EPSOM ROLL CALL
14)Our top racing correspondent Nigel Anderton clambered onto a charabanc bound for Epsom but clambered off to visit Ladbrokes once he discovered the focus of Question 14 Hollie Doyle had made her way to Scotland for fancied rides at Musselburgh on the Firth of Forth. Hollie had been at Epsom the day before and ridden two winners on Oaks Day to continue her momentous year but for the purposes of Q14,this was NO RIDE. Nothing daunted, Nigel settled down to watch the race.
”After the downpour on Friday when Frankie Dettori’s mount Snowfall strode clear in the Oaks to win by 16 lengths– the biggest winning margin in the race’s history- another AP O’Brien runner was expected to claim first prize in the Derby. Under sun and blue skies, Bolshoi Ballet started a short priced favourite and coming down the hill towards Tattenham Corner had every chance of winning. However turning into the straight, with most eyes following Bolshoi Ballet and Dettori on John Leaper, it was the red cap worn by Adam Kirby on Adayar that could be seen to best effect as he weaved through on the inside rail to skip clear. By the winning post he was four and a half lengths in front of 50-1 outsider Mojo Star with the winner’s better fancied Godolphin stable companion Hurricane Lane back in third place. An upset then but one that seemed popular with the other jockeys in the Weighing Room. It was Kirby’s first Classic and came after losing his original ride on John Leaper. For those with an interest in such matters, Adayar was priced at 50-1 and Mojo Star 150-1 on the morning of the race before shrewd money came in and the odds fell. Although restricted crowds were allowed on the Downs, another absentee like Hollie, the Queen gave the Derby a miss for only the fourth time in 75 years due to ongoing Covid concerns. “
Cub reporter Neil Southwood had hoped to make FA Cup Final Day a Covid compliant garden reunion to watch the match. Sadly the ceaseless May rain spoiled this plan and he watched it,solo and grumpy in his living room.
“The FA Cup final finally saw some romance return to football after several torrid weeks where headlines were dominated by the greed of the ‘Big Six’. Fans could also return to Wembley in growing numbers, creating an atmosphere we hadn’t witnessed in Britain for over a year. After a cagey first half we were treated to a dramatic second 45 minutes with ONE superb strike by Youri Tielemans proving the difference. A dozen quizzers were rewarded for their bold predictions in a game which delivered a rollercoaster of emotions for all involved.
The final pitted 8-times winners Chelsea against perennial underdogs Leicester City. Five years on from their remarkable Premier League triumph, it felt like most of the country were again hoping that the Foxes could gate-crash the elite party. Members of the Big Six had only failed to win the competition three times since the Crazy Gang triumphed in 1988 – Everton, Portsmouth and Wigan have been the only clubs to break this stranglehold in 30+ years. Leicester had lost all four of their previous finals, their last coming in 1969, but had enjoyed a storming run in the 2021 competition including the notable win over Manchester United in the quarters.
As has often been the case in recent rather forgettable finals, the first half saw little in the way of clear-cut chances. Chelsea certainly edged it but without seriously testing Leicester goalkeeper and captain Kasper Schmeichel. Leicester grew more into the game as the second half progressed before taking the lead in stunning fashion in the 63rd minute. Tielemans collected a pass from 19-year-old Luke Thomas, advanced and smashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner from 25 yards to send the Leicester fans behind that goal into scenes of wild celebration. It certainly felt good to hear a roar like that again after 14 months of sterile pre-recorded crowd reactions and there won’t have been many better winning strikes over the past 100 years at Wembley.
This stirred Chelsea from their second-half slumbers and they began to dominate again as the minutes counted down. Ben Chilwell’s header was turned onto the post by a fingertip save from Schmeichel, who then superbly stopped a well-struck shot from Mason Mount which looked destined for the net. It was another stand-out moment but nothing to match the drama as the clock ticked close to the 90-minute mark where an inch-perfect pass found Chilwell at the back post. His shot towards goal took multiple deflections off two Leicester defenders before crossing the line. Agony for Leicester, joy for Chelsea and numerous quizzers who had selected two goals for their answer… until VAR got involved. Lines were drawn across TV footage and Chilwell’s arm and shoulder had gained an advantage by the barest of margins. The change in emotions witnessed at the two ends of Wembley when the offside was confirmed certainly formed one of the most dramatic conclusions to a Cup Final in recent times. Leicester saw out the remaining few minutes of injury-time to secure their first Cup success in over 135 years.
Unlike many of the more recent finals, there was a definite sense that this one would live long in the memory – a triumph for an understated but ambitious club and an owner who seems to really value the fans rather than purely the money side of the game. His emotion and delight at the final whistle, less than three years after the tragedy that killed his father, was another heartening moment at the end of a sobering season for the sport.
We sent our grumpiest reporter to Porto to report on the Champion’s League. The only excuse for what follows is that the old chap always gets a filthy headache after drinking the local beverage.
“Be honest. Did you not give at least a tiny cheer when Villareal, a town of fifty thousand you whip through on the road to Valencia, beat a founder member of the European Super League, owned by American absentee landlords who have “stolen” millions from the club. Who won’t give a bigger cheer when tiny Brentford beat Super League candidates, Arsenal and Spurs?
The Champion’s League was an all ESL, all ENGLISH affair. Glory be, seven of the twenty two starters were English so some promise for the Euros in June. Grump noted that the losers were the Abu Dhabi State Whitewash XI(Jailed Dissident in goal, Male Misogyny in midfield and Slave Labour knocking in the goals.)The winner was the Russian Oligarch Money Laundering XI(Putin Protege in goal, Palestine Pulveriser in midfield, Bribery/Fraud as striker.)I’m always puzzled that a manager on the touchline can make such a difference but no doubt the German manager Of Chelsea, Tuchel,has three times this spring thwarted Spanish genius Guardiola.”
What to make of quizzer Hilary Morgan? She was some may recall THE ONLY QUIZZER who predicted England humiliation in Q1.She went into hiding for a few months; her crystal ball had clouded over. Suddenly the fog clears. Hilary is THE ONLY QUIZZER to get these three predictions all correct. From the miserable depths of 245th,I grind my teeth with rage and envy.
Hilary moves into the Top Ten, within sight of current maestro, James Spencer, and the duelling pair of Pearce and James.
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