A VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE (DECEMBER 20TH)

When is a pitch unplayable and who makes the decision?
Every season there are dilemmas about whether pitches are playable or not. With the dreaded “Health and Safety” becoming more and more prevalent the reasons for viewing the playability of a pitch becomes more interesting. Last Saturday at TLC the morning saw an U14 game cancelled even though the opposition were at Timperley. Pitches were fit for an U12 game to be played and in the afternoon all three grass Lacrosse pitches were in great condition and could have hosted the three scheduled games. Only the failure of the opposition to raise a team meant that the games were not played.

I inspected the pitches at 9.45am and they were in my view fit for play. In the afternoon the hockey people decided that because of frozen lines they could not play. To me this sounded like leaves on the lines or the wrong sort of snow.

If this was the case I am sure that salt on the lines would have sorted things out.

The 3 grass pitches although more debatable were certainly playable in the morning and near perfect in the afternoon.

I think the crux of the issue is who takes the decisions.

I think that what is Ok for one sport may not be suitable for other sports. A pitch which was not fit for rugby or soccer could well be fit for Lacrosse. Problems with insurers are often cited. In my experience insurers rely on the view of people who are experts in their sports to decide what is right for their sports. If Lacrosse experts (Team managers and coaches) feel a pitch is fit for their sport then that should be seen as a responsible and correct decision

At Timperley the decision as to whether a pitch is fit for a particular sport is in my view a matter for each individual sport. They are the experts. The purpose of the exercise is to play as much sport as possible.

I do not think that the ultimate decision lies with TSC staff. Groundsman Andy Horsfield can give advice and I know he will generally be very positive but the ultimate decision lies with the membership.

If there is an intractable problem then the Lacrosse Chair should be consulted and he will liaise with the Club Manager.

U19 League
It is always good to have something to look forward to in the New Year.

The last night of the U19 Floodlit League should have taken place on Sunday 10th with the highlight of the night a game between Timperley and Poynton which would decide who carried off the Autumn silverware. Unfortunately, the game did not take place because of ice on the ATP. (a situation which I think could have been sorted. See above comments)

Although the game is one of the scheduled round robin games it ended up with Mellor who have finished their games on 5 points from 4 games. Poynton and Timperley are tied on 4 points having played 3 games. Poynton have marginally the better goal difference so a draw would see them take the trophy. Timperley need a win to take the title. It is all set for a nail biting game.

The fixture will take place in early January though a date for a game has not been fixed.

Winter Classic
Following the Winter Classic which has been held in Manchester over the last two weekends, the England training squad is due to be announced following the games.

Christmas 8’s
The Xmas 8s were a big success and took place despite the weather. I think that bringing prestige events to TSC is all part of developing a successful and high profile multi sports club.
I was, I think disappointed to hear that the pitches were questionable and also that there was no service available in the clubhouse for what I am sure was a considerable number of players and supporters.

Can we see the end of the Tory Party?
It seems to me that we do not have a cohesive active government. We have a one woman drive towards a hard brexit whilst her party tears itself apart because the unlikelihood of a successful end to the Brexit “negotiations.

No area of government seems to be functional at the moment and the growth of poverty and homelessness increases my contempt for England.

Even that massive white elephant the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth leaks!! And we can’t afford the planes to fly off her.

A survey released today says that 76% of people would wish that the Brexit process should be stopped. 11% were not sure and 13% wanted out of the EU whatever. The voice of the people??

At least we have Xmas and hopefully 2018 will be better than 2017.

It seems to me that Britain is inherently a country of the centre left made up of people who want their world to embrace a sympathetic treatment of all citizens. Certainly not a world which can be the result of a Tory government and probably not of a Corbyn Labour party although it does seem a contradiction that some people still believe that a party which has become inherently evil and dishonest is preferable to one which is led by someone who most people I have asked think is honest and principled and who embraces policies which they agree with.

A recent family discussion came to the conclusion that probably the best country to live in was Denmark. When the Danes were asked what made their country work the response was that they paid much more tax than we did.

I would be happy to pay more tax to save the NHS, eliminate homelessness and poverty, create a proper care system and have a properly funded education system.

Lebron James – a Sporting inspiration.
I have spent a few hours in one of my grandchildren’s Primary Schools (Brookburn in Chorlton) over the last few days watching the theatrical extravaganzas which are the Christmas shows. They are generally a triumph with great singing but it is always a challenge to find a show which can accommodate around 60 young people.

Just as interesting is the stuff you can read on the walls of a school and what you can learn from talking to pupils is fascinating. In my grandson’s Yr6 class there are very diverse groups. Owen is in a rock band – not yet ready for public performance. The drummer is Tilly whose father is a drummer in a rock band. I am also told by Owen that another father is a professional drummer and was with the Courteeners. These are normal people in Chorlton!

In many ways Chorlton is exactly what you think it is. It is a diverse and educated community with residents working for hospitals, Local Authorities, Universities, schools, creative industries. It has a very vibrant community with a tremendous variety of pubs, bars and restaurants. The Lead Station, The Parlour, The Laundrette, Zero Zero, Croma, Bar San Juan, Grays, Zitano are probably not fine dining but they are great food , great atmosphere and great value..

Etchells, the newsagent on Beech Road, reportedly sells more Guardians than any other shop in the country.

Barbakan, Akbhar Brothers, Unicorn Grocery, Frosts Butchers, Out of the Blue fishmongers are all outstanding independent food retailers.

Back to Brookburn! On the walls are posters encouraging positive and active life styles. Sport and competition are very much encouraged. The whole school is divided into teams and each team is connected to inspirational sporting heroes who have made inspirational statements. There was Rebecca Addlington, Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis–Hill and others who were so noteworthy that I have forgotten who they were. Then, unexpectedly, there was LeBron James. I was surprised that pupils at Brookburn would know who LeBron James was!* But the quote attributed to him was, to me, more pertinent and relevant than the others.

“You can’t be afraid fail. You have to accept failure to get better.”

*LeBron James is an outstanding American basketball player who plays for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers. He was brought up by his mother who gave birth to him when she was only 16. He was a star even when he was at school in Akron Ohio. His school games were often watched by crowds of more than 5,000 and were broadcast live on TV.

His professional career has seen him win 3 NBA Championships, 4 NBA MVP Awards, 3 NBA Finals MVP Awards and 2 Olympic Gold Medals.

Happy Xmas and Best Wishes for a Great 2018
There are I think some junior games scheduled for 23rd December though I am unsure if they will take place.

The next Newsletter will go out on 10th January (unless I get bored over the Holiday) and will include these games.

Please enjoy the Holiday and many thanks to all, in particular Tom Slater and Mikey Armstrong, who have been great compensating for my IT incompetence and to all the team managers who have been so good at getting in reports and the stats.

Updated 00:29 - 1 Sep 2019 by Tom Slater