There is nothing quite like the English sporting summer especially when the sun pours down relentlessly. Add to that some super interesting overseas rugby and we are spoilt for choice.

It was almost like handbag swinging in the midday sun at Lords with the kind of glaring, finger pointing and shoving we now see on a rugby field. One of the all-time great Test matches went into its final session on the fifth day resulting in a dramatic win for England against a very feisty Indian team. Let us not forget the record top score by a batsman at Lords when Graham Gooch compiled 333 against India in 1990. Lords had developed a reputation for three/four day contests so it was good to see the pitch hold up and the batsmen playing accordingly. People question the five day format and wax lyrical about the T20 (not the Hundred) which is why the franchises have been so attractive and deemed so valuable in the recent auctions. TV rights and a format which works as you can see in India, South Africa and even in the US, as well as England, Australia and elsewhere. But there is little to match the drama of a closing session in a five day Test.

I sometimes wonder how legends of Test cricket like Botham, Gooch and Ponting would have got on in the shortened format. Well I can ask them over a glass of wine as their curated vintages are all available at www.sportingwineclub.com!

The other notable event was to be found at sun-drenched Wimbledon where the drama was rather diminished after the favourites and star attractions in the women’s draw (like Raducanu and Coco Gauff) were knocked out. The disappointingly one sided final was dominated by the ‘post-hammering’ address by Amanda Anisimova which was poignant and incredibly well delivered considering the ordeal she had gone through. She may have lost the final but won many hearts.

As for Jannik Sinner, this was his time. Both he and Alcaraz have lit up the tournament, standing some distance apart from the competition. The Italians are coming through strong having 4 players into the knock outs. Both Sinner and Alcaraz spoke really well to the crowd and this is a welcome addition to the player narrative and will build their profiles exponentially.

Lastly, the wheelchair tennis was very exciting and super impressive with very high levels of skill on show. Tennis really is a sport for all and on the same platform.

It was no contest on the rugby fields of the Southern Hemisphere for the outstanding effort for the second week in a row, going to England as once again they swept away Argentina (just) on  home turf. Clearly, the well placed high ball strategy adopted was effective as the Pumas hardly caught a single one. I was keen to see Luke Northmore and Seb Atkinson in action in the centre but they had precious few chances which won’t have pleased the watching backs coach, Lee Blackett.  The latter has real talent but the highlights reel for Northmore would have been sadly lacking in content. Freddie Steward re-emerged with real credit and Guy Pepper is a(nother) phenomenon in the back row. Real depth for England is developing now.

As I finish, the B&I Lions selection is out and no surprises. For me they remain an unknown quantity and I worry that the brawn they have gone for in the back row will suffer against the pace of the Wallabies – I speculate re the latter because I have nothing to go on other than some of their wonderful play in patches last November. The sea of Red screaming ‘Lions, Lions’ will be the 24^th man and the muscular approach likely from the tourists will I suspect be enough but the Wallabies surely know how they themselves must play. Fascinating…

Hallers

Footnote – I await with interest the World Rugby U20 Finals which may have gone unnoticed but a supremely talented South African Baby Boks side awaits New Zealand Baby All Blacks in the Final. In watching defending Champions England squeeze past Australia in an ultimately unsuccessful campaign as they failed to get out of their pool I found myself looking at the unfamiliar names on their team sheet. Many if not all are connected to Premiership Clubs but precious few have appeared in meaningful games. At least Josh Bellamy, their fullback from Harlequins, played a number of times for London Scottish in the Championship last year on loan. Hmm…