Category Archives: Sport

Jul 29 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

Cumberland wrestling

Thursday 27th July 2017, 3.35pm (day 2,163)

Cumberland wrestlers, 27/7/17

No walking today. Instead we made our way up to Rydal Park for the annual Ambleside Sports, an event where you can watch runners yomp up the fellsides, hounds follow tracks of aniseed around the same terrain, cycling, running and Cumberland wrestling, where strapping lads (and women, too) lock their hands round each other and attempt to get their opponent onto the floor first — best of three. While wearing natty velvet shorts, if you’re doing it in the full traditional manner.

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Jul 16 2017
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Daily Post, Sport, Urban scene

Catering facilities, Salford City FC

Saturday 15th July 2017, 1.50pm (day 2,151)

Silcocks cafe, 15/7/17

My 2017-18 football season opened at Salford City FC and a pre-season warm-up game against local rivals FC United of Manchester. The hosts won 2-1. You can read what I thought about the game, and see photographs of the day taken by someone much better at that kind of thing than me, if you purchase the next issue of When Saturday Comes (advt.). Salford City have big plans but their stadium, for all its recent renovations, is still pleasingly non-league in many ways. I like this catering van, its garish and gratuitously sexist decoration, and the worshipful posture of the customer.

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May 13 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

Blue flare

Saturday 13th May 2017, 4.35pm (day 2,088)

Halifax flare, 13/5/17

After last weekend’s semi-final victory over Salford, Halifax Town duly beat Chorley 2-1 (after extra time) to get promoted back to the fifth tier of English professional football. 7,920 people were there to see it, an amazing crowd for the level of football (and a record for the National League North apparently). Sam Johnson, Halifax keeper, here clears a flare off the pitch. I’m telling you it was all happening at The Shay this afternoon….

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May 08 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

Pitch invasion

Sunday 7th May 2017, 5.55pm (day 2,082)

Pitch invasion, 7/5/17

A benign one I can assure you. FC Halifax Town fans express their feelings about the scoring of the winning penalty in the shoot out in the (take a deep breath) National League North Play-off Semi-Final 2nd leg at home to Salford City (whose players really should practice penalties more). Second trip to the Shay stadium this season, after New Year’s Day, and there’ll probably be another one next Saturday seeing as we might as well go to the play-off final now they’ve made it.

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Apr 23 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

The non-league crowd

Saturday 22nd April 2017, 3.35pm (day 2,067)

King/s Lynn Town, 22/4/17

In my own way I am a collector, mainly of places, and this football season have made more of an effort to get around some of the nooks and crannies of the game around England and (once) Scotland. Today saw a visit to King’s Lynn Town FC of the Evo-Stik Premier League, the seventh tier of English football. The thirteenth game of my season sees its seventh different competition, which is a decent return, though one I can better next year with some effort. The thing worth noticing about English football is just how deep down it goes. 554 people came along today to this game: in almost any other country this level of the game would hardly exist. I like this shot of the home fans behind the goal their team were attacking in the first half — after half-time they go to the other end. The last game of their season ended well for King’s Lynn as they beat Chesham 3-1.

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Apr 15 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

Stewards’ corner, Molineux

Friday 14th April 2017, 4.45pm (day 2,059)

Stewards, Molineux, 14/4/17

Molineux is the stadium of Wolverhampton Wanderers who became the latest side that the mighty Brighton & Hove Albion batted aside on their way to the Championship title this season. Well, OK… promotion at least. We’re not there yet but we could be, as early as Monday. I have given up trying to take decent action shots of games, which is impossible a) from the crowd b) with an everyday camera and c) when you care about the result. So here is one taken just before things got started with the 5pm kick off (thank  you, Sky Sports). Of course it would be better if all the lines were straight, but as with other elements of sports photography — it really doesn’t help if you’re confined to one particular seat all evening.

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Feb 25 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

We are top of the league

Saturday 25th February 2017, 6.45pm (day 2,011)

Jamie Murphy has just scored the second goal for Brighton & Hove Albion against Reading at the Amex stadium, and you could say we’re all rather happy about it. 3-0 final score — bring on Newcastle…

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Feb 03 2017
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Daily Post, Portrait, Sport, Stranger

Applauding the teams out

Thursday 2nd February 2017, 7.45pm (day 1,988)

John Smith's stadium, 2/2/17

Evening game at the John Smith’s stadium, Huddersfield — but let’s not talk about it past this point. Suffice to say that only here, when the teams were coming out, did we Brighton fans feel particularly optimistic.

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Jan 28 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

Old Spotted Dog stadium (Clapton FC)

Saturday 28th January 2017, 3.25pm (day 1,983)

Clapton FC, 28/1/17

With nothing else much to do while Clare was on her course today I took myself on the latest stop on my recent tour of obscure football stadia and took in a game from the Essex Senior League, Clapton v Barking. Clapton are notable for having a big ‘Ultra’ fan group, but they are a club with a history, having been founded in 1878 and still playing at the same ground they always have done, the marvellously named Old Spotted Dog stadium. The result — Clapton (here in red, white and black) 4, Barking 2. Better than my lot managed today anyway.

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Jan 01 2017
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Daily Post, Sport

South stand, the Shay (and new moon)

Sunday 1st January 2017, 4.40pm (day 1,956)

South stand, Shay, 1/1/17

Watching a game in the sixth tier of English football — the National League North — might seem an unusual way to see in 2017, but Joe, me and 2,509 other people decided it was worth doing today; numbers which help explain the strength of the sport in this country. Halifax Town 2, Darlington 2 was the final score, a good game, quite exciting, though from listening to the home fans around Joe and I you’d think it had been a disaster of Iceland v England proportions. I worry that this shot is a bit messy, but I like the crescent moon visible  to top left, so let’s give it a go. I prefer it to most pictures I get at football matches, anyway, even if it is slightly out-of-focus.

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