Faint sporting claims to fame

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

In 1989 I had lunch with the bloke who worked for McCormack at IMG and had started the nascent SONY World Golf rankings (as they became) and we discussed what I thought should "count" in the rankings, as a fan, something he was keen to build into the rakning system as it was being developed. I've often liked to think that my views helped him shape them into what they became.

I also started the wikipedia page that describes the old McCormack rankings, because no other bugger (even from their organisation) had been bothered to put them on wikipedia, and put in the links to those olden-days players' pages. I think IMG could bung me the odd £100k just as a thankyou for doing that.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Faint sporting claims to fame

Oh, and I once bowled out someone who later played for England, in a pick-up match in a park. Not a serious match, obviously, and the bloke who played for England didn't actually play for them at cricket, but at rugby (it was one of the de Glanvilles, I forget which).

[Janik]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I wore a Slavia shirt to a Peterborough-Cambridge match once, which caught the eye of another Cambridge fan who turned out to be a director of Slavia's then owners ENIC. He told me a bit about the problems ENIC were having in getting Slavia's new ground built (local bureaucracy mainly), apparently more candidly than he would have been with the Czech press. He also claimed David Murray of Rangers was a very nice guy.

In terms of players rather than administrators, I once wound Matt Dawson up so much that he threatened to punch me, and not in a jokey way. Also, I've played and won a squash rally against Peter Marshall (I think I've mentioned this one before).

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I won the Welsh-speaking Schools javelin competition in 1979. There were only 13 schools eligible at the time.

I've been hit on the head by Curtly Ambrose.

[erwin]

Faint sporting claims to fame

Reading FC related, very very faint:

Played alongside (but not for Reading):
- Ian Kirkwood (1952-55)
- Gary Peters (1975-78/1984-88)

Trained by:
- Malcolm Swain (1970-72)*
- Robin Stubbings (RFC Reserves)

Non-Reading:
- Received a 5-a-side medal from Gary Gillespie (Coventry)
- Beat Carlos Xavier (ex-Sporting, v.good) in a friendly by dinking the ball over his head. He floored me.
- Told by George Cohen, after a trial with Fulham, that I (along with everyone else there but two) wasn't good enough and would never be

(* Widely regarded as being the worst player in the history of Reading FC)

[Toby Gymshorts]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I refused to play darts with John Lowe.

[laverte]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I was thrown for ippon in about five seconds by future world champion judoka Marie-Claire Restoux.

[Jah Womble]

Faint sporting claims to fame

The company of one of my friends fitted stone flooring for Peter Crouch a few years back.

Apparently whoever did the work (ie, not my mate) made a complete balls-up of it and Crouchy got quite arsey with the company, demanding that someone else came back and re-did the job. Not unreasonably, I think.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I've been on Sky Sports, visible and competeing in the lead at a major race.

I used to sail. A lot, at a semi-pro level (nobody ever paid me, but plenty of the people I raced against were paid). We raced 1720 Sportsboats, and one year the European Championships, which were covered by Sky, were held in Dublin. We were about mid-fleet overall, but in the final and decisive race (of nine), we got off to an absolute flyer at the start, and rounded the first mark in the lead, just ahead of the overall secon- and first-plaecd boats overall. Since our regular foredeck guy was at home sick, I was doing his job and can be distinctly seen, frantically preparing a sail-change as the mark approaches, even on the highlight reel.

That's not actually particularly faint, I suppose. but I like boasting about it.

[Gerontophile]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I beat a guy called Maltese Joe at pool in London (twice). And George Best once.

I also watched Dennis Waterman playing Robert Powell at darts in my then local pub in London, and everytime Robert Powell missed, most of the pub went 'oh, Christ...'

(Non-Brits should Google that one)

[Janik]

Faint sporting claims to fame

If we were back in the days when we could do unregistered post, I would be adding this

Andy Murray: "I beat this guy at tennis who had only lost once in the previous nine months. He may have been utterly knackered and had a seized up shoulder, though..."

[Reed John]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I once saw Brad Friedel in O'Hare Airport.

[Billy Casper]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I once saw Paul Futcher standing outside a shop in Barnsley holding his wife's shopping bags. He didn't look happy.

Yes, my life really is that dull.

[Reed John]

Faint sporting claims to fame

As I've mentioned before, one of my work colleagues (I have only a few) is the sister of a guy who won the World Speedway Championship. Gary Havelock, 1992. He's still riding professionally.

My boss played ultimate for Canada. Her brother still does play at the highest masters level. She played at a high level until she broke her leg and then fubared her knee.

[Jah Womble]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I once saw Paul Futcher standing outside a shop in Barnsley holding his wife's shopping bags. He didn't look happy.

He managed to get himself sent off in the very first top-flight match I attended (Spurs vs Luton Town, 5/4/75). Or perhaps it was his brother.

[The Purple Cow]

Faint sporting claims to fame

Charley Griffiths once falsely accused me of stealing a cricket ball.

[Bored Of Education]

Faint sporting claims to fame

Played football with Mickey Thomas and Andy Tilson (ex-QPR and Bristol Rovers) at different times. Was taught to coach by Matty Hale who replaced Bobby Gould as manager of Weymouth.

As kids, we used to get a bollocking regularly for playing football outside Clive Thomas the referee's house.

My son has played football against Phil De Glanville's son and Jason Gardner's nephew.

I appear to be heading the campaign to get Derek Redmond to light the Olympic caudron

My mother used to book John Charles' flights for him when he was at Cardiff.

[Wyatt Earp]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I actually know reasonably well one of the guys who originally developed the ICC cricket player rankings.

[Reed John]

Faint sporting claims to fame

As I've mentioned before, one of our neighbors growing up is a fairly well known and respected figure in the history of gridiron and I knew his kids well.

I had a class in college with JD Gibbs, son of football hall of famer Joe Gibbs, who runs the very successful Gibbs Racing team in NASCAR.

A girl I knew in college played rugby in the WWC. She's a doctor in NYC. I was also a friend of a friend of a friend of Brian Hightower, who played for the USA and does color commentary on NBC's coverage of Rugby 7s.

The coach of the Steelers was in my college class, but we've never met.

I see 1950 USA WC player Walter Bahr around town. Bill Jeffrey was the coach of that team. His daughter is friendly with my parents. Her husband was a keeper for the US Olympic team in 52 or 56. I forget. He didn't play in any actual olympic games because of injury and because the US was quickly eliminated. But he got to do the pre-Olympic tour and go to the ceremonies. I see them around, especially at PSU soccer matches.

I know a guy who played in the USFL.

I've mentioned these before, but repeat them for completeness.

[Gangster Octopus]

Faint sporting claims to fame

My grandparents used to drink with Tommy Lawrence, the then Liverpool goalkeeper.

[Jah Womble]

Faint sporting claims to fame

My late father's secretary was married to John Dick, who played for West Ham in the late fifties/early sixties. He once scored a brace against my lot at White Hart Lane, the bugger.

[Alderman Barnes]

Faint sporting claims to fame

I'm on nodding terms with Frankie Fredericks, whose daughter is in the same class as mine at school.