Sporting life
-
Ireland's Wild Atlantic coast: Spectacular clifftops, dramatic castles and world-class golf
The coast of Ireland near Shannon and Limerick is unbearably beautiful and dramatic, whether you pack your golf clubs or not. Toby Keel paid a visit.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Henley Royal Regatta: An insider’s guide
Received an invitation to Henley? Charlotte Peters tells you everything you need to know, from dress code to star-spotting.
By Country Life Published
-
Five gorgeous country houses with their own tennis courts
The tennis season is well and truly with us and Wimbledon is only a week away — with that in mind, we've taken a look at the prettiest houses with tennis courts for sale in Britain today.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
John Gosden: 'I've trained 3,500 winners. I don’t care. It’s the quality of the horses you remember, the ones that capture the imagination'
Jack Watkins talks to the champion racehorse trainer on quality over quantity and preserving Newmarket.
By Country Life Published
-
70 years of the Badminton Horse Trials: From the pig-sticking champions to the miracle champion who took four decades to win
The world's most famous horse trials is seventy years old this year. Kate Green looks at some of the most remarkable moments in its history.
By Kate Green Published
-
Adare Manor: The golf course that dreams of being the Irish Augusta
Augusta National Golf Club is one of the sporting world's greatest treasures. It's also the model on which Adare Manor, near the charming Irish city of Limerick, is being recreated – and a very fine job they're doing, says Toby Keel.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Sporting Life: Why now is the time to get involved with your village cricket team – before it goes the way of the pub and the post office
Village cricket is going through something of a crisis – so now is the time to get out there and get stuck in. Annunciata Elwes reports.
By Annunciata Elwes Published
-
Sporting Life: Catching the skittish bonefish with peanut butter, jam and a single fly
Our correspondent goes through the necessary rituals to pursue ‘the little white foxfish’ in the West Indies.
By David Profumo Published
-
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
-
Sporting Life: 10 majestic images that give a unique perspective on the immutable bond between Man and Horse
A new book sheds a wonderful light on the unique relationship that people have with their horses.
By Toby Keel Published
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
An eager fisherman, the Laxford Highland pools and one lone salmon
David Profumo attempts to fish the pools of Laxford after their driest early summer in over half a century.
By Country Life Published
-
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
-
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