Girl power
England won the cricket World Cup for the fourth time. Huzzah! England reached the semi-finals of the European football championship.…
Game changers
Have you been cheering for the excellent Johanna Konta at Wimbledon? Go, Jo! Or should that be Go, Yo? Johanna…
Andy’s ace
Who will you cheer for if Andy Murray meets Roger Federer at Wimbledon? It’s not a straightforward question, at least…
Chez newts
The dragon hung motionless above the surface of the earth, belly picked out in the colours of fire and a…
Side-saddle is sexy
These days there are more than 1,000 members of the Side Saddle Association. Well, of course there are. People go…
Little birds, big trouble
A British military base is being used for a multi-million-quid criminal enterprise, possibly involving the Russian mafia — and Britain…
Save our stables!
There are plans in place to tax horses out of British life. Proposed adjustments in business rates for non–residential properties…
A stroke of genius
The picture had been chosen for its utterly gratuitous depiction of female beauty. It showed Justine Henin, the Belgian tennis…
Not cricket
Sport is a serious matter. If you have any doubts on that score, shed them now, because this is to…
The medal machine
Never forget Atlanta. Every time a British athlete wins a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Rio, remember the…
Olympic Notebook
How strange it is to be watching the Olympic Games on television. No wonder people have such rum ideas of…
What wasps do for us
Dom Perignon, Pimms, Carling Black Label, Coca-Cola — one’s as good as the other, so far as they’re concerned. Even…
What do we gain by burning ivory?
Burning stockpiles of ivory was meant to wipe out poaching. After nearly 30 years, is it working?
Sport is a fairytale factory – as Leicester City remind us
Leicester City’s triumphs demonstrate once again sport’s capacity to replay archetypal stories
I adore sport. I can no longer stomach boxing. Here’s why
In most sports, injuries happen when things go wrong. In boxing, they’re the ultimate goal. It isn’t right
How my disabled son has changed my mind about political correctness
Here’s another stock joke for your collection: Pembroke College, Cambridge, has cancelled a fancy dress party themed on Around the…
The noisy, filthy, scary glory of geese
They’re noisy, filthy, scary – and glorious. No wonder we have such complicated feelings about them
How humanity learned to love whales (and what they taught us in return)
How humanity learned to love them – and what we learned about ourselves in the process
This could be the year that sport starts to die
If sport loses the public’s faith – and it’s starting to – then all its power and glory will fade
The joy of winter birdwatching (and how it’s changing)
Our harsh December days are a temperate escape for some gorgeous birds
Through terror and scandal, the joy of sport endures
Through terror and scandal, it endures
How your garden can help save the hedgehog
Mrs Tiggywinkle’s in deep trouble. But your garden could help
Paula Radcliffe is a victim of our hypocrisy and confusion about drugs and sport
Do you want to see Paula Radcliffe’s blood? If so, you’re not alone. Radcliffe, three-time winner of the London Marathon…
Rhinos are being wiped out for the sake of fairytales
Can anything protect the rhino from rapacious human stupidity?
Why nothing in sport beats thrashing the Aussies at cricket
Why nothing in sport beats thrashing the Aussies at cricket
