Sporting & Country Pursuits
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Sporting Life: Botham, Gower and 17 pints on rest days – a look at cricket in the 80s, through the eyes of Derek Pringle
Pushing the Boundaries: Cricket in the Eighties contains the reminiscences of Derek Pringle reflecting on his years in the world of cricket and the delightful characters he met, both on and off the pitch. Richard Hopton reviews.
By Country Life Published
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Sporting Life: Can you learn to ballroom dance in seven weeks?
In the wake of Strictly Come Dancing, Alexandra Fraser convinced her partner to join her on a seven-week ballroom dancing course in London to discover how hard it really is to pick up what is fast becoming a dying art.
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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Take the Country Life Christmas Quiz: 40 fiendish questions on everything from the Beatles to lobsters
Each year, Country Life's editor Mark Hedges sets a fiendish quiz – see how you get on, and don't forget to share your results with friends and family to establish who gets bragging rights this year.
By Mark Hedges Published
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Sporting Life: The joys of Fen skating, the great 19th century sport that you've probably never heard of
The near-forgotten sport of Fen skating was once a huge draw, with thousands of spectators and making celebrities of the fastest men on the ice.
By Toby Keel Published
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Sporting Life: How to fall back in love with fishing, thanks to a new rod, a borrowed fly and a weekend on the Tweed
After one barren trip too many, our editor Mark Hedges had fallen out of love with fishing. Could a trip to tackle the River Tweed in the company of his regular companion – 'The Judge' – rekindle his joy?
By Mark Hedges Published
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Sporting Life: The story of the football matches on the Western Front during the truce of Christmas 1914
The folk tale of the First World War's 'Christmas truce' football match is so familiar that it has become accepted among the factual events of the war, but what actually happened when British and German soldiers went over the top on 25th December, 1914?
By Alexandra Fraser Published
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Sporting life: 18 golf courses in the UK that every golfer should play before they die
Roderick Easdale nominates his pick of the best golf courses in Britain and Ireland, with some help from the great and the good of the game.
By Country Life Published
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Sporting Life: Marcus Armytage previews the National Hunt season
For many racegoers, the changing of the clocks signals the start of the National Hunt season proper. Marcus Armytage reveals his top horses, trainers and jockeys.
By Country Life Published
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Sporting life: Hickory golf on the South Downs, complete with plus fours and bow-ties
The Goodwood Revival isn't just limited to the motor racing circuit these days – each year, a group of golfers takes to the fairways of the estate's beautiful Downs Course to try their luck using vintage golf equipement. Toby Keel went along to try it out.
By Toby Keel Published
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Six of the best shooting jackets made from tweed, 'the original performance fabric'
Mary Bremner explains why traditional tweed is better than ever and picks her six favourite tweed shooting coats currently on the market.
By Country Life Published
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Sporting life: At last, a bike for the middle-aged man emphatically NOT in Lycra
If you believe that an afternoon cycling should be about enjoyment rather than charging up hills and setting personal bests, the G-Tech eBike promises to make the sport easier and more fun. Toby Keel tested one out.
By Toby Keel Published
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Sporting life: The best spots in the Cotswolds to enjoy country pursuits
From sailing to shooting, Holly Kirkwood explains why the Cotswolds is such a Mecca for country sporting enthusiasts.
By Holly Kirkwood Published
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Burghley 2018: What to watch, who to watch, where to watch and who will win
Country Life's Kate Green talks you through everything you need to know about this week's Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials.
By Kate Green Published
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Sporting life: Effingham golf club's restoration has turned the clock back 90 years – and it's all the better for it
When Effingham Golf Club decided they needed to bring the course up to date, they didn't look forward – instead, they pored over old photographs and restored the vision of the genius architect who first laid it out in the 1920s: Harry Shapland Colt.
By Toby Keel Published
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Sporting life: How to make Test cricket great again
Fans and pundits alike have long discussed the Death of Test Cricket, but longest format still has plenty to give – and plenty to feel optimistic about. James Fisher explains why.
By James Fisher Published
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Peter Phillips: ‘People go to things because they’re an “event” and that’s the point – it’s what you create around a sport that matters’
The son of HRH The Princess Royal and Capt Mark Phillips is now running the Festival of British Eventing, started by his parents almost 35 years ago. He spoke to Kate Green.
By Kate Green Published
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Curious Questions: Who invented tennis?
It's 150 years since the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was formed – though originally it was solely for croquet, since tennis hadn't yet been invented. Annunicata Elwes explains.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
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The amazing tale of the Waterloo Cup, the other event created by the man who invented the Grand National
The Grand National is woven into our collective identity, but few people today know of the other event created by the same man – one which was, in its day, far more successful, and was hailed as once Britain’s biggest sporting event. Adrian Dangar looks back on coursing’s extraordinary Waterloo Cup.
By Country Life Published
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Christmas gifts for men, from beautiful boxers to a classic cocktail shaker
For the man in your life, we've all sorts of things – from simple gadgets to truly magnificent things.
By Country Life Published
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Top 10 pieces of essential shooting kit
To ensure you have all the gear and some idea, look no further than Nick Hammond’s wish list.
By Country Life Published
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Golf in the Royal Family's back garden at Balmoral, and other perfect nine-hole courses
That the best things come in small packages is certainly true in the world of golf, says Fergus Bisset, as he celebrates Britain’s characterful short courses.
By Country Life Published