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Autumn sporting contests

We have now reached the end of autumnal sport contests: the Ryder Cup, the Rugby World Cup and the Cricket World Cup. Of the three I enjoyed the Rugby World Cup the most as England defied the critics – who at one stage doubted they could qualify – by holding South Africa until the 79th [...]

November 20, 2023 // 0 Comments

Art of Cinema/depiction of war

I was so looking forward to Ian Nathan and the Sky Arts film team appraising war films in this series but I was disappointed. There were too many omissions and the emphasis was on British films like The Cruel Sea, an excellent film, but one featuring a merchant navy corvette, not the Royal Navy. [...]

November 17, 2023 // 0 Comments

Vintage Crime: A Short History Of Wine Fraud/Rebecca Gibb (book review)

This morning, on my habitual overnight “tour” of the British national newspapers seeking items or stories of potential interest to Rusters, on the website of the Daily Mail I came across this review by Constance Craig Smith of a new book on the subject of wine called Vintage Crime: A [...]

November 17, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Cricket World Cup comes to life

Australia’s 3-wicket win at Kolkota was the most enthralling game so far in a rather tepid World Cup. South Africa chose to bat as the advantage seems to pass to the team that does. However they were soon 24-4 and Australia in pole position. David Miller’s century brought some honour to [...]

November 17, 2023 // 0 Comments

MCC v India

I switched onto TMS at 7-30 am to hear an interview with an author critical of the MCC’s governance of cricket. The theme was typical of the contemporary cricket writer: the MCC  was a cosy, private, right wing members’ club and largely incompetent. Later I listened to the preview of the [...]

November 15, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Lancaster Bomber

Last week there was a fascinating documentary on the Lancaster bomber on Sky. The Lancaster was the elite aircraft of Bomber Command which under Air Marshal ‘Bomber’ Harris raised German cities to rubble. This is a remarkably prescient topic given the Israeli Air Force bombing of Gaza. In [...]

November 13, 2023 // 0 Comments

Venice: City of Pictures (Martin Gayford)

As one might expect from such an eminent art historian Martin Gayford’s latest work on Venetian art and architecture is a thorough, well-researched study with beautiful images. He covers the ‘Big Four’ of Venetian art – Titian, Tintoretto (the only artist born in and of Venice) [...]

November 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

Ajax 0 Brighton 2 (Europa League)

27 years ago Brighton faced Mansfield in the old Division Four in a relegation fight before a crowd less than 2,000 in the Withdean Stadium. At the same team Ajax had a leading European team comprising Dennis Bergkamp, Edwin van der Sar, Edgar Davids , Clarence Seejdorf, Danny Blund, Patrick [...]

November 10, 2023 // 0 Comments

A Voyage Round My Father: Chichester Festival Theatre (review 08.11.2023)

This piece by barrister/writer John Mortimer (1923 – 2009), perhaps best known of all for his creation Rumpole Of The Bailey starring Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, had an interesting gestation. It began in the form of three sketches he wrote for BBC Radio in 1963, then developed into a [...]

November 9, 2023 // 0 Comments

The battle of the Vercors Plâteau

I have always had the greatest interest in the lesser known theatres of battle of World War Two but until I saw National Geographic’s excellent documentary on the Vercors Plâteau I had never heard of this engagement in July and August 1945. To the rallying call of Charles de Gaulle the FFI [...]

November 9, 2023 // 0 Comments

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