New Statesman Scotland
What do the World Conker Championships have that the rugby World Cup does not? The unpalatable facts are that more fans attended the former than the latter when Scotland played Uruguay. A crowd of 5,000 "conkers nuts" thronged their way through country lanes to the championship venue in deepest Northamptonshire last week, whereas only 4,500 souls went to Murrayfield to watch the Boys in Blue defeat the South Americans. Is there a banal explanation? Is the World Cup, at £35 and £40 a ticket, overpriced and over-rated? Conkers are cheaper and, unlike the price of a ticket to Murrayfield, they do grow on trees.
Nothing like being kicked when you're down. Aberdeen FC are having a dreadful season - so bad that it has spawned a story believed by many in the beleaguered north. Rangers were due to play them in a domestic fixture at Pittodrie, while being committed to a European tie on the same evening at Ibrox. The Rangers manager, Dick Advocaat, dealt with this dilemma by sending Jorg Alberts north on his own to take on the Dons. Mindful of his responsibilities to Rangers' domestic status, Advocaat phoned at half-time and was relieved to hear that the score was 0-0. At full-time he phoned again to find out the result.
"1-0 to Aberdeen," he was told.
Incredulous and less than happy, he barked down the phone: "What the hell happened?"
"Well," replied a sheepish coach, "I'm afraid Jorg was sent off after 68 minutes."
Dangerous sports are becoming increasingly popular. Nevertheless it was with a sharp intake of breath that Grassroots learnt that a new world speed record of 131mph was set last week - for a blind driver. Ken Moss, a 41-year-old former policeman from Scarborough, notched up the new record. Apparently he achieved this speed on a runway in an adapted car with a specialised navigation system which communicates sounds that tell him when to turn right and left. There is no doubt that a substantial number of fully sighted people would benefit from this innovative system.
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