Sport &

Competition



Sports play an important part in the life in Britain
and is a popular leisure activity. Millions of people
are regular spectators and follow one or more
sports. There are hours of televised sport each
weak.



Many of the world's famous sports began in
Britain, including cricket, football, lawn
tennis, golf and rugby



Sport has very important role in British society.
Every local authority has a duty to provide and
maintain playing fields and other facilities, which
are usually very cheap to use and sometimes
free.



Every year the Boat Race and the Grand National
are watched on television by millions of people
who have no great interest in rowing or horse-
racing.



Over time , some events have developed a
mystique which gives them a higher status than
the standard at which they are played deserves.



Quite often, sporting contests in Britain have a prize
attached to them, which gives them a special
significance.



The Calcutta Cup

/ The Ashes /

The Triple Crown



England’s national sport is cricket although

to many people football ( soccer ) is seen
as a national sport.

Football is the most popular

sport in England. Some of England’s football
teams are world famous ( Manchester United,
Arsenal London and Liverpool FC )
In the English Footboll League there are 92
professional clubs. These are semi- professional,
so most players have other full- time jobs..

Thousands of people also play football in parks
and playgrounds just for fun.

The highlight of the English
football is the FA Football
Association ) Cup Final
which is organised each May



British football has traditionally drawn its main
following from the working class. In general , the
inteligentsia ignored it. In the last two decades it
started to attract wider interest.



Many team sports in Britain , but especially football
,tend to be men-only. In the USA, the whole family
goes to watch the baseball and Irish families go to
cheer national football team. But in Britain, only
handful of children or women go to football matches.

Cricket

Cricket is played on village greens on Sundays

from April to August.

The rules of cricket became the responsibility, in the

18th century , of the Marylebone Cricket Club

( MCC ) ,

based at Lord’s cricket ground in the north.

Only in England and a small part of Wales is it played

at top level , however the majority of the population

do not understand its rules.

How to play Cricket ?



Teams are made up of 11 players each. They play with a ball
slightly smaller than a baseball and a bat shaped like a
paddle. Two batters stand in front of wickets, set about 20
metres apart. Each wicket consists of three wooden rods
(stumps) pushed into the ground, with two small pieces of
wood (bails) balanced on top.

A member of the opposing team

(the bowler) throws the ball towards one of the batters, who
must hit the ball so that it does not knock a bail off the wicket.
If the ball travels far enough, the two batters run back and
forth between the wickets while the fielders on the opposing
team try to catch the ball. The game is scored according to
the number of runs, which is the number of times the batters
exchange places.

Rugby



Rugby orginated from school in Warwickshire. It is similar to American
football - played with ovall ball. But very diffrent in details: players do not
wear body armour, there are no ‘time outs’and you cannot interfere with a
player who does not have the ball. Players can carry the ball and tackle
each other. The best rugby teams compete in the Super League final each
September.



For many years Rugby was only played by the rich upper classes, but now
it is popular all over the country. There are two diffrent types of rugby-
Rugby League, played mainly in the north of England and Rugby Union -
played in the rest of England, Scotland ,Wales and Irleand. Together with
France and Italy play in an annual tournament called the Six Nations.



Playing time is 80 minutes.15 players per team in Rugby Union and 13 in
Rubby League.



Rugby Union can be considered the ‘national sport’of Wales, New Zeland,
Fiji,Western Samoa ,Tonga and South African whites. The teams regarded
as the best are from the southern hemisphere.



Rugby League is played at the top level in Britain, Australia and New
Zeland.



American football derived from english game of Rugby.

Boxing Day Hunts



The 26th December Traditinally Boxing Day is a day for
a fox hunting.The hunters dressed in 18th century
riding clothes ride horses. They ride arounnd with a
pack of dogs. When the dogs pick up the
scent,somebody blows horn and all riders chase the
fox.



Before a Boxing Day Hunt, the huntsman and
huntswoman drinks hot wine. But tradition of the
December 26th is changing. Now some people are
strongly opposed and they want to stop Boxing Day
Hunts. Was established The League Against Crueal
Sports who wants it made illegal.

Diffrent classes =
Diffrent kinds of Hunting

1) Foxhunting- it is a popular past time of the higher social

classes.

2) Shooting – killing birds with gun. It is a minority past time

confined largery to the higer social classes. The birds which
people try to shooot may be shoot during certain specified
period of times of the year.The gun licence is needed.

3) Hare-coursing associated with working class,kind of
hunting in which grayhound chase hares.

4) Fishing is popular among all social classes. The most

popular participatory sport off all in Britain.Between 5 and 4
milion people go fishing regulary. If it is done competitively
,it is called angling.

Horse racing



Horse racing is known as ‘the sport of the kings’ and is very
popular with meeting being held every day throughout the
year. The Derby orginated here,as did the Grand National
which is the hardest horse race in the world.



Horse racing and grayhound racing are popular spectator
sports. People can place bets on the races at legal off-track
betting shops. Some as the best-known horse races are
held in Ascot, Newmarket, Goodwood and Epsom.



Ascot a small town in the south of England, becomes the
centre of horse-racing worldfor one week in June. It is called
Royal Ascot becouse the Queen always goes to the Ascot.
She has a lot of racehorses and likes to watch racing.

Royal
Ascot

Tennis



The world’s famous tournament is Wimbledon.It is started
at a small clubin south London in the XIX century.It is
traditional for visitors to eat strawberries and cream whilst
they watch the teniss.Wimbledon is the oldest teniss
tournament beginning in 1877.

Other sports

Almost every sport is played in Britain.



Hockey

played mostly on a field but also on ice.



Basketball

is played rather by man.



Netball

is prefferd by woman.



The British like tennis,golf,sailing and snooker .This are the only
individual games which they appraciate becouse of socialising
aspect.



Swimming,athletics,cycling and gimnastics are less popular
becouse they have a preference for team sports.



They also play badminton, darts, bowls and table tennis which was
invented in England in 1880. It began with Cambridge University
students using cigar boxes and champagne corks. But british
playesr do not have much luck in international championship.