One horse gets punched, allegedly, by a stroppy German and a century of tradition is torn up. The modern pentathlon, created by Baron Pierre de Coubertin in 1912 to simulate the skills of a soldier behind enemy lines, is to change. Swimming, shooting, running and fencing remain, but cycling will replace riding an unfamiliar horse.
In fact, the first pentathletes, including George S Patton, who later commanded the US Third Army in the Battle of the Bulge, could use their own horses but since 1920 they have been randomly assigned. Riders get 20 minutes to know them in a sort of equine speed-dating. Annika Schleu’s inability to bond with Saint Boy in Tokyo cost her the gold medal and led to her coach appearing to strike the horse. Yet Saint Boy was not some donkey dragged off a beach. He will have been selected for his temperament and skill, like the rest, and forming a winning team from scratch takes talent. Some use Polo mints to win the horses over, others just find the right words. This is one time when neigh-sayers should be celebrated.
Sweet FA for Cup pioneers
Only 15 teams entered the first FA Cup, whose opening ties were held 150 years ago on Thursday, and most are no longer around. Only Maidenhead United, who play Halifax Town in the first round today, are left in this year’s competition, unless you count Crystal Palace, whose amateur side were disbanded in 1876 and recreated in 1905.
Hampstead Heathens, the first side into the second round in 1871 by virtue of a bye, played three matches before folding. Wanderers, winners of five of the first seven Cups, fizzled out in 1887. And while there are five teams called Rovers this year, Clapham Rovers have not been in the competition since 1885.
Clapham’s Jarvis Kenrick was the FA Cup’s first goalscorer with his strike after 15 minutes against Upton Park, who were dissolved in 1887, reformed in 1891 and dissolved again in 1911. The Civil Service, who still exist as an amateur side, showed up for their first Cup match against Barnes with only eight men and lost 2-0.
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Donington School, from Lincolnshire, could not agree a date with Queen’s Park. Both went into the next round, where they were again drawn together. Donington did not fancy the cost of a trip to Glasgow so withdrew and never entered again. Queen’s Park reached the semi-finals without playing a game.
From unpromising beginnings, a mighty beast grew: 729 sides entered this year. Maidenhead and Marlow, who lost in the third qualifying round, could say they have been there from the start.
Canada T20 is a blockers’ game
Not perhaps since WG Grace has someone got away with cheating in cricket as blatantly as Divya Saxena did in a qualifying match for the Women’s T20 World Cup in Mexico last month. The video, which spread on social media, showed the Canada opener spooning the first ball she faced against the United States high up in the air towards short extra cover.
A disappointing start, of course, but as the bowler, wicketkeeper and three fielders ran in to claim the catch, Saxena kept her head and charged straight at them, creating enough chaos for the ball to fall safely. She should have been dismissed under Law 37.3 for wilful obstruction but the umpire thought otherwise. Reprieved, Saxena made 40 as Canada won by seven runs.
Tut-tut and utterly against the spirit of the game and all that, but I share the view tweeted by Jimmy Neesham. “It’s still pretty funny,” the New Zealand all-rounder said. And doesn’t Law 2.12 — the umpire’s decision is final — trump everything?