Sporting Memories
It seems to me that most sporting memories are not of the sport itself but are more likely to involve a separate incident taking place during the sporting occasion.
With Wimbledon in full swing we can settle down for an hour or two after work to watch some evening tennis. But what do we remember about previous Wimbledon tennis matches? Is it the fantastic ground shots of Borg or the lightning serving of Tanner or is it more likely to be the McEnroe tantrums, the tears of the losing Navotne or when the poor umpire could not pronounce the name of Navratilova? He seemed to have rodents on the brain that day!
Glastonbury is another case in point. Does anyone remember the music – or just the mud? Three day eventing – smartly dressed riders falling off into the water. Ski jumping – Eddy the Eagle. Rugby – streakers. Cricket – streakers (or is it just me?).
It is much the same with other sporting occasions. Yes I agree that we remember one or two high pheasants falling out of the sky, or perhaps the odd right and left (not me obviously – I’m not that good), but again, I seem to remember other things. Like the time Daisy, Caroline’s spaniel, nipped over the brow of the hill to pick up our neighbouring gun’s birds – he took exception, did a fair bit of shouting and jumped up and down rather a lot! We laughed. Or that time on a posh shoot, when I was a walking gun after our morning pit stop. The food and drink wagon came past driven by the lovely Vivienne, our hostess. I flagged her down and helped myself to more champagne and fruit cake, which I ate on the march. Lovely - but I don’t remember much about the drive itself!
I can recall an occasion in my youth, when a dog was sent to retrieve a pheasant that had fallen into a farmyard. The dog disappeared for a bit and then came back with a broody hen. There was a lot of leg pulling that day!
On the riverbank - OK I do remember quite a few of the fish I have been lucky enough to have caught. I remember even better the time when Tony fell off his chair at dinner. I blame the booze but Tony has always maintained that the back of the chair broke. Or when Daisy (again) snatched David’s chicken roll as he was approaching the punch line of his joke, which involved a fair bit of bun waving. We tried to get it back, but Daisy was too quick and scoffed the lot before we could grab her! How we laughed.
And then there were the idiots who crossed the River Dee to fish from our side. When we accosted them they said that they were fishing for their fish but they thought that it might be easier to fish for them from our side! We thought that was pretty funny too.
I don’t know what my next sporting moment will be but I have a funny feeling that it might involve Daisy!
Stephen Habershon is Forestry Consultant to Balfours and can be contacted through Balfours' Offices in Craven Arms on:
01588 673314