Brian Viner
Brian Viner: Farrell's unexpected sidestep would have knocked even Statto off balance
Published: 03 February 2007
It is always a pleasure to bump into the well-known betting pundit Angus "Statto" Loughran, as I have a couple of times recently, first at Ludlow races and a few weeks later in a snaking queue at Gatwick Airport. Since Angus spends about seven-eighths of his time either at sporting events, or on his way to or from them, this was more of a mild coincidence than a genuine surprise. When I phoned him two days ago he was at the Nad Al Sheba race track in Dubai, but looking forward to being home in good time for the Calcutta Cup.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 31 January 2007
AS MY late father would have said, it served me jolly well right. I was on a short assignment in Italy with three other journalists I hadn't met before, and at the bar one evening we got to asking each other where we lived. The others were based in various parts of London, and were mightily interested to learn that I live way out west, meaning not Ealing or even Ruislip, but Herefordshire.
Brian Viner: Empires crumble but Williams reveals beguiling truth in wonderful comeback
Published: 27 January 2007
Four years ago this week I sat in the cheap seats high up in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, watching Venus and Serena Williams contest the final of the Australian Open. It was my first time at a Grand Slam tennis final away from Wimbledon's lawns, and I should have been quivering with excitement, but if I quivered with anything it was heat exhaustion. Outside the Rod Laver Arena, the temperature had reached a tarmac-melting 44 degrees, and when later that same day I hotfooted it over to the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch a day-night international between Australia and England, I did so all too literally.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 24 January 2007
MY FRIEND, Robbie, got married a couple of weekends ago in his native Glasgow. Having clung tenaciously to bachelorhood well into his forties, his grip was finally eased by the lovely Fiona. Maybe that was why it was such a jolly wedding: the unrestrained celebrations of those who had almost given up hope. Maybe, too, that was why there were so many speeches. The groom spoke, as did the bride, the bride's father, the groom's father, the best man, and, most memorably of all, Robbie's former Sunday school teacher, a wonderful old girl of 91, wearing a turquoise Alice band. I'll call her Miss Cameron.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 17 January 2007
More than a fortnight has now passed since New Year's Day, but still I am incredulous at a turn of events that I will now attempt to describe for you.
Brian Viner: False hunches about Notre Dame and true confessions of a homework cheat
Published: 13 January 2007
There was a wonderful response to this column's end-of-year quiz a fortnight ago, which just possibly had something to do with the marvellous prize generously donated by brewers Shepherd Neame: 365 bottles of Spitfire beer.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 10 January 2007
Here in Docklow, the festive break contained more emphasis on the word "break" than we would have liked. A few days before Christmas, Richard, who lives a couple of fields away, appeared at our kitchen window looking unusually agitated for a man who is normally as calm and resourceful as James Bond.
Brian Viner: Maximum breaks to breaking records, a year of birthdays and anniversaries
Published: 06 January 2007
Brian Viner: Fiendish questions of sport... folk songs, novels and who was Mrs Bart Conner?
Published: 30 December 2006
Here, a week later than promised, is this column's annual end-of-year quiz. For many of the questions I must thank Nick Stewart of the Lord's Taverners, who set them for the dinner and balloon debate in aid of the Taverners which took place in the Long Room at Lord's earlier this month. I have also added a few of my own. And I am delighted to announce a fine first prize: a year's supply of Spitfire beer - 365 bottles - donated by the brewers Shepherd Neame. For five runners-up there will be a selection of CDs, offered by Nick Stewart, who does something important at Warner Music.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 13 December 2006
It is almost a fortnight now since we in Herefordshire celebrated Britain's inaugural National Mistletoe Day, and we're still full of admiration for our MP, Bill Wiggin (Leominster, Con), for getting his parliamentary colleagues to agree there should be such a thing.
Brian Viner: Ryder Cup is stellar exception in year lurching from sublime to ridiculous
Published: 09 December 2006
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 22 November 2006
Whatever happened to bird flu? This time last year, we were battening down the hatches, preparing for the worst pandemic since the Black Death. There weren't enough vaccines to go round! Up to 50,000 Britons were likely to die! Those of us with chickens were beginning to look at our Cream Legbars as the enemy, rather like the people at the start of the Second World War who became suspicious of any neighbours with a German-sounding surname.
Brian Viner: Depression is no respecter of wealth, athleticism, fame and fabulous talent
Published: 18 November 2006
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 15 November 2006
Brian Viner: Time for football's infantile managers to learn from the example of gridiron
Published: 11 November 2006
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 08 November 2006
With my book about country life still ticking over nicely at Books Books Books in Tenbury Wells, which is not quite the same as Hatchards in Piccadilly, but a fine establishment all the same, and with this column now in its fifth year, I have been imbued with a Z-list celebrity in these parts, which would be even more negligible if there were more letters in the alphabet.
Brian Viner: Visit of the All Blacks evokes memory of Prince Obo and the gallant Gadneys
Published: 04 November 2006
Even in the unlikely event of England's rugby union players registering only their fifth home-soil victory in 101 years against the mighty All Blacks tomorrow, and even should young debutant Anthony Allen seal a rare victory with two wonderful tries, it will probably be more or less forgotten by 2076. Not so England's inaugural victory over New Zealand. Its impact still reverberates 70 years later, not least because of the two spectacular tries scored in a 13-0 win by another Test debutant, the 19-year-old Russian émigré Prince Alexander Obolensky.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 01 November 2006
My family and I spent five days in New York City last week and on Saturday we woke up to find lots of armed men surrounding our building, although we were back in Herefordshire then. It was a pheasant shoot and they were about to flush the birds out of our small wood.
Brian Viner: Here's a tip... don't let the witch hustle you
Published: 31 October 2006
Although I have lived in the United States, acquiring a US social security number, a clapped-out Chevrolet and an enduring affection for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and although I have crossed the Atlantic at least 50 times, either for holidays or on writing assignments, I unfailingly find myself disorientated by the way in which everything, from the language to the simple light switch, at first seems so very much the same as in Britain while, on closer acquaintance, being so very different.
Brian Viner: New York Knicks and American savvy make cheesy dream team for the fans
Published: 28 October 2006
On Tuesday evening in Manhattan I went with my wife and children to see the New York Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers in a pre-season basketball game.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 25 October 2006
The last time I named and attempted to shame a company guilty of what I considered to be poor service, I was almost swept away in a torrent of righteous anger. On that occasion, three years ago, the object of all the excitement was a side of smoked wild salmon, supposed to be delivered in time for Christmas Day, and I won't go into the whole sorry business again, except to say that I wrote about it and a sub- editor gave my article the melodramatic headline "How a missing salmon ruined my Christmas", which it hadn't. "Diddums" was the gist of many of the e-mails.
Brian Viner: Sex and drugs and playing away... why should politics have the best scandals?
Published: 21 October 2006
Here is a tale of two Americans, one of them a septuagenarian man, the other a sexagenarian woman. With the emphasis very much on sexagenarian's first syllable.
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 18 October 2006
On the rare occasions that I go to fancy-dress parties I like to improvise a costume from the wardrobe. This is less to do with saving the cost of hiring an outfit, more to do with appearing resourceful. I did hire an outfit once, for a 1970s disco at our children's primary school in London. I went to Angels and Bermans, the theatrical costumiers, and shelled out 80 quid on a Gary Glitter outfit, before Gary Glitter was impersonata non grata. My friend Neale, meanwhile, made himself a top hat out of cardboard, stuck two pieces of carpet to his cheeks, and went as Slade's Noddy Holder. He got far more laughs and nods of approval than I did, as I stumbled around the place in my silver platform boots.
Brian Viner: Sale of football's most poignant menu shows timeless allure of Busby Babes
Published: 14 October 2006
Brian Viner: Country Life
Published: 11 October 2006
Miss Whiplash, who lives about five fields away from us, is selling off the macabre memorabilia that she collected while she was working as a dominatrix and madam in London.
Independent Offers
A-Z site map
Indy 100 prices
MORE: Travel podcasts
SAVE: Travel offers
FREE: Email headlines