Looking back at two days of sport that made history
What a weekend of sport! Two days that changed the mood of a nation and with it came unadulterated sunshine and temperatures that reached 30 degrees in many parts of the country and if you were lucky enough to have a seat within Centre Court on Sunday, you would have experienced heat of up to 40 degrees. Although with the tension of Murray's last service game that 40 degrees could have easily risen to over 50.
We are a small nation but, oh my, we produce some spectacular sporting moments. It all started with the British and Irish Lions win over Australia on Saturday morning. 16 years, 16 very long years, the British and Irish isles have been waiting for a test series win and the men in red answered the prayers of the 40,000 odd people that had flown half way around the world to support them, in undeniable fashion. Many had criticised Warren Gatland for his team selection - what was he thinking in dropping O'Driscoll? Alun Wyn Jones as captain, ludicrous! The ever modest (ahem) Austin Healy very publicly announced his predictions for the final test after reading the team sheet - it's safe to say that he quickly changed his song after 65 minutes of the game had passed.
As Will Carling wrote in his article for the Huffington Post, people made these criticisms off the back of what - off the back of their own emotions and beliefs. Hardly anyone had spoken to Gatland himself or spoken to the players. Why judge when nobody knows what the feeling is like within the squad. If we didn't know what the mood was within camp before Saturday we most certainly became aware of it during the vital third test in Sydney. Without bringing the home nations in too much, the Lions attitude seemed to resemble that of Wales during the Six Nations decider in the Millenium stadium earlier this year. Backs were patted, heads were ruffled and Alun Wyn Jones' battle face was on - no one was going to get passed him without a vicious fight.
Roberts' try with 68 minutes on the clock sealed the deal. It was done. They had achieved what not many had before them. The Lions squad of 2013 will not go back to their normal lives once landing back on home soil, no. They will step food on their green, green grass of home as Lions series winners. They will forever be remembered in history as the team that not only beat Australia but thrashed them with such force that their coach Robbie Deans was kicked out with embarrassment. Many, young and old, would have witnessed, be it in sunny Sydney or in slightly sunny, slightly overcast Britain, the best rugby victory of our generation. 16 - 41, that's enough to make you smile for at least the next week, month, year (or is that pushing it a bit?!).
The smiles that were thrust upon the nation Saturday morning were stretched even further at around half past five on Sunday evening. Murray, the 'will he ever do it' man did it. The man from Dunblane achieved what no Brit has ever achieved since Fred Perry 77 years ago. With the Scot 2 sets to 0 up people began to believe but one can not jump to conlusions when his opposition is world number one Novak Djokovic.
The emotions that the British number one made the whole nation go through during those last few championship points were horrific - surely he should have been more considerate to the supporters! But he went on and achieved his life long ambition with the roar of the centre court crowd, the Henman Hill crowd and of the crowd of millions of supporters around the world. What a day, and no tears from Murray this time.
Many British people were voicing their support for Novak Djokovic because they "didn't like Andy Murray's attitude". When Murray first came on the scene it was easy to gain this mentality towards the straight talking man but not now. A tennis player or athlete of any kind needs to concentrate on the job at hand. That job is to win, nothing more and nothing less. To win does not include having to smile and answer each question from the press with Barbie like enthusiasm. Since Ivan Lendl took over as Murray's coach he has come out of his shell a lot more and during the documentary that was televised by the BBC on Murray's life we saw that their is much more to the young player than his stern look and aggressive pep talks on the court. He will be, like the Lions, forever remembered as the man who 'did it'. The man who took the nation in to an explosion of euphoria that must have been felt on the other side of the world.
With no Olympics this year many were questioning if the summer of 2013 could come close to matching the excitement of 2012's summer of sport. Wow, well one thing i for sure that if this sporting summer has not already surpassed expectations it is definitely close.
A British Wimbledon champion and a victorious British and Irish Lions side Down Under - the stuff that dreams are made of.
We are a small nation but, oh my, we produce some spectacular sporting moments. It all started with the British and Irish Lions win over Australia on Saturday morning. 16 years, 16 very long years, the British and Irish isles have been waiting for a test series win and the men in red answered the prayers of the 40,000 odd people that had flown half way around the world to support them, in undeniable fashion. Many had criticised Warren Gatland for his team selection - what was he thinking in dropping O'Driscoll? Alun Wyn Jones as captain, ludicrous! The ever modest (ahem) Austin Healy very publicly announced his predictions for the final test after reading the team sheet - it's safe to say that he quickly changed his song after 65 minutes of the game had passed.
As Will Carling wrote in his article for the Huffington Post, people made these criticisms off the back of what - off the back of their own emotions and beliefs. Hardly anyone had spoken to Gatland himself or spoken to the players. Why judge when nobody knows what the feeling is like within the squad. If we didn't know what the mood was within camp before Saturday we most certainly became aware of it during the vital third test in Sydney. Without bringing the home nations in too much, the Lions attitude seemed to resemble that of Wales during the Six Nations decider in the Millenium stadium earlier this year. Backs were patted, heads were ruffled and Alun Wyn Jones' battle face was on - no one was going to get passed him without a vicious fight.
Roberts' try with 68 minutes on the clock sealed the deal. It was done. They had achieved what not many had before them. The Lions squad of 2013 will not go back to their normal lives once landing back on home soil, no. They will step food on their green, green grass of home as Lions series winners. They will forever be remembered in history as the team that not only beat Australia but thrashed them with such force that their coach Robbie Deans was kicked out with embarrassment. Many, young and old, would have witnessed, be it in sunny Sydney or in slightly sunny, slightly overcast Britain, the best rugby victory of our generation. 16 - 41, that's enough to make you smile for at least the next week, month, year (or is that pushing it a bit?!).
The emotions that the British number one made the whole nation go through during those last few championship points were horrific - surely he should have been more considerate to the supporters! But he went on and achieved his life long ambition with the roar of the centre court crowd, the Henman Hill crowd and of the crowd of millions of supporters around the world. What a day, and no tears from Murray this time.
Many British people were voicing their support for Novak Djokovic because they "didn't like Andy Murray's attitude". When Murray first came on the scene it was easy to gain this mentality towards the straight talking man but not now. A tennis player or athlete of any kind needs to concentrate on the job at hand. That job is to win, nothing more and nothing less. To win does not include having to smile and answer each question from the press with Barbie like enthusiasm. Since Ivan Lendl took over as Murray's coach he has come out of his shell a lot more and during the documentary that was televised by the BBC on Murray's life we saw that their is much more to the young player than his stern look and aggressive pep talks on the court. He will be, like the Lions, forever remembered as the man who 'did it'. The man who took the nation in to an explosion of euphoria that must have been felt on the other side of the world.
With no Olympics this year many were questioning if the summer of 2013 could come close to matching the excitement of 2012's summer of sport. Wow, well one thing i for sure that if this sporting summer has not already surpassed expectations it is definitely close.
A British Wimbledon champion and a victorious British and Irish Lions side Down Under - the stuff that dreams are made of.
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