Sport

Trophy Winners #3 – Rugby Union (Men) 1984 to 2026

October 5, 2026 By Nigel Marriott

Rugby is under way again in the Northern hemisphere and I am hoping for more trophies for my team Bath. I had expected to be updating my downloadable spreadsheet of trophy winners with the winner of the Rugby Championship. What I had not realised is this is now played every two years. This is to accommodate a biennial series between South Africa and New Zealand which concluded 3-1 in favour of South Africa. 2026 will conclude with the inaugural winner of the new Nations Championship which will also take place every 2 years but I’ve decided to stick to my schedule of updating this article in October of every year.

Trophy Winners #1 – England Men’s Club Football 1889 to 2026

May 31, 2026 By Nigel Marriott

Arsenal won their 1st league title for 22 years, Man City won their second ever cup double and Crystal Palace followed up their maiden trophy last year with the Conference League this season. My club Newcastle Utd ran out of steam in the 2025/26 season but they will be adding their name again next season in my roll of honour!

Trophy Winners #2 – England Women’s Club Football 1992 to 2026

May 31, 2026 By Nigel Marriott

After 9 league titles in a row, Chelsea were finally knocked off their perch in 2025/26 by Man City who won their 2nd ever WSL title. Man City then went on to complete their first ever League & FA Cup double in English women’s football. Chelsea could console themselves by retaining the League Cup.

If you are new to the women’s game in England (especially following the Lionesses winning the European Championship in 2022), why not download my spreadsheet listing all trophy winners since 1992 to find out which teams are the GOATs of English women’s football?

Trophy Winners #4 – The GOATs in World Snooker (Mens) – 1969 to 2025

December 9, 2025 By Nigel Marriott

Mark Selby has become only the 4th player in Snooker history to win 10 Triple Crowns after prevailing over Judd Trump in the 2025 UK Championship. Only Ronnie O’Sullivan (23), Stephen Hendry (18) & Steve Davis (15) have won more Triple Crown tournaments. Mark’s GOAThood is already confirmed as I wrote about last year but is he as dominant as the other GOATs (Greatest Of All Time)?

6 Nations History #4 – The men’s story so far in 2024

March 17, 2024 By Nigel Marriott

The 2024 Six Nations (Men’s) ended with Ireland just missing out on a 2nd successive Grand Slam due to a last minute drop goal. Italy recorded their best ever 6 Nations and left Wales with the wooden spoon for the 2nd time ever. France, England and Scotland recorded plusses and minuses during their campaigns and all 3 nations will be seeking to go one better in 2025.

Cricket #1 – Sir Donald Bradman, the 9 Sigma GOAT

June 14, 2023 By Nigel Marriott

Sir Donald Bradman is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of sporting GOATs. All cricket lovers accept the great Australian is the greatest batsman of all time but how many are aware he was 9 standard deviations better than the next best 166 batsmen of all time? I can’t think any other sports person who comes close to this standard which is why I say this 9 Sigma GOAT is the greatest sports person of all time.

Sporting GOATs #2 – Are Man City now a Dynasty?

June 12, 2023 By Nigel Marriott

Manchester City have won the Champions League at long last after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul. They become the 6th English club to reach the summit of the European club landscape and it their 17th trophy in 13 years. Does that mean we can now call Man City a Dynasty comparable to the two undisputed dynasties of Liverpool in the 70s & 80s and Manchester United in the 90s & 00s? I am sure Man City fans will say yes but I say not yet.

6 Nations History #3 – The men’s story so far in 2023

March 24, 2023 By Nigel Marriott

The 2023 Six Nations (Men’s) ended with Ireland beating England to win their 3rd 6 Nations Grand Slam in the last 15 years. France ran them close and Scotland recorded their 1st top 3 placing since 2018. England & Wales disappointed their fans whilst Italy have some grounds for optimism despite their wooden spoon.

6 Nations History #2 – The men’s story so far in 2022

March 26, 2022 By Nigel Marriott

The 2022 Six Nations (Men’s) ended with France beating England to win their 1st Grand Slam and 6 Nations title since 2010. Ireland ran them close scoring 24 tries in all (joint 2nd highest on record) and Italy won their 1st game in 36 matches in dramatic fashion in Cardiff. England, Wales and Scotland all disappointed their fans and have questions to answer.

All I want for Christmas is football!

December 21, 2021 By Nigel Marriott

Will there be any football this Christmas? The Omicron variant of COVID19 is wreaking havoc with football and rugby schedules and the traditional Boxing Day lineup is in danger of being cancelled. So what will football fans do instead? The good news is I am giving a Christmas present to all football supporter that is almost as good as the real thing. All you need are 2 packs of playing cards, a pen and paper or a spreadsheet and you can play a simple football simulation game which guarantees fun and excitement for all.