been an anti-climax from a European perspective, but 2011 was a year to remember.

The 2011 major calendar was bookended by disappointment – Rory McIlroy’s capitulation from a seemingly impregnable position in the US Masters and Keegan Bradley’s play-off victory in the USPGA – but in-between came two moments to savour.

The year’s opening major – The Masters – was won by South African Charles Schwartzel, but it was Mcilroy who made the headlines at Augusta. The young Belfast man went from the sublime to the ridiculous, storming to -12 over his opening three rounds only to see his four shot lead disintegrate after a final round 80. In contrast tournament winner Schwartzel finished his weekend with a stunning 66 – including four birdies in the final four holes – holding off Australians Jason Day and Adam Scott, as well as a resurgent Tiger Woods, in the process.

The headlines focused on McIlroy however, and whether at the age of 21 he possessed the mental resilience to match his precocious talent.

Yet two months later at Congressional Country Club, McIlroy became the youngest winner of the US Open since 1923, smashing records and silencing doubters in the process.  Memories of his Masters meltdown were banished as rounds of 65, 66, 68 and 69 saw him romp home eight shots clear of the field - his final score of -16 the lowest in tournament history.

Hyperbole followed, as golf’s poster boy - the new Tiger Woods - was lauded from Holywood Northern Ireland to Hollywood California.

But it was another, rather unlikely, Northern Irishman who stunned the galleries at the British Open. Royal St. George’s, in England’s Deep South (a 600 mile round trip for this intrepid, slightly stupid, reporter) was wet and wild – undulating, windy and a far cry from the pristine conditions at Congressional McIlroy revelled in. It proved however the perfect stage for Darren Clarke – almost twice the age of his compatriot - to win his maiden major championship.

Clarke – one of golf’s most likeable characters – was playing in his 20^th Open championship, and his final score of -5 saw him fend off Americans Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickleson to become the first man from the home nations to lift the Claret Jug since Paul Lawrie in 1999.

The image of Clarke sitting proudly with the famous old trophy and a pint of Guinness epitomised the spirit of golf’s most famous tournament – his victory the perfect tribute in a week the sport’s  great and good gathered to pay homage to the late Seve Ballesteros.

The year’s closing major, the USPGA, was dominated by America –  Bradley defeating Jason Duffner at Atlanta in a three hole play-off – Luke Donald and Lee Westwood the only British interest finishing five shots off the leaders at -3.

But this couldn’t dampen another fine, fairytale year for domestic golf, as Northern Irishmen old and new illuminated the world stage.

A Sporting Eductation (Piece for 'Uncovered - Manchester' Sep' 11)

Manchester’s standing as the country’s most popular university is not only down to the quality of education on offer. The city is also a world class venue for watching sport.

Manchester’s position as the undisputed capital of the North and England’s second city encompasses numerous cultural and social mediums - none more so than sport.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games presented a watershed moment, providing the perfect opportunity to showcase the culmination of the city’s marked transformation from post-industrial city to thriving metropolis.

The major sporting draws in Manchester, however, long predate any legacy left by the 2002 games.

‘Perhaps time will separate us, but nobody can deny that here, behind the windows of Manchester, there is an insane love of football, of celebration and of music’. These words, from United legend Eric Cantona, would be echoed by Blues as much as Reds.

The city has a feverish passion for football, and the cross-city rivalry between City and United is becoming ever-fiercer, largely due to the fact that for the first time in decades both sides have legitimate claims to domestic and continental success.

2011 saw City emerge from a 35-year wilderness in which they didn’t win a single trophy - their FA Cup victory over Stoke saw a much longed for piece of silverware provide the first glimpse that the petro-millions pumped into the club by gluttonously wealthy Abu Dhabi owners are starting to reap returns.  

And now City fans head into the 2011/12 season with an optimism not seen for years. The marquee signing of Sergio Aguero has helped allay fears of talisman Carlos Tevez’s potential departure as City venture into the promised land of the Uefa Champions League for the first time. Nearly all City games go on general sale, with only the Manchester Derby in high demand, and tickets can be purchased by University students for as little as £10.

Manchester attracts thousands of students from across the globe, and one thing they all have in common is that they’ve heard of Manchester United. As City were finally lifting their hoodoo at Wembley, United were at a rain soaked Ewood Park lifting their nineteenth league title and thus becoming English domestic football’s most successful side – overhauling bitterest rivals Liverpool in the process.

Whilst this victory was slightly soured by a comprehensive mauling at the hands of FC Barcelona in the European Cup final, United’s championship win was a landmark moment – the product of twenty years of utter dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.  With over £50 million spent on new signings Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea, United are again strong favourites for the title - although they will hope to address a pressing lack of manpower in central midfield.

Whilst tickets for games at Old Trafford are in much higher demand than at Eastlands, numerous games will be available on general sale for University students.

Dominant though football is, Manchester’s sporting obsession runs far wider. A stone’s throw – or cover drive – away from Old Trafford football ground lies its namesake, the home of Lancashire Country Cricket Club. The ‘other’ Old Trafford is currently in the midst of a multi-million pound re-development, the aim of which is to bring Test Match cricket – and more pertinently a 2013 Ashes fixture - back to the North-West.

At the time of writing, Lancashire are pushing for a historic first outright County Championship in 77 years.  Whilst little of the season’s calendar falls in term time, a trip to the cricket costs a pittance in comparison to the football and is something students should consider.

Manchester also offers first class rugby, with the home of Premiership side Sale Sharks a short train journey away in Stockport. The side have flirted with relegation in recent seasons but a radical overhaul in personnel could see a change of fortunes in the coming season. Tickets are readily available, and with most fixtures played on a Friday evening a trip to Edgeley Park is the perfect way to kick-start the weekend.

That the UK is currently on top of the world in competitive cycling is largely due to the Manchester Velodrome – home of the National Cycling Centre, which has seen likes of Hoy, Pendleton and Wiggins rise to Olympic prominence.  This is coupled with The Great City games – an event which sees Deansgate, one of the city’s main shopping streets, transformed into an athletics track. The likes of Usain Bolt, alongside thousands of amateurs, take part every year – making it one of Manchester’s premier sporting events.

Across the calendar Manchester is home to a vast range of regional, national and international sporting events. The city may be football crazy, but it loves its other sports too.