The sporting year
New Year starts with a bang in the Orkneys as a boisterous ball game (The Ba) crashes through the streets of Kirkwall.
A mass of locals attempt to move a leather ball towards goals located at opposite ends of town.
Rugby Union’s Six Nations (www.6nations.co.uk) in February is a grand series of high-quality clashes between England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Italy. Tickets are generally distributed through Rugby clubs, though after England's success winning the Rugby World Cup, even watching a game in the pub gives you a great taste of the friendly rivalry of this sociable sport.
The Cheltenham Festival, held in mid-March, is one of the great events of the horseracing year and a day out here is exciting and easily accessible. It’s even easier to watch the Boat Race (www.theboatrace.org); also held in March or April, a traditional rowing contest between Oxford and Cambridge universities on the Thames. Turn up early at one of the many riverside pubs on the route and bag a good spot.
The participants in April’s London Marathon will certainly appreciate a cheer as they make their way round the gruelling but majestic 26.2 miles of London’s most famous sights. There are loads of great spots to spectate and watch the amazing variety of costumes and eccentric outfits runners wear to raise money for charity.
The FA Cup Final (www.thefa.com), the showpiece end to the football season, takes place in May. The match is traditionally held at Wembley, but Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium is proving a popular temporary home while Wembley is rebuilt. Even dedicated fans find it hard to get in, but the buzz and excitement spreads throughout the country and at 3pm on Cup Final Saturday fans everywhere settle down to watch the game.
In May and June the Isle of Man becomes the centre of the motorcycling world. 45,000 petrolheads increase the Manx population by 50% for the annual TT races as startlingly fast and exciting superbikes sprint round the island.
No sooner are ’winter sports’ out the way than the summer season starts. Henley’s Royal rowing Regatta (www.hrr.co.uk) attracts an exclusive, sophisticated crowd where the social scene seems more important than the sport.
The real excitement comes at Wimbledon (www.wimbledon.org) when a quiet corner of London bursts into life for the world’s premier grass-court tournament and plenty of strawberries and cream.
July sees the sailing fraternity descend on the Isle of Wight for Cowes Week, attracting a royal audience for races and general hob-nobbing. In the same month, the Open Golf Championship (www.british-open.com) features the world’s best players.
Scotland’s fantastic Braemar Gathering in September, is like nothing else, with 20,000 people invading the small village to watch traditional Scottish tests of skill and strength like hammer-throwing, tug-o-war and a hill race up nearby Morrone.
The more sedate Horse of the Year (www.hoys.co.uk) in Birmingham in October showcases the best in Equestrianism. Cricket continues all through the summer with internationals attracting the biggest crowds. The season finishes in autumn, when football and rugby return to Saturday afternoons.
If the website of the event itself doesn’t yield any joy on the ticket front, try the following ticket agenies: Ticketmaster and See Tickets (www.seetickets.com).
Insider Info
If you can’t bear to miss the strawberries and cream at Wimbledon (not to mention the tennis), try getting up very very early and joining the queue, going at the tail end of the day when late tickets become available or watching from the hill. Alternatively, the top players are at Queens Club two weeks earlier for the Stella Artois Championships which aren’t quite as hard for mere mortals to get into.
Test cricket matches don’t always last five days, so tickets are often available at knock-down prices for the last day. You can sometimes see a rip-roaring finish to a tight game.
If horseracing is out of reach, a night at the Dogs (greyhound racing) is a great urban substitute. There are venues across Britain and it’s normally cheap or free to get in. The atmosphere is always raw, exciting and truly authentic.