Live from Melbourne!!!

Been a while since the last post, but I'm still here! (oops forgot to Publish this last week!!!)

Been busy and had a couple of problems to contend with, but got plenty of material for the next week or so!!!

Well the snow's back again. Not too much, but enough to close the Golf Course, so no play today!

So I got up to watch the Murray v Federer final in the Australian Open. Obviously Murray is British at the moment, but if he loses, he be the plucky Scot again!

As I write it's 5 - 3 to Federer in the first set. The crucial break in the 8th game!

Anyway, this could be one of those momentous occasions if Murray wins, as it's 74 years since a British man won a grand slam event!

I got to thinking of the other momentous sporting events I had been able to see live via the Telly. Obviously one of the biggest has to be the 1987 cup final when the mighty Coventry City beat Spurs!!!

Ooops, Federer wins first set 6-3!

The first big moment I remember seeing was the 1966 World Cup final with England beating West Germany at Wembley. We watched it on the black and white set, I was 5 years old, but I remember every moment! Well actually I don't, because my Dad recently told me a story about the day in question and we were'nt at home. We were on the Sunday School Outing to Barry Island (yes the Gavin and Stacey Barry Island!!!)

We had booked in advance and there was no way my mum was going to let my Dad get out of going, so I did'nt actually see it live! I had obviously seen it since and I truly believed that I had seen it live.

This brings me on to a perrenial argument with my wife, who, when I want to watch a live sporting event, she tells me to tape it, or more correctly nowadays to Sky+ it, but as I tell her it's not the same! Even if you don't know the result, when you watch it, it's happened, it's already over, you can fast forward.

More importantly, you can't influence it!

Yes you can, you can influence it when you watch it live! For instance, Murray has just lost his serve and is about to go 3-1 down in the second set. If I leave the room, to make a coffee, it may spur him on to break back? If I stay, he may be broken again. Now bearing in mind he's thousands of miles away and the signal is considerably delayed, I'm not really watching it Live, but that doesn't matter.

I'd better leave the room for a bit as he's just about to be broken again!!!

See I told you, in the ime I made a coffee, Murray went from 0-30 to win his service game!!!

So what other moments spring to mind?

Lyle, Faldo and Woosnam winning the Masters!

The many Ryder Cup victories, even the defeats. I was in Florida on Holiday when the Americans came from way back to win on the final singles day, with the monstrous putt by Justin Leonard and the "pitch" invasion that followed before Olazabal had his putt for a half!!! Let's just say the commentary that day was not as impartial as the BBC!!!

Some goodbyes as well, seeing Arnold Palmer stop on the bridge at St Andrews in his last Open and wave to the crowd. A scene to be repeated many times.

I was "lucky" enough to have an injury to my ankle that meant I could'nt work for much of Botham's Ashes and was sat at home with my leg up, watching the Headingley Test, wondering what the BBC would put on instead to the cricket when the Aussies wrapped it up. It was one of those surreal moments, when even after making Australia bat again, they were going to win......wrong!!!

Now you're not going to believe this, but I just had to leave the room to let the dog out at Murray 0-40 and he managed to win the game! Looks like I'll be in and out of the room a lot!!!

Ok, it does'nt always work, he lost the second set 6-4!

World Cup France 98, I was doing a business degree at Durham University Business School and we were in residence during the ko stages. We had been allowed to finish early, so we could get fed and watered (lager'd) before the England v Argentina match.

We were stood in the bar area watching the game, a few "academic" types sat watching, us more than the football. Well the game started badly with a penalty to Argentina in the 6th Minute and then Shearer equalising from the spot following a foul on Owen. then the wonder goal by Owen followed by an equaliser for Argentina in added time of the first half.

Then in the 47th minute Beckhams flagrant, but inocuous trip, earned him a red Card from Danish ref Kim Milton Neilson! Up roar! they may only have been 30 of us in the bar, but boy we made some noise. Into extrra time and Sol Campbell scores! We're leaping around knocking tables and chairs over, hugging each other when we realise that it's been disallowed! To make things worse the Argies are on the break and nearly score at the other end.

We suddenly notice that there are seiling tiles over the floor. In our exitement a couple of fistse have gone through the suspended ceiliing!

We inevitably lose the penalty shoot out with misses by Ince and Batty! There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth........and drowning of sorrows.

When we went into the lecture hall the next day, imagine the shock of seeing the two guys who had been "observing us" during the first half of the match!

Still there was always the 5-1 away win against the Germans in Munich to compensate in later years.

Ooops, the Scotsman has just lost in straight sets!!!