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Wednesday 12 September

I am 21 tomorrow. All presents or cheques can be sent to 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio Shropshire, where I am sure they will be passed on me. My final week before entering old fashioned adulthood has been an eventful one though.

Following on from last week's Nocturne, my next assignment was to preview Telford Tigers' season, the county's top ice hockey team. The club was very friendly and seem to be positive about what lies ahead. They say their focus will be goal scoring hockey, so there should be plenty of excitement at the ice rink this season.

Ice Hockey is a great family sport and I encourage you to get behind the team this year. The club seems to be financially stable at last and gearing up for an assault on the end of season play-offs in what is ice hockey's equivalent of the football league's Championship division.

While I would gladly watch live hockey, having met some of the team, playing it seems a dangerous occupation. Some big guys play this fast and furious game and I certainly wouldn't want to get in their way. Being steamrollered by a 6ft 7ins Slovakian is not my idea of fun. Watching someone else feel the pain though seems far more entertaining.

Yesterday I was in Oswestry for Radio Shropshire's Tuesday night sports programme Extra Time. We did the show from The Venue, the new home of TNS Football Club. Not only is it a great facility for them, the community will benefit too. Costing 拢3.5m, it boasts football pitches, a bowling alley, a gym, bar and children's facilities. With TNS regularly involved in European football too, The Venue should be a great facility for Oswestry.

On a more national level, it was good to see a decent performance from England's footballers on Saturday. Hopefully Steve McClaren will be brave enough to stick with a winning formula on Wednesday in another crucial game against Russia. Now would certainly not be the time to discard a winning team and an attacking style for a return of name players and negative tactics.

Our Rugby team however can only improve. The performance against the USA in the opening game of the World Cup verged on the disastrous for reigning champions. In the forwards we are still fairly strong but our back play must improve. With Wilkinson and perhaps Barkley both out of the crucial pool game with South Africa it may be time for Brian Ashton to take a few risks.

Moving Jason Robinson to full back is a good move which should hopefully give him more space to get running at the Springboks. A big role too for Andy Farrell, a true great in Rugby League who might not have searing pace, but does have a great Rugby brain. A spot at 10 may not be beyond Farrell. Other than that, the pace of Paul Sackey may be useful, especially with the rapid Bryan Habana facing him on the wing.

Generally though England must not be the one dimensional team people have unfortunately grown used too. Our forwards are perfectly capable of setting up a decent platform for the quick men to express themselves and that is what thy have to do. England must take risks, must be inventive and must support well. If not, their reign as Champions of the world will not last much longer.

Let's hope they can do it. That's all for now.

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