by David Park, former Tour Professional and now The European Tour’s Charity Executive.
By far and away the Open Championship is the truly “Open Golf Championship of the World”. Professionals and Amateurs from around the world spend their time and money endeavoring to secure a place in the field. Whether the players are exempt from their successful play on the Golf Tours around the globe or they enter and play in the various qualifying events internationally or in the Turnberry vicinity, every golfer with a sense of the history of the game wants desperately to play in the oldest Major Championship in Golf.
Who can blame them, in my playing career I had the privilege of playing in two Opens. Both were wonderful experiences, the game of Golf started on the links courses of Scotland and there is nothing quite like Open Championship links golf. The atmosphere is electric, thousands of golf fans crowding the fairways and the greens to see golf’s modern day greats battling the elements, the course and themselves to claim the famous Claret Jug. It doesn’t get better than that.
Every player this week will be visualizing, some with an air of hope, that these famous words will be uttered before his name come Sunday afternoon “Champion Golfer and winner of the Gold Medal……”
Tuesday 14 July 2009
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Russell Fuller of BBC 5 Live on Wimbledon 2009
Thank goodness for a few drops of summer rain on the second Monday afternoon, or we would never have seen Wimbledon's stunning new roof .. nor for that matter witnessed the standing ovation which greeted the moment the two halves of the roof collided. It will become an integral part of Wimbledon - and who knows, maybe one day we'll see scheduled night matches under the lights.
It was great to watch the expectation - rather than the hope - that Andy Murray would progress deep into the tournament. Andy Roddick was just too good in the semi-final, and nearly too good for Roger Federer in the final. That was an amazing final set: they were both serving so well that it came as a real surprise when Federer finally broke through.
As for the BBC Radio Five Live commentary team, we always start the day in one of the bunkers in the broadcast centre .. leafing through match notes and eating the odd sausage roll, before rolling into the commentary box. We are provided with more statistics than it's healthy to remember, but have a fantastic courtside view on both centre and number one court, and the company of some terrific expert summarisers, including a couple of former Wimbledon champions. Looking forward to next year's sausage rolls already.
It was great to watch the expectation - rather than the hope - that Andy Murray would progress deep into the tournament. Andy Roddick was just too good in the semi-final, and nearly too good for Roger Federer in the final. That was an amazing final set: they were both serving so well that it came as a real surprise when Federer finally broke through.
As for the BBC Radio Five Live commentary team, we always start the day in one of the bunkers in the broadcast centre .. leafing through match notes and eating the odd sausage roll, before rolling into the commentary box. We are provided with more statistics than it's healthy to remember, but have a fantastic courtside view on both centre and number one court, and the company of some terrific expert summarisers, including a couple of former Wimbledon champions. Looking forward to next year's sausage rolls already.
Wednesday 17 June 2009
From Prop to Property - What next for Mark Regan...
I decided to retire on the turn of the year after informing Bristol Rugby Club I was ready for retirement - every sports person will know when the time is right and my body was screaming at me to stop… I just couldn’t do another pre-season!!!!!!!!! I have been lucky enough to have played the game at the highest level and I have lived the dream of every child and adult that has ever picked the rugby ball up and ran with it… and what an amazing experience it has been. I will continue to stay in the game because I will still need my rugby fix! I now look forward to being a part-time coach for Clifton Rugby Club and completing my coaching badges, this is something which I love doing and it was only this year that the club was promoted!
Life for me outside rugby continues to keep me busy… I am a Director of Avon Crane and Commercial Repairs which is a family business, a Director of Midas Estates which is a property investment specialist company and I am a relationship builder for 2 other companies meaning I get to go out all the time to wine and dine their clients – what a GREAT JOB!!!!
I enjoy public speaking and TV work which is through the help of my agent ENS (Rebecca and the gang are lovely people) I enjoy playing lots of golf around the world and play off a handicap of 10! At the moment I am working on my own website called Mark Regan Enterprises and this will be up and running in June. Rugby life will continue for me in small doses…I will still continue to play the odd game of rugby for the Lions Classics around the world. And... I am absolutely sure I will miss playing at the highest level but I have to say I got the timing spot on, my old club are back training already…. NO, NO, NOT FOR ME!!!!!! To prepare for my retirement and keep fit, I bought a tread mill but it is still in the box (and has been there for well over 2 months) but the thought was there… I will get it out one day! That’s it for now - I am off to watch the Lions in South Africa!
Life for me outside rugby continues to keep me busy… I am a Director of Avon Crane and Commercial Repairs which is a family business, a Director of Midas Estates which is a property investment specialist company and I am a relationship builder for 2 other companies meaning I get to go out all the time to wine and dine their clients – what a GREAT JOB!!!!
I enjoy public speaking and TV work which is through the help of my agent ENS (Rebecca and the gang are lovely people) I enjoy playing lots of golf around the world and play off a handicap of 10! At the moment I am working on my own website called Mark Regan Enterprises and this will be up and running in June. Rugby life will continue for me in small doses…I will still continue to play the odd game of rugby for the Lions Classics around the world. And... I am absolutely sure I will miss playing at the highest level but I have to say I got the timing spot on, my old club are back training already…. NO, NO, NOT FOR ME!!!!!! To prepare for my retirement and keep fit, I bought a tread mill but it is still in the box (and has been there for well over 2 months) but the thought was there… I will get it out one day! That’s it for now - I am off to watch the Lions in South Africa!
Tuesday 26 May 2009
Oh to be in Rome….or maybe not
I can’t wait to watch the mighty Man Utd take on beautiful Barca tomorrow night in the Champions League final. It’s a little sad for a man of 56 but there you go. Some pleasures stay with you for life I guess.
The first thing to admit is that we’ve got the Final that most football fans would have wanted to see. Whilst there was some sense of pride in seeing three Premiership teams in the last four again, I don’t think the world would have welcomed a repeat of last year’s Man U v Chelsea final – even though Chelsea can consider themselves serious unlucky to be on the receiving end of the most hapless refereeing performance I’ve seen at this level of the game. Fact is the Blues had their chances to win the tie from open play and never took them. Barca took their one; life’s a bitch. We had to endure a dour Arsenal v Barcelona final only recently and another wouldn’t have been any fun. Arsenal v Chelsea was played out in the League following the semis and it was hardly a contest. No, Man U didn’t just outplay Arsenal they outthought and outfought them in a crushing performance and they are rightfully in the final as this country’s best side. And the side in my view with the best chance of simply outgunning the best other team in the whole of Europe.
Sadly I shan’t be there.
It’s a little ironic as we have a home in Italy but we are back here in the UK at the moment chasing work and a sponsorship evaluation project has come through which needs my full focus.
It’s a great opportunity – what do you do?
Last year it simply wasn’t feasible to traipse over to Moscow. When Man U played Bayern in ’99 a good friend had tickets sourced etc but it needed a three day visit to attend the match and I couldn’t afford that time away from The Rugby World Cup project I was managing for BT ...
Back in ‘67 I watched the glorious victory over Benfica on the TV at home with my dad, who as a closet City fan, spent most of the match moaning about George’s long hair and selfish attitude on the pitch. Even though that was the greatest hairstyle any guy has ever sported and what about that goal dad?
Ah well.
I’m never destined to watch my team perform live in this Final I guess. But whenever I don’t attend, it seems they seem to do pretty well without me. So tomorrow I’ll be watching alongside my football-mad seven year-old grandson, who I’m proud to say is a total Man U/Ronaldo fan (Brighton section) and Gooner supporting son-in-law, probably commenting on Puyol’s ridiculous hairstyle (even if he doesn’t play). Just when did I transform into my father?
Probably when I lost all my own hair.
I hope I’ve not tempting fate but I‘m looking for Man U to win a thriller without my presence yet again. Berbatov to come off the bench to clinch the last minute winner. Tragic hairstyle though.
Paul Leonard
Sponsorfinder: www.sponsorfinder.co.uk
More stream of consciousness nonsense at www.pastapaulie.wordpress.com
The first thing to admit is that we’ve got the Final that most football fans would have wanted to see. Whilst there was some sense of pride in seeing three Premiership teams in the last four again, I don’t think the world would have welcomed a repeat of last year’s Man U v Chelsea final – even though Chelsea can consider themselves serious unlucky to be on the receiving end of the most hapless refereeing performance I’ve seen at this level of the game. Fact is the Blues had their chances to win the tie from open play and never took them. Barca took their one; life’s a bitch. We had to endure a dour Arsenal v Barcelona final only recently and another wouldn’t have been any fun. Arsenal v Chelsea was played out in the League following the semis and it was hardly a contest. No, Man U didn’t just outplay Arsenal they outthought and outfought them in a crushing performance and they are rightfully in the final as this country’s best side. And the side in my view with the best chance of simply outgunning the best other team in the whole of Europe.
Sadly I shan’t be there.
It’s a little ironic as we have a home in Italy but we are back here in the UK at the moment chasing work and a sponsorship evaluation project has come through which needs my full focus.
It’s a great opportunity – what do you do?
Last year it simply wasn’t feasible to traipse over to Moscow. When Man U played Bayern in ’99 a good friend had tickets sourced etc but it needed a three day visit to attend the match and I couldn’t afford that time away from The Rugby World Cup project I was managing for BT ...
Back in ‘67 I watched the glorious victory over Benfica on the TV at home with my dad, who as a closet City fan, spent most of the match moaning about George’s long hair and selfish attitude on the pitch. Even though that was the greatest hairstyle any guy has ever sported and what about that goal dad?
Ah well.
I’m never destined to watch my team perform live in this Final I guess. But whenever I don’t attend, it seems they seem to do pretty well without me. So tomorrow I’ll be watching alongside my football-mad seven year-old grandson, who I’m proud to say is a total Man U/Ronaldo fan (Brighton section) and Gooner supporting son-in-law, probably commenting on Puyol’s ridiculous hairstyle (even if he doesn’t play). Just when did I transform into my father?
Probably when I lost all my own hair.
I hope I’ve not tempting fate but I‘m looking for Man U to win a thriller without my presence yet again. Berbatov to come off the bench to clinch the last minute winner. Tragic hairstyle though.
Paul Leonard
Sponsorfinder: www.sponsorfinder.co.uk
More stream of consciousness nonsense at www.pastapaulie.wordpress.com
Wednesday 6 May 2009
The Semi Final Shoot Out...by Geordan Murphy
Sunday’s game was really tough but a great experience. With time to reflect I can truthfully say that no one would want to win or lose that way - but I really feel we deserved the result.
Being the team captain was slightly surreal. I have been at Leicester for 12 seasons and never expected to skipper the side. It was undoubtedly an honour and what’s more, I really enjoyed it. That said, as captain, I felt I had little to do except try to say the right things at the right time. Our side is an interesting mix of players; many have a lot of experience, so they didn’t need a great deal from me and our youngsters are confident – and justifiably so – which made my job relatively easy. I just didn’t expect us to be on the pitch quite as long as we were.
I still can’t quite believe how Sunday’s match turned out and having spoken to friends and relatives after the game, neither can they. Taking part in a shoot out was odd but even odder was how we all felt afterwards. Everyone seemed bewildered. It was strange. When any match is decided by shoot outs you always feel the outcome could have gone either way and I genuinely feel sorry for Cardiff - but that said, had they won I would have felt robbed. The atmosphere on the coach home was different too. The trip back to Leicester was over 3 hours and usually under those circumstances you would expect to have a team beer back on home turf, however, despite the joy of winning, everyone headed straight home. Our focus just moved to the match this weekend and all the preparation we have to do – and the training schedule we knew faced us…
Being the team captain was slightly surreal. I have been at Leicester for 12 seasons and never expected to skipper the side. It was undoubtedly an honour and what’s more, I really enjoyed it. That said, as captain, I felt I had little to do except try to say the right things at the right time. Our side is an interesting mix of players; many have a lot of experience, so they didn’t need a great deal from me and our youngsters are confident – and justifiably so – which made my job relatively easy. I just didn’t expect us to be on the pitch quite as long as we were.
I still can’t quite believe how Sunday’s match turned out and having spoken to friends and relatives after the game, neither can they. Taking part in a shoot out was odd but even odder was how we all felt afterwards. Everyone seemed bewildered. It was strange. When any match is decided by shoot outs you always feel the outcome could have gone either way and I genuinely feel sorry for Cardiff - but that said, had they won I would have felt robbed. The atmosphere on the coach home was different too. The trip back to Leicester was over 3 hours and usually under those circumstances you would expect to have a team beer back on home turf, however, despite the joy of winning, everyone headed straight home. Our focus just moved to the match this weekend and all the preparation we have to do – and the training schedule we knew faced us…
Friday 17 April 2009
The week before the marathon…
After months of sacrifice and arduous training, the time has finally come with one week to go before the 2009 London Marathon. How am I feeling? Well in all honesty it hasn’t sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until the morning of the race itself.
Since the end of 2008, I have been on a strict training programme which has consistently seen me clear 26 miles a week, supported by a balanced diet and no alcohol.
I have passed the worst of the training with my largest run covering 21 miles and I am now happily in the process of tapering off with a couple 1-2hr runs left to do.
It has been an incredible experience which has involved long distance runs in beautiful surroundings such as Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and London (Richmond and Battersea Park were my daily saviours). My last run saw me cover 20k of the undulating coastal path in south Devon … I have not encountered many hills training in London so it was a steep learning curve…
The distance was completed in 1 hour 45 minutes which gives me great confidence in reaching the sub 4 hour target I have set, however, a wise person recently said to me ‘as it is your first marathon you should be extremely pleased with finishing let alone reaching under 4 hours,’ which I am inclined to agree with.
One element I have failed to do is gain first hand experience of an official competition, however, this weekend sees the inaugural Newham Classic 10K and ENS has been hired to manage the press office. This is a new initiative devised by the Olympic Gold medallist, Tessa Sanderson, which is part of the Newham multi-cultural Fun Day in Stratford and the first competition to be held in the 2012 Olympic Park. The team and I will be down there helping raise awareness for the event and soaking up the race atmosphere. It is going to be a great event and for anyone interested in knowing more, please go to http://newhamclassic10k.com/.
My final preparations for the race will include
· Complete one last 3 mile run next Saturday to help relax and loosen any muscles
· Start eating high carbohydrate meals, not forgetting a balanced proportion of protein and fats
· Continue to drink lots of water to hydrate adequately
· Check my running gear and ensure I am happy with the final race attire and have my name emblazoned on my vest
· Buy copious amounts of Vaseline and tape to warn off any unwanted chaffing
· Stock up on Jelly baby supplies
· Book my essential sports massage for after the race
· Have money ready for a well earnt pint afterwards
To pledge your support for Sam, feel free to go to his online page www.justgiving.com/sambowman and wish him luck…
Since the end of 2008, I have been on a strict training programme which has consistently seen me clear 26 miles a week, supported by a balanced diet and no alcohol.
I have passed the worst of the training with my largest run covering 21 miles and I am now happily in the process of tapering off with a couple 1-2hr runs left to do.
It has been an incredible experience which has involved long distance runs in beautiful surroundings such as Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and London (Richmond and Battersea Park were my daily saviours). My last run saw me cover 20k of the undulating coastal path in south Devon … I have not encountered many hills training in London so it was a steep learning curve…
The distance was completed in 1 hour 45 minutes which gives me great confidence in reaching the sub 4 hour target I have set, however, a wise person recently said to me ‘as it is your first marathon you should be extremely pleased with finishing let alone reaching under 4 hours,’ which I am inclined to agree with.
One element I have failed to do is gain first hand experience of an official competition, however, this weekend sees the inaugural Newham Classic 10K and ENS has been hired to manage the press office. This is a new initiative devised by the Olympic Gold medallist, Tessa Sanderson, which is part of the Newham multi-cultural Fun Day in Stratford and the first competition to be held in the 2012 Olympic Park. The team and I will be down there helping raise awareness for the event and soaking up the race atmosphere. It is going to be a great event and for anyone interested in knowing more, please go to http://newhamclassic10k.com/.
My final preparations for the race will include
· Complete one last 3 mile run next Saturday to help relax and loosen any muscles
· Start eating high carbohydrate meals, not forgetting a balanced proportion of protein and fats
· Continue to drink lots of water to hydrate adequately
· Check my running gear and ensure I am happy with the final race attire and have my name emblazoned on my vest
· Buy copious amounts of Vaseline and tape to warn off any unwanted chaffing
· Stock up on Jelly baby supplies
· Book my essential sports massage for after the race
· Have money ready for a well earnt pint afterwards
To pledge your support for Sam, feel free to go to his online page www.justgiving.com/sambowman and wish him luck…
Tuesday 14 April 2009
The glass isn’t anything like half empty
Doom; gloom; credit crunch; deep recession; economic melt-down. Clearly, if you read the papers or listen to the news, you’ll quite rightly conclude that we’re only minutes away from having to subsist on raw turnips and ditchwater for what’s left of our short, miserable lives.
Clearly this is just arrant nonsense, yet all around us we see companies laying off staff and cutting budgets left, right and centre in preparation for the what the media assure us is the end of the world.
Let’s suppose that all the doom-mongers are correct and that the economy is actually set to shrink by something like 3% in the next year. Instead of wailing and gnashing our teeth, why not concentrate on the remaining 97% (not an insignificant figure, I think you’ll agree)?
The worst you can reasonably say is that business is going to be harder to get in an economic downturn, but it is still there. Those companies who batten down the hatches and look inwards to save costs are reducing their ability to deliver to their existing customers and leaving the way open for others to benefit. Better yet, there is an interestingly surgical aspect to hard times: second-rate companies are more likely to fail than good ones, leaving more business for those of us who are determined not just to prevail, but to thrive.
“Do the math” as they say in America. You turn over a million quid, thanks to 20 customers each spending £50,000 with you. They all come to you and one day they’re halving their budgets, which gives you a shortfall of £500,000. To maintain your turnover and carry on, you need to find another 20 customers: tough, but not impossible. And here’s the best bit, you now have 40 customers (twice your original market share). How good is that going to be when the economy recovers? You now have a potential turnover of £2 million – twice the business you started with, that’s how good. Worth working for, if you ask me.
Basically, there are only two positions you can take in a downturn like this; a positive position, or the foetal position. I know which one we’re going to take.
Paul Rodger
Bull Rodger ltd
Clearly this is just arrant nonsense, yet all around us we see companies laying off staff and cutting budgets left, right and centre in preparation for the what the media assure us is the end of the world.
Let’s suppose that all the doom-mongers are correct and that the economy is actually set to shrink by something like 3% in the next year. Instead of wailing and gnashing our teeth, why not concentrate on the remaining 97% (not an insignificant figure, I think you’ll agree)?
The worst you can reasonably say is that business is going to be harder to get in an economic downturn, but it is still there. Those companies who batten down the hatches and look inwards to save costs are reducing their ability to deliver to their existing customers and leaving the way open for others to benefit. Better yet, there is an interestingly surgical aspect to hard times: second-rate companies are more likely to fail than good ones, leaving more business for those of us who are determined not just to prevail, but to thrive.
“Do the math” as they say in America. You turn over a million quid, thanks to 20 customers each spending £50,000 with you. They all come to you and one day they’re halving their budgets, which gives you a shortfall of £500,000. To maintain your turnover and carry on, you need to find another 20 customers: tough, but not impossible. And here’s the best bit, you now have 40 customers (twice your original market share). How good is that going to be when the economy recovers? You now have a potential turnover of £2 million – twice the business you started with, that’s how good. Worth working for, if you ask me.
Basically, there are only two positions you can take in a downturn like this; a positive position, or the foetal position. I know which one we’re going to take.
Paul Rodger
Bull Rodger ltd
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