Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Doomed Vale dare to dream against Blues at Stamford Bridge
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 14/03/2026
» The best thing about the FA Cup is that it briefly puts the spotlight on clubs that would normally hardly receive a mention and this season it has been refreshing seeing teams like Mansfield and Macclesfield enjoying their moment in the sun. Last week's fifth round didn't let us down either with struggling League One side Port Vale upsetting Sunderland from the Premier League.
The umpire who became a legend
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 27/09/2025
» The widespread tributes to cricket umpire Harold 'Dickie' Bird who passed away this week at the age of 92 show how much he was admired in the cricketing world. It is extremely rare for an official in any sport to be acknowledged in such a manner, but Bird was someone special. He was an eccentric character and the subject of many anecdotes.
Good start for Stokes, now comes hard part
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 02/07/2022
» Ben Stokes has enjoyed the perfect start to his captaincy of England's cricket Test team with three entertaining wins over New Zealand.
RIP 'Big Jack': A true giant of the game
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 18/07/2020
» When a young Northumberland lad and son of a miner decided at an early age that making a living playing football would be more enjoyable than a life in the pits, he made a very smart decision.
Football films can be a mixed bag
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 09/05/2020
» Last week I watched on TV a couple of half-decent films on American sports -- Moneyball (2011) starring Brad Pitt as a baseball manager and Any Given Sunday (1999) with Al Pacino as coach of an underperforming American gridiron team.
Hunter much more than villain
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 25/04/2020
» Another footballing icon has gone, with Leeds United and England legend Norman Hunter sadly succumbing to the coronavirus last week at the age of 76.
Blood, sweat, smiles, tears and cheers in 2019
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 28/12/2019
» It's that time of the year when Nobby drags himself out of his armchair to acknowledge assorted sporting heroes and villains that have graced our sports pages in 2019.
Good times for Birdman of Barlinnie
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 21/12/2019
» It has been a frustratingly fleeting glimpse of an Everton legend, but nonetheless good to see Duncan Ferguson in the thick of things at Goodson Park and Old Trafford recently.
Pettersen finds redemption in Cup
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 21/09/2019
» When captain Catriona Matthew announced Suzann Pettersen as a wildcard choice for the European team to play the US in last week's Solheim Cup it prompted many raised eyebrows amongst the golfing scene.
Regis a gifted pioneer and graceful icon
Sports, Nobby Piles, Published on 20/01/2018
» It was very sad to learn of the death of former West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City star Cyrille Regis who died earlier this week at the all too young age of 59. Regis was much more than just a talented footballer and became a symbol for the fight against racism in Britain at a time when things were in danger of getting out of hand. He had dignity and grace and he played a significant role in changing people's attitudes with his skills on the pitch and his dignified stance off it.