Sports.

Many kinds of sports originated from England. The English have a proverb, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” They don’t think that play is more important than work; they think that Jack will do his work better if he plays as well, so he is encouraged to do both.

British people are fond of sports, perhaps more fond than any other nation in the world. Almost everybody is actively engaged in this or that kind of sports. Among the most popular sports are football, of course, then cricket, boat racing and horseracing.

Football, or soccer, is a very popular sport in Britain, played between August and May (the football season). Many people support a particular team and often watch the games that their team plays. Professional football is controlled by the Football Association (the FA). Teams play regularly against other teams according to a fixed program. A very important competition is the FA Cup. The FA Cup is also open to amateur teams that belong to the Football Association. The two teams which are the winners of the FA Cup competition, play in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a very important national sporting event, and it is always watched by millions of people on TV. Some of the best known clubs in England are Manchester United, Liverpool and the Arsenal. In Scotland either Rangers, Celtic or Aberdeen usually win the cup or the championship. There is another game called rugby football, so called because it originated at Rugby, a well-known English public school. In this game the players may carry the ball.

Cricket is another very popular sport in Britain, played mainly in summer (May – September). Do you know how to play cricket? If you don’t live in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the West Indies you won’t learn it at school. English people love cricket. Summer isn’t summer without it. Even if you don’t understand the rules, it is attractive to watch the players, dressed in white playing on the beautiful green cricket fields. Every Sunday morning from May to the end of September many Englishmen get up very early, and take a lot of sandwiches with them. It is necessary because the games are very long. They may last to five days with six hours play on each day. Many people consider cricket to be England’s national game and to be typical of the English style of behavior, which includes above all a sense of honor and fairness. When the English say: “that’s not cricket” it means “that’s not fair”, “to play the game” means “to be fair”.

Golf is Scotland’s chief contribution to British sport. This is a game mainly for upper-class people because it needs large flat fields and a lot of equipment which only rich people can afford.

The Boat Race is a rowing race on the River Thames held every year at the end of March or the beginning of April between teams from Oxford University and Cambridge University. It is a popular national event and is shown on TV. The University boat race started in 1820 and has been rowed on the Thames almost every spring since 1836.

The Henley Regatta is a meeting for races between rowing boats at Henley, a town on the Thames. It is an important social event for upper-class and fashionable people.

The Derby is a very important horse race held at Epsom in England in May or June, on the day which is known as Derby Day.

The Royal Ascot is a four-day horse-racing event held at Ascot, a suburb of London, every June, and is one of the most important race meetings in Britain. It is especially popular with upper-class people. Members of the royal family always attend it. One of the days is called Ladies’ Day, and some of the women like to wear very big and unusually looking hats.

Scottish Highland Games attract large numbers of spectators from all over the world. These meetings are held every year in different places in the Scottish Highlands. The features common to Highland Games are bagpipe and Highland dancing competitions and the performance of heavy athletic events – some of which, such as tossing the caber, are Highland in origin. All competitors wear Highland dress, as do most of the judges. Several events take place at the same time: pipers and dancers perform on a platform; athletes toss the caber, put the weight, throw the hammer, and wrestle. There is also a competition for the best-dressed Highlander. Tossing the caber is not a question of who can throw it farthest. For a perfect throw the caber must land in the 12-o’clock position after being thrown in a vertical semicircle. The caber is a very heavy and long log.