| Richard Williams: Herne Hill revival would be perfect The children who use the last remaining active venue from the London Olympics are the Harrises and Wigginses of the futureLook at that drain, Simon Inglis said, and pointed to a cast-iron pipe running down the side of a dilapidated grandstand. It's a relic, he explained, from the 1948 Olympic Games.We were at Herne Hill, the open-air velodrome in south London. It was the first week of April this year, the rain had been inundating the shallow bankings of the 120-year-old concrete bowl since late morning, and the annual Good Friday track meeting was about to be cancelled.Inglis, who occupies an important place in the nation's life as the historian of its sporting architecture, is compiling a book about London's various arenas and was there to research his entry on Herne Hill, the last remaining active venue from the 1948 Games. I was there to watch some bike racing. He had better luck, coming away with photographs of the historic drainpipe still doing its job. I ate a water-logged cheeseburger and went home to watch a DVD of Fausto Coppi's greatest races.Now it seems as though the days of Herne Hill's historic Good Friday festival are numbered. Last week it was announced that the event, which dates back to 1903, will be held from next year at Manchester's velodrome, the home of British Cycling's all‑conquering track team. Three consecutive years of bad weather, culminating in the total loss of the 2010 meeting, proved too much for the organiser. His patience had already been worn away by the reluctance of the Dulwich Estate, the owner of the freehold, to grant a lease long enough to make it worthwhile to undertake the necessary refurbishment of the grandstand, which is closed for safety reasons, and the 450‑metre track itself.But it was here that Reg Harris won the silver medal in the 1,000m sprint at the 1948 Games. Ten years later Coppi attracted a crowd of 12,000 on his only appearance in Britain. It is also the place where the young Bradley Wiggins, destined to become a triple Olympic champion, cut his teeth as a competitor, and among the 500 local children who still use the track on Saturday mornings, under the supervision of the VĂ©lo Club de Londres, are the Harrises and Wigginses of the future.Few of them mind that it no longer meets the Olympic specification, which calls for a high-banked 250m indoor track. Like Edinburgh's Meadowbank velodrome, a similarly timeworn track saved from immediate closure a couple of years ago after a campaign fronted by Sir Chris Hoy, this is the kind of place that can still inspire the next generation of champions.A campaign to save Herne Hill is being run by local people who recognise that they have a potentially superb amenity in their midst. They may have lost the Good Friday meeting, at least for now, but their long-term vision is a broader one. "It's not just about keeping the place open," Hillary Peachey, one of the organisers, told me yesterday. "We're looking at the longer-term prospects of redeveloping the site to create a velo park, with a cafĂ©, a BMX track and other facilities."Peachey, whose two young children use the track at weekends, speaks of acquiring charitable status, getting local schools involved, pitching for Lottery funding and drawing up the sort of plans that would persuade the Dulwich Estate to give them a 25-year lease. "Here's an opportunity to encourage kids to get healthier," she said. "It's a perfect example of what David Cameron's Big Society is supposed to be about."The relevant website is www.savethevelodrome.com and there will be a public meeting at the nearby Dulwich College on 6 October. They hope to get Wiggins along, or at least to receive his endorsement. And the opposing argument that a gleaming new Olympic-spec velodrome will be ready for general use on the north side of London after 2012 won't wash in a city with a population of 7.5 million, an ever increasing number of whom are taking to two wheels. The Olympic legacy is not supposed to be a zero-sum game and the Austerity Games of 1948 deserve their legacy, too.CyclingBradley WigginsChris HoyRichard Williamsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Captains predict competitive Ryder Cup By 2010-09-27T12:44:03ZCARDIFF, Wales (AP) -- The U.S. and Europe Ryder Cup captains predicted Monday the outcome could hinge on a single putt on the final day.... hosted.ap.org |
IPL in turmoil as two teams thrown out • Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab see licences terminated• New franchise Kochi also under threat after BCCI warningThe future of the Indian Premier League appears to be in doubt after two leading franchises that had been at the centre of corruption allegations involving the league commissioner, Lalit Modi, were thrown out of the 2011 tournament.The Rajasthan Royals, winners of the inaugural IPL title in 2008 and captained by Shane Warne, and the Kings XI Punjab both had their licences terminated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.The BCCI had suspended Modi and set up a committee in July to investigate bribery allegations in the 2008 awarding of the bids. Modi has denied any wrongdoing in the bidding process.At an emergency meeting in Mumbai today the BCCI also issued a notice to a third franchise, Kochi, asking that it resolve internal disputes over the ownership shares."The governing council of the IPL met today to discuss and decide on the breaches committed by three of the franchisees, KPH Dream Cricket Pvt Ltd, Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd and the unincorporated joint venture holding the Kochi franchise."It was unanimously decided that the franchise agreements with KPH Dream Cricket and Jaipur IPL Cricket be terminated forthwith based on the legal opinions obtained by BCCI in the matters."It was further unanimously decided to issue a notice to the unincorporated joint venture holding the Kochi franchise calling upon them to resolve all their disputes and form a joint venture company which will hold the IPL franchise rights."The IPL was due to expand from eight to 10 teams for the 2011 season, which is scheduled to take place immediately after the world cup in April.IPLCricketTwenty20guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Payback on Nebraska's mind in final Big 12 showdown with Texas In one way, No. 4 Nebraska vs. Texas on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln is the end of an era. Since the Cornhuskers are leaving the Big ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
AP sources: No final decision on women's ski jump By STEPHEN WILSON 2010-10-25T17:49:02ZACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) -- Olympic officials say they need more time to review women's ski jumping and other events before deciding whether to include them in the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.... hosted.ap.org |