Saturday 29 June 2013

Not even July and the new football season has started

Saturday 29 June 2013, Coggeshall Town 0 Ipswich Town X1 6, The Crops


So the season starts and June has not even ended - a good run out for a young Town team and plus a good PR trip for Ipswich


Tuesday 18 June 2013

New home of British Cycling?

Pearl Izumi Tour Series, Ipswich Town centre - 14 June 2013


An Olympic Gold medallist (Ed Clancy) and former World Grand Prix Champion (Nigel Mansell) and huge crowds - Ipswich has had the Tour of Britain, The Euro Cyclo Cross championship's and now the Tour Series- what next? The UK Championships?

Sunday 2 June 2013

Football stadiums of Verona

Whilst in Italy for the end of the Giro d’italia, I managed to get a morning to visit some of the football stadiums of Verona.


My two targets were Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi (home of Hellas Verona and Chievo then a bus across town to the home of Seria D team Vitus Verona – the Gavagnin Sports complex.

I started in the morning at Stadio Bentegodi, but could not get in but did manage to get some pictures of the outside of this impressive arena that was used for the 1990 World Cup.

I spotted some other floodlights and found myself at the 3,000 place Olivieri Stadium, home of the Verona ladies team, but a locked gate and a Travellers’ site made getting any closer impossible.



I did manage to get onto the pitch at tow further locations, a pitch that was right next to the main stadium – guess used by the Hellas reserve team and around the corner was a further sports complex used by the junior Hellas teams and shred with the HQ of a local Alpine Mountaineering club.



The disappointments of not getting into the main stadium was soon forgotten when I got to Vitus Verona, an open gate and I was able to even get on the pitch plus gain access to next door baseball ground and rugby pitch.





It was here that I noticed a match poster for a youth tournament that was to have the final played that evening back at the Stadio Bentegodi.



So a few hours later I found myself one a few hundred fans in a large stadium watching the final of a schoolboy tournament - great end to a good day but what I would say is the stadium was far more shoddier looking from the inside than the outside.

No Wiggo but Cav takes the Red Jersey and stage win - Giro d'italia 2013



A few days in Verona enabled me to witness the last stage of the 2013 Giro d'italia in Brescia. I have been fortunate enough to see stages of the Tour of Britain but this was a far different experience. Arriving in Brescia in the morning, being able to walk the route of the last seven laps of the city route and witness the big stands, crowds, free gifts and the Italian love for cycling.



A number of Brits were in town, many in Sky shirts - guessing many had booked early hoping to see a Sir Brad Wiggins win. But Bradley had departed Italy weeks earlier his race ruined by injury and the weather. But there was still plenty for the British to cheer. As Mark Cavendish not only won the stage but also regained the Red Jersey.



So we had come to witness the 'Paul Weller' of cycling, Sir Bradley Wiggins win the pink jersey but ended up cheering the 'Manx Missile' as he won red.



Next year we have the Giro starting in Belfast, the Tour in Yorkshire and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow - 2014 looks like it will be yet another great year for British cycling.