Wimbledon – The world’s most prestigious Grand Slam
Mention a glamorous, world-renowned and highly chic sporting event and Wimbledon is certainly a contender in your thoughts. With strawberries and cream in one hand, a glass of champagne in the other and an ultra-sophisticated pair of shades on dimming the dazzling emerald glare of Centre Court, Wimbledon is the epitome of sophisticated Englishness at its most urbane.
Naturally getting a ticket for this highly sought-after sporting event is not easy as demand is extraordinarily high, especially on the days of the finals. And if a British player manages to make his or her way through the stages and threatens to not only make it to the final but possibly win it, then the Wimbledon British entourage simply go wild.
If you cannot come by one of the ‘golden’ Wimbledon tickets, you could always join the hundreds of others and watch the action from “Henman Hill” or “Murray Mound,” where big screens are erected for tennis lovers who desire to watch the excitement unravel in a genuinely electrifying atmosphere.
Although unfortunately for us Brits, the UK has not produced a winner since Fred Perry won the men’s championship three times back in the thirties and Virginia Wade triumphed in the ladies final in 1977. Whilst Tim Henman might have let us down by getting painfully and teasingly close, will Andy Murray finally end our four-decade long British Wimbledon anguish?
Unusual Afternoon tea in London
Afternoon tea in the Long Room at Lords Cricket Ground. How about doing something a little different in London? You can take a delightful afternoon tea at Lords world-famous cricket ground in London and you don’t even have to be a cricket fan to enjoy it (although it might help).
Looking out over the outfield of one of the world’s best-loved cricket grounds, eating hand-baked scones with clotted cream, has to be one of the most refined ways to spend an afternoon in the English capital and also makes for a very different and slightly unusual afternoon tea in London!
Lords is a true historic sporting venue. It is a place where many a heroic drama has unfolded through the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The iconic Long Room is adorned with paintings of the great cricket players from the past, and is the perfect place to grasp a real sense of just how influential and important Lords has been in history of cricket.
Lords is named after its founder, Thomas Lord and was established between 1787 and 1814, although has not always on its present day site where it has been since 1818. The ground is referred to, with some justification, as being the home of cricket.
Much of the ground has been refurbished in the late 20th century with new modern stands being built. The old and wonderful Victorian pavilion remains however, and is where the Long Room is situated for you to enjoy afternoon tea, or if you prefer something stronger, a glass of the finest champagne.
UEFA Champions League Final 2013 – Confirmation that London is one of the World’s greatest sporting cities
UEFA Champions League Final 2013 come to Wembley Stadium (again!)
Under the disbelieving eyes of the sporting ambassadors, Prince William and David Beckham, the English bid to host the World Cup competition in 2018 failed miserably, casting bleak talk of backhanders and corrupt goings on amongst Fifa. Although despite the humiliating defeat, all it seems is not lost for England hosting major international football competitions.
It actually seems that UEFA has a fondness for London’s Wembley Stadium as a Champions League venue. As recently as 2011, the final was held at Wembley and this year will be the seventh time that the competition is to be held in England’s capital city.
London in the aftermath of the superb Olympic Games is forging ahead as one of the world’s greatest sporting cities. It is clear that UEFA understand and recognise London’s skilful policing of football matches and tough zero tolerance on both racism and hooliganism and has rewarded with the UEFA Champions League Final 2013.
The European Cup first came to London in 1963, but it was the second showing of this prominent international football competition in 1968 that truly put English football on the world stage.
Since the most prestigious event in European football was first held at Wembley Stadium, London’s best-loved sporting venue has hosted a total of six European finals. In May 2011, a record-breaking audience of more than 300 million flocked to Wembley to see Manchester United take on Barcelona.
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters in London in 2013!
Being one of the most cosmopolitan, glamorous and widely-visited cities in the world, anyone with a desire to wow crowds and entertain with zestful determination, naturally want to come to London.
The Harlem Globetrotters in London in 2013 sounds positively exciting, with their super athletic dynamic display of mesmerizing entertainment, this is one such team that promises to enthral audiences on a London stage.
On March 30, 2013, the Harlem Globetrotters will play and show off an extraordinary dazzling basketball display to 12,000 people at the Wembley Arena Stadium, in a show that promises to be no ordinary game of basketball.
The Globetrotters have been thrilling their fans for over 80 years. They were formed in the south side of Chicago and despite being from Chicago; the team decided to call themselves the “New York Harlem Globe Trotters”. This decision was due to the fact that Harlem was considered by black Americans to be the centre of African-American culture.
This world-famous basketball team have, in their time, been accused of playing for “Uncle Tom”, due to their larking about and playful antics on the pitch. But as Oklahoma state basketball player, Jessie Jackson remarked:
“The Harlem Globetrotters only emitted a sense of style and superiority as they went about their business with such humour and skill.”
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – One of London’s best sporting events
The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – One of London’s most long-established and best-loved sporting events!
Every year two teams of eight beefy men – and one very small person known as the cox – lock horns for the annual boat race between England’s two most prestigious universities. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race sees these highly competitive top university teams race each other from Putney to Mortlake along the River Thames.
The distance covered in this prominent race is a shade over four miles and never fails to make a marvellous spectacle in the early springtime. In fact this popular and formidable race attracts around a quarter of a million spectators to the banks of the Thames, whilst millions more watch it live on television.
The beginnings
The first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race took place in 1829 but it was not until 1856 that it became an annual event and has now taken place 158 times! Cambridge has won to trophy 81 times, a tad more than their rivals who have had 76 victories. During their 158 contests there has only been one dead heat which occurred in 1877.
In fact so alike are the two teams that both Oxford and Cambridge race in blue with Cambridge boasting a slighter lighter blue kit.
Occasionally a rower would come along and his sporting physique and style would transcend the norm. Stanley Muttlebury, or “Muttle” as he was more commonly known, was one such athlete, who became a legendary figure for Cambridge after his sensational rowing exploits in the 1886-1890 rowing team.
