Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Top 5 Best Sporting Moments I've Seen This Year

Inspired by a blog I found on BBC Sport, I've been left thinking about what sport I've witnessed this year. It's been quite a lot. It's mainly involved Ipswich Town, Essex and England, but it's been quite a lot.
So, here are my top 5: 


5. Essex vs Middlesex - June 22nd 2009
I've been to a lot of Twenty20 matches over the year, but this one stands out because it was the first one I went to by myself. It was a good match, Essex won by 8 wickets. Mark Pettini played really well and got 80 not out.

Another stand out match is Essex vs Sussex in the Pro40. Hashim Amla scored a century and was well supported by James Foster. Essex lost. But Amla rules.

4. Chelsea vs Ipswich - January 24th 2009
OK, so we lost this one 3-1, but I've never left a match feeling so proud to be a Tractor Girl. It was a good day out, with us taking over 6000 fans down to Stamford Bridge. And the fact is, we scored. We scored at Stamford Bridge against one of the best teams in the country, a team that contained Frank Lampard and others. Thank you Alex Bruce, thank you for giving us a little bit of hope before a footballing lesson was taught to us. 

3. Middlesex vs Essex - 12th August 2009
I've been to Lords before, I went for a tour back in 2006 and got to sit in the England dressing room. And stood next to the Ashes. But this time, I was at Lords to watch cricket. It wasn't the greatest day for Essex, as they fell to 32-4, with Cook and Bopara showing just why they were in the England team. It was a good day out though, I got a bit lost (being a country girl from a small village in a rural county like Suffolk, then being dumped in a massive city like London. Well, it's not surprising to say the least), so I followed the pictures of Andrew Strauss and co. It tipped it down at the end of the day, but James Foster and Matt Walker combined well to get Essex out of a huge hole. 

2. England Women vs Australia Women - 30th June 2009
England Women had a phenomenal 2009. They won the World Cup, the Twenty20 World Cup and retained the Ashes, again. And yet they didn't win Team of the Year at the Sports Personality Awards. But that's a rant for another day. So, when I heard that they were going to be down at Chelmsford, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Unfortunately, school was in the way, so I only managed to see the last few overs of the England innings. But still, this was a superb day out, and it made me smile to see so many females at a county ground. 


And to top it all off, both sides stayed behind afterwards and chatted to eager fans. Each one of the England women's team had a picture with pink fluorescent sunglasses on for some lads nearby. They were very down to earth people, plus, I got to meet a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. How likely is that to happen again? I've seen Shiv Chanderpaul down at Essex, I've also come very close to meeting my hero, Matthew Hoggard. But I've not been able to talk to them and stand next to them! Bloody brilliant that. 


And finally. 


1. Ipswich 3-2 Norwich - 19th April 2009
I'm an Ipswich fan. What else did you expect?