ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Jan 12: One of the greatest art exhibitions is about to end. Jaume Plensa's amazing work is on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park until January 22.

Huge heads are cast in stone, plastic and wire. The eyes usually closed. Are they asleep or dead?

The stone figures look like they are made of marble and are beautifully lit - they look as though they are about to move so it's hard to move away.

The plastic ones appear equally restful but have words like 'stress' on them. Perhaps they represent people putting on a front to hide the chaos of their lives. Plensa also uses sound - gongs and tinkling lines of poetry, the latter utterly complelling to look at and to listen to.

The wire sculptures meanwhile are postioned so they look different from different angles. This is one of the most memorable exhibitions I've ever seen. Don't miss it.









ROBERT HAINES
Feb 11: I recently bought Robert Haines' remarkable book, Once Upon a Time in Wales, featuring photos he took in 1971 of the people in the village of Heolgerrig and nearby Merthyr Tydfil.

The book features superb black and white photos, mainly of men aged 40 plus, with mini-bios of each person. They look wistful and intense and, judging by their faces, their hard lives have taken their toll.

Some of them ('Moses the Mouth Organ') remind me of characters in Under Milk Wood.

Some of the houses look as though they haven't been changed in over 100 years and Haines captures the village as it was about to change. Houses and pubs were swept away in the years that followed.

My dad knew the Merthyr area well as a kid and maybe I can some of him in some of the faces in the book.

Once Upon a Time in Wales was published by Dewi Lewis Publishing of the UK and is available to order from all bookshops ISBN: 978-1-904587-57-6

Thanks to Robert for allowing me to use the pics.




MY FLICKR TOP 10 (JANUARY 2011)
I'm about to become a Flickr 'amateur' again. I paid to be a 'pro' for a year but I think the only advantage of this is a ranking system for most popular pics. Also, I've slightly lost interest in Flickr.

There are too many pics are praised for the way they've been done up afterwards. A good pic for me is what you see there and then, otherwise the scenes lack truth.

And there are too many earnest blokes trying to outdo each other for camera kit and making up petty rules for their various photo categories.

Also I just haven't got the time to flick through all the Grim Up North pics every day

So I decided to list most popular photos now while I have the chance. Would it be one of my many sunset pics perhaps? No - it's Michael Foot's Donkey Jacket, with 351 views in 10 months. A quickly taken snap in a museum on my phone that appears to be popular on Google images.

Here are my top 10 with blurb:
1 Michael Foot's Donkey Jacket (351 views. Taken March 2010)

This is the 'donkey jacket' that Michael Foot wore at a Remembrance Day service in the early 80s. It was bought in Harrods.

It's slightly galling that he was so villified then and has been almost universally praised since he died.

His manifesto of 1983 - dubbed the longest suicide note by Gerald Kaufman (the man who claimed £8,865 for a TV on expenses) - included policies to set up a national investment bank, the scrapping nuclear weapons and the sale of council houses, restoring the link to pensions and earnings, reversing nationalisation of British Telecom, introduction of a minimum wage and stopping hunting. Mmm..sounds reasonable now.

Michael Foot's coat is among the artefacts on show at the People's History Museum in Manchester. RIP Mr Foot.

2 Best pub in Leeds 221 views, June 2008


One room reminds me of Great Aunty Mary's lounge, with its tasselled lamps and armchair, another room has wooden seats which give me pins and needles in my balls, yet another room has a wood-burning fire and a cashpoint machine, and the fourth is a concert room where old men sing older folk songs.

The Highland Terrier with the Hannibal Lecter mask appears to have passed on, but John the landlord who occasionally looks hangdog is still there and so are the pints of Moorhouses, Elland and other good beers.

Shake a fist at the monstrous offices which hem it in and prevent the pub festival from taking place. I saw the great Mik Artistik here, drawing portraits on paper bags and singing a blues song about his daughter selling shoes.

The Grove is a great boozer and is a former Leeds Camra pub of the year.

3 Ilkley Beer Festival (187 views, March 2008)

The First Ilkley Beer Festival, in the Kings Hall, with its lovely wedding-cake-icing balconies. Old Spot is a brewery from Cullingworth, Bradford

Beer Festival review:
Olthwaite


4 Vomit at the Royal Festival Hall (180 views, October 2007)

Klaus Weber’s sculpture The Big Giving outside the Royal Festival Hall in London.

The blurb: 'A group of male and female figures are cast rising out of, or simultaneously sinking into volcanic-looking mounds of rock. Their heads and hands protrude from the stone and streams of water gush from a different body part on each figure. The title of the work, The Big Giving refers to the native North American potlatch ceremony, in which the host’s status increases the more he or she gives.'


5 You Get a Better Class of Graffiti in Huddersfield (161 views, July 2008)

Someone was scrawling this in the gents of the Star Inn, in Lockwood, Huddersfield, as I walked in during the splendid summer beer festival. I only know Leonard's Tower of Song LP. Was this from his real ale period? Cameraphone.


6 Former Courage Brewery (145 views, October 2007)

The former Anchor Brewhouse, once owned by Courage, near Tower Bridge. Brewing started on this site in 1787, the building was turned into flats in 1985. Scottish and Newcastle sold Courage earlier this year to focus on lager brands (Sigh!)


7 Going Nowhere (135 views, May 2007)

Hawes station on the old Wensleydale line, between Northallerton and Garsdale, that closed to passengers in 1954 (although the Hawes to Garsdale section remained open until 1959). A 17-mile stretch of the line has been reopened east of Hawes between Leeming Bar and Redmire and there are hopes of restoring the whole 40-mile line. The station is now a museum and tourist information centre and the tracks only run the length of the platform. Cameraphone pic


8 West Riding Refreshment Rooms (129 views, August 2008)

This splendid pub opened in 1994 in the former waiting rooms of Dewsbury Station.

The sign on the left is from Wilsons Brewery, from Manchester - chess board logo, nice beer. According to the quaffale website, the brewery closed in 1987 and the brand died out in 1998 (thought it was a lot sooner to be honest).

The black and white sign refers to Kirklees Camra's second beer festival, or real ale exhibition, as it was known then (not sure of year)


9 Spot the ball (118 views, January 2008)

Richard and his dad watch Otley (in the black and white) beat Halifax at Illingworth, Halifax.

The winger (far touchline) wore trousers but he did kick some crucial touchline conversions and anyway, as Ripping Yarns fans know, it's not shorts that matter, it's what's INSIDE that matters!


10 Three Pigeons (108 views, May 2008)

The lovely Three Pigeons pub in Halifax, which won the national CAMRA/English Heritage Conservation award in 2007. Its art deco features and tiled fireplaces have been spruced up by Ossett Brewery who have kept the four-room structure.




PETER BROOK RIP
Dec 09: One of the most talented and underrated landscape painters, Peter Brook, has died at the age of 81.

He was superb at capturing winter scenes of West and North Yorkshire - just the snow, the stone walls, a farmhouse and the wonderful light at this time of year. There is also usually a man in a flat cap with a collie dog in his pictures, depictions of Mr Brook and his dog. They are like his signature and usually raise a smile - the dog eager, the man hunched over against the elements.

His pictures are deceptively simple but beautifully observed.

Mr Brook was born in Scholes, west Yorkshire, and became a teacher in Rastrick, settling in Brighouse. He held his first show in Wakefield in 1960 and became a member of the Royal Society of British Artists. His work was exhibited around the world.

I first came across his work in the AC Gallery in Byram St Huddersfield which sells his paintings, mugs, books and calendars (well worth getting this Christmas).

His paintings are also available to buy at his website

There is an exhibition of his paintings at Harrison Lord Gallery, in Bradford Road, Brighouse this month.















MARSDEN MOODS
Sept 09: One of my pics is in a new collection of photographs by Flickr-ites in the Marsden area.

I know I'm biased but the book, Marsden Moods, is a stunning collection of photographs that capture the reservoirs, hills, mills, festivals and, of course, sheep in all their glory.

The project was developed by Flickr-ite docmattk, with the help of Blurb book producers.

While I'm one of the point-and-hope brigade, with my little digicamera, there's some talented people out there with 'proper' cameras who know what they're doing. It certainly shows in the book, which will be launched at Marsden Jazz Festival on October 10 and is also available here

Here are some of favourite photos in the book:


by Stuart Vidler




by Mint Imperial





by Nuala




by Stephen Walder





by AndyHolmfirth




by docmattk




And this is my photo, taken on my stag do, after supping at the Riverhead (these two weren't part of the stag do but they were very entertaining):

GOOD BEER GUIDE HIGHLIGHTS 2012

It's back - the new Camra Good Beer Guide, second only to the Bible in terms of following the righteous path to heavenly places.

Manchester has perhaps the most interesting changes this year, with the north of the city centre looking a real ale hotspot.

57 Thomas Street and Common are both new in this year. The former shouldn't work being so small (room for about 30-40 people), but it's delightful and from the Marble empire. The latter has gone from the deliberately shabby look, with a bar that appears to be made up of board from riot-ravaged windows and cheap garden chairs in the main bar space. It's a friendly enough place, with a concentration on Continental beers and bottles rather than handpulled - but there's a fine line between shabby chic and bag of shite.

With The Castle, Bar Fringe, the Smithfield (now there is a pub that doesn't worry about Northern Quarter beanbaggery) and the slightly tired Crown and Kettle in the Guide (and Port St which should be in the Guide next year) - there's a decent selection of pubs in that part of town.

Elsewhere in Manc, there are returns for old favourites Peveril of the Peak, the Grey Horse and the Rising Sun.

There's a shake-up in Halifax with the Shears returning and the Westgate and Wetherspoon-owned Barum's Top also new entries.

Veritas is the best of the new entries in Leeds (great grub too), with The Hop, Hunslet's Garden Gate and Fox and Newt (Burley) also new 'uns.

In Huddersfield and surrounding areas, I'm glad to see the mighty Sair (pictured), in Linthwaite returning. So what if there were occasional hiccups with beer supply (I'm not sure Linfit Beers are on at the moment), it's a magical pub and it should never have been left out last year.

Marsh Liberal Club is back in the Guide while The Swan in Slaithwaite drops out.

The GBG remains the best guide for beer and pubs and as it says in the intro, where the beer's good everything else - decor, food, staff - is usually good as well.

But is it time to include pubs and bars without cask/handpulled beer? Good boozers, with a wide array of interesting (usually non-British) kegs and bottles are missing out, while manky pubs which happen to have a handpull are in.

A prime example of this is the Cherry Tree and Vox.

The former is a dreadful Wetherspoons, in the Guide for its decent beer but not a place where you'd want to stay for more than a half because it's like sitting in a soulless school canteen being gawked at by ageing hardmen with saggy faces.

Next door is Vox, a bar who relax in as soon as you walk in - it's got a lived-in feel, great music and great beer - but no cask, so no chance of an entry into The Good Beer Guide.

Yes the Guide is mainly about beer but it's also about decor, mix of people and feel of the place and the Cherry Tree gets in while Vox misses out.

Moving on. In Sheffield, the station Tap is, not surprisingly, a new entry (although it has a slightly artificial ye olde feel and is not a patch on West Yorkshire's rail ale pubs) and I'll have to look out for Henry's - a new entry in the city centre.

The fabulous and characterful Old Cock is Otley's new entry, while the lovely Bull and Fairhouse is Wakefield's new kid on the block.

In York, newbies are Last Drop Inn, Phoenix, Slip Inn and Three-Legged Mare, while there are plenty of changes in Wigan with new 'uns the fabulous Bowling Green, Millstone and Tudor House.

My picks are all the pubs in Huddersfield, Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Halifax and a few other towns, villages, and suburbs in West Yorkshire. Plus all the pubs in Manchester, Salford, Sheffield, Wigan, Southport, Skipton, York most in West Lancashire, a few in North West Wales, and a small selection of the best Guide pubs I've visited in London recently.

I've only chosen the cities, towns and villages I visit, or am likely to visit, over the next 12 months, so sorry Castleford, Cleckheaton, Bingley and a few others - you're not down here. But if I choose a place, all its pubs are included.

I've lumped all the Huddersfield pubs together - keeping Holmfirth, Marsden, Meltham and Mirfield separate - and all the Leeds pubs (so that's including Burley, Chapel Allerton, Headingley, Holbeck, Kirkstall, Newlay, Rodley and Woodhouse).


Notes:
NEW - pubs new in this year's guide.
Dropping out - in last year but not this year.
Pubs in bold - my own Olthwaite Golden Shovel winners (see best pubs - to be update soon)

WEST YORKSHIRE
BATLEY:
Cellar Bar

BRADFORD:
Castle Hotel, City Vaults, Corn Dolly, Fighting Cock, Haigy’s, New Beehive Inn, Sir Titus Salt.
Dropping out: Shoulder of Mutton

BRIGHOUSE:
Old Ship Inn, Red Rooster, Richard Oastler

DEWSBURY:
Huntsman, Leggers Inn, Shepherds Boy, West Riding Refreshment Rooms, pictured.

ELLAND:
Drop Inn NEW
Dropping out: Barge and Barrel

HALIFAX:
Barum Top (Wetherspoon's)- NEW, Big Six, Shears - NEW, Three Pigeons, pictured, Westgate - NEW, William IV.
Dropping out: Sportsman (Swalesmoor)

HAWORTH:
Fleece, Haworth Old Hall Inn - NEW

HEBDEN BRIDGE: Moyles - NEW, New Delight Inn, Stubbing Wharf - NEW

HOLMFIRTH:
Nook

HORSFORTH:
Town Street Tavern
Dropping out: Old Kings Arms

HUDDERSFIELD and adjoining villages/areas:
Beaumont Arms (Netherton), Cherry Tree, Commercial (Slaithwaite), Grove, Kings Head, Marsh Liberal Club - NEW Rat and Ratchet, Sair (Linthwaite)- NEW, Sportsman , Star Inn (Lockwood. Folly the pub dog pictured), Swan (Slaithwaite), White Cross (Bradley).
Dropping out: Swan (Slaithwaite)

ILKLEY:
Bar T’at, Riverside Hotel

KEIGHLEY:
Boltmakers Arms, Brown Cow, Cricketers Arms
Dropping out: Livery Rooms

LEEDS:
Abbey (Newlay), Arcadia (Headingley), Chemic (Woodhouse), Fox and Newt (Burley)- NEW Grove (Holbeck), Further North (Chapel Allerton), Garden Gate (Hunslet) - NEW, Hop - NEW, Midnight Bell (Holbeck), Mr Foleys Cask Ale House, North Bar, Owl (Rodley), Palace, Regent (Chapel Allerton), Rodley Barge (Rodley), Scarborough, Templar, Town Hall Tavern, Veritas - NEW, Victoria, Whitelocks.
Dropping out: Cross Keys (Holbeck), Reliance, Three Hulats (Chapel Allerton), West End House (Kirkstall)

MARSDEN:
Riverhead,

MELTHAM:
Will O’Nats

MIRFIELD:
Navigation Tavern, Old Colonial

MYTHOLMROYD:
Shoulder of Mutton

OTLEY:
Junction, Manor House, Old Cock - NEW

SALTAIRE:
Fanny’s Ale House, Victoria

SHIPLEY:
Shipley Pride, Sir Norman Rae

SOWERBY BRIDGE:
Firehouse, Jubilee Refreshment Rooms, White Horse, Works - NEW
Dropping out: Puzzle Hall Inn (pictured), Shepherd’s Rest

WAKEFIELD:
Black Rock, Bull and Fairhouse - NEW, Fernandes Brewery Tap, Harry’s Bar, The Hop, Labour Club
Dropping out: Alverthorpe WMC, O'Donoghues.

Also Dropping out: Thurstonland - Rose and Crown


REST OF YORKSHIRE

SHEFFIELD:
Ball Inn (West, Crookes), Bath Hotel, Carlton (East), Champs Sports Bar (West), Cobden View (West - Crookes), Devonshire Cat, Fat Cat, Francis Newton (Wetherspoon) - NEW, Gardeners Rest (North), Harlequin, Henry's - NEW, Hillsborough Hotel (North), Kelham Island Tavern, New Barrack Tavern (North), Old House, Ranmoor Inn (West), Rawson Spring (North - Hillsborough) Red Deer, Rising Sun (West), Rutland Arms, Sheaf View (South - Heeley), Sheffield Tap - NEW, University Arms (West), Wellington (North), York (West, Broomhill) - NEW
Dropping out: Fox and Duck (West - Broomhill), Museum, Walkley Cottage (West), White Lion (South - Heeley)

SKIPTON:
Narrow Boat, Red Lion
Dropping out: Devonshire

YORK:
Blue Bell, Brigantes Bar, Golden Ball, Last Drop Inn - NEW, Maltings, Minster Inn, Phoenix - NEW, Rook and Gaskill, Slip Inn - NEW, Swan Inn, Three-Legged Mare - NEW, Waggon and Horses
Dropping out: Tap and Spile, Yorkshire Terrier

GREATER MANCHESTER

MANCHESTER:
57 Thomas Street - NEW, Angel, Bar Fringe, Bulls Head, Cask - NEW, Castle Hotel, City Arms, Common - NEW, Crown and Kettle, Grey Horse - NEW, Knott, Marble Arch, Micro Bar, Old Wellington, Paramount, Peveril of the Peak - NEW, Rising Sun - NEW, Sand Bar, Smithfield Hotel, Waterhouse
Dropping out: Dutton, Jolly Anglers, Odd, Piccadilly

SALFORD:
Crescent, King’s Arms, New Oxford, Racecourse Hotel (Lower Kersal), Star (Higher Broughton)
Dropping out: Black Lion

STALYBRIDGE:
Old Hunter’s Tavern, Stalybridge Labour Club, Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar

WIGAN:
Anvil, Boulevard, Bowling Green - NEW, Brocket Arms, Millstone - NEW, Royal Oak, Tudor House - NEW
Dropping out: Berkeley, Crooke Hall Inn, Moon Under Water

SOUTHPORT AND WEST LANCASHIRE
SOUTHPORT: Barons Bar, Bold Arms (Churchtown), Cheshire Lines, Guest House, Lakeside, Sir Henry Segrave, Volunteer - NEW, Willow Grove, Windmill.
Dropping out: Masons Arms

WEST LANCASHIRE:
AUGHTON: Derby Arms, Stanley - NEW. Dropping out: Dog and Gun
BISPHAM GREEN: Eagle and Child
BURSCOUGH: Farmers Arms - NEW, Hop Vine
CROSTON: Lord Nelson
MAWDESLEY: Black Bull, Robin Hood
ORMSKIRK: Disraelis, Greyhound, Queens Head.
PARBOLD: Stocks - NEW, Wayfarer. Dropping out: Windmill
RUFFORD: Hesketh Arms
WESTHEAD: Prince Albert.
WRIGHTINGTON: White Lion
Dropping out: SCARISBRICK: Heaton’s Bridge

NORTH WEST WALES
BANGOR: Boatyard - NEW, Fat Cat - NEW, Mostyn Arms, Tap and Spile. Dropping out: Abbeyfield
BEAUMARIS: Old Bulls Head
CAERNARFON: Black Boy Inn
CONWY: Old White House.
LLANDUDNO: Cottage Loaf - NEW, Kings Head
LLANGEFNI: Railway
MENAI BRIDGE: Bridge Inn, Victoria Hotel
RED WHARF BAY: Ship Inn

LONDON: 7 BEST
Calthorpe Arms, Bloomsbury
Dog and Duck, Soho
Holly Bush, Hampstead
Red Lion, Ealing
Royal Oak, Borough
Star Tavern, Belgravia
Traveller's Friend, Woodford Green


Pictures: Camra (book)

RUGBY UNION

RUGBY UNION WORLD CUP 2011:
CONFIDENT ABOUT WALES, CERTAIN ABOUT KIWIS
Sept 11: Well here we go again, six weeks (or rather six weekends) of rugby union that will be largely predictable results-wise until the quarter-finals at least and it's New Zealand's competition to lose.

The home team are clearly the best all-round team - their forwards can win enough ball and their backs have the imagination to score regularly.

As for their main rivals, France are inconsistent, England have one-dimensional back play, South Africa look over the hill and Australia? Well, they look the only side to challenge the Kiwis and the two great rivals should meet in the final.

As for Wales, I'm feeling more upbeat than usual. After a rather disappointing Six Nations when their backs failed to make use of plenty of possession, they were impressive in the summer and look like they have the stamina to absorb pressure, like a boxer on the ropes, and fight back.

South Africa are beatable but Wales can be beaten by Fiji and Samoa. This time they will be treating these two as equals.

If Wales finish runners-up in the group they are almost certain to face the Aussies. If the Welsh win the group it's probably Ireland in the quarters, who are not as bad as their summer game record suggests.

England should finish top of their group - Argentina and Scotland are the main rivals - and are likely to face France in the quarters although the French could spring another World Cup shock and beat pool favourites the Kiwis. I expect New Zealand to face Argentina in the quarters.

Pool A
New Zealand, France, Tonga, Canada, Japan

Pool B
Argentina, England, Scotland, Georgia, Romania

Pool C
Australia, Ireland, Italy, Russia, United States

Pool D
South Africa, Wales, Fiji, Manu Samoa, Namibia

Wales games and key pool matches:
Sept 10: Argentina v England, Otago Stadium, Dunedin (0930 BST)
Sept 11: South Africa v Wales, Wellington Regional Stadium (0930 BST)
Sept 17: Australia v Ireland, Eden Park, Auckland (0930 BST)
Sept 18: Wales v Manu Samoa, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton (0430 BST)
Sept 24: New Zealand v France, Eden Park, Auckland (0930 BST)
Sept 25: Argentina v Scotland, Wellington Regional Stadium (0830 BST)
Sept 26: Wales v Namibia, Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth (0730 BST)
Oct 1: England v Scotland, Eden Park, Auckland (0830 BST)
Oct 2: Wales v Fiji, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton (0600 BST)

Quarter-finals
October 8:
Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
(Wellington Regional Stadium, 0600 BST)

Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
(Lancaster Park Stadium, 0830 BST)

October 9:
Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
(Wellington Regional Stadium, 0600 BST)

Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
(Lancaster Park Stadium, 0830 BST)

Semi-final One: October 15
Winner QF1 v Winner QF2
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0900 BST)

Semi-final Two: October 16
Winner QF3 v Winner QF4
(Eden Park, Auckland, 0900 BST)

BILL MCLAREN RIP
Jan 10: 'Jink, jink, jink',
'Flitting like a little phantom'
'It would be a miracle if he could score'
'Gerald Davies, where did he come from?'

Bill McLaren, perhaps the greatest sports commentator, has died. He mixed superb descriptions of the game with a unique turn of phrase, all spoken in a wonderful, mellifluous Borders accent.

But unlike some of his contemporaries, eg Peter Allis, he was never in love with his voice. He never wasted any words or used his 'catchphrases', such as 'There'll be raising a glass to so-so in such-a-such club', unneccessarily.

His favourite players were Ireland's Mike Gibson and Australia's David Campese, but I'll particularly remember his commentaries of the 70s when Wales were in the ascendant. Here's a few reminders of his (and Wales') brilliance - all against Scotland coincidentally but absolutely no bias from Bill, as you'd expect from the great man. RIP.

(Doesn't he look like Alan Bennett?) Pic: BBC









RAY GRAVELL 1951-2007
JPR Williams, Gerald Davies, Ray Gravell, Steve Fenwick, JJ Williams, Phil Bennett, Gareth Edwards - I knew the Welsh backline off by heart in the mid to late 70s and I loved to watch them. Ray Gravell was in exalted company and didn't attract as much praise or attention as the others - JPR had his bone-crunching tackles and barnstorming runs, Gerald and JJ were the speed merchants, Fenwick a good kicker, Bennett the unpredictable genius, and Gareth - God!

But Grav? Well I remember the beard and the occasional crashball run but in truth I can barely remember him play at all.

He called himself "just a minor cog and, quite an ordinary player" so why were there 10,000 people at his funeral in Stradey Park, Llanelli?

Grav played 485 times for Llanelli between 1970 and 1985, scoring 120 tries and captaining the side from 1980 to 1982. He was capped 23 times between 1975 and 1982 in the Welsh side which dominated the Five Nations, winning two Grand Slams, four titles and four Triple Crowns, and also toured South Africa with the British Lions in 1980, playing in all four Tests.

Ordinary? That' s a pretty impressive career by any standards. But it was his character and his post-playing career that probably made him a much-loved character. That and his shockingly early death aged just 56.

Grav was the bear-like post-match interviewer brimming with enthusiasm and passion for the game and with little regard for personal space with his interview subject, laughing and putting his arm round them.

As Wales' national poet Gwyn Thomas said in his tribute peom to him:
There used to be
Detonations on the telly -
It was Grav discussing rugby.
There used to be
From the radio great warmth surging -
Grav conversing.

Grav was also an actor, playing alongside Jeremy Irons in Damage and Peter O'Toole in Rebecca's Daughters (Grav usually played versions of himself).

He had immense charm but as Frank Keating in The Guardian noted, he wore his insecurities on sleeve - for example he was worried about facing New Zealand in Llanelli's famous 9-3 win in 1972 (I still have the commemorative pen with the result on it) and later playing for Wales.

Here are two similar tales about Grav from two of the greatest fly-halves.

First, Barry John (IC Wales):
“In 1972 I played for Cardiff against Llanelli at the Arms Park and Ray was up against me,” he says. “I was only a few weeks from retirement and he was starting a new career. Deep into the game I kicked a long touch-finder and he came through and cleaned me out. The tackle was only slightly late, not dangerous or anything, but it left me lying on the ground.
“Grav turned around and when he saw me he was in total distress. Looking down, he said, ‘my mam will kill me’.
“He was just standing there. In the end I had to get up and order him, ‘Grav, you’d better get back into position and do some covering’. And he was on the other team!”

And Jonathan Davies (Independent) remembers him at the end of his playing career:
"I was a fervent Llanelli supporter, and his was the first autograph I ever collected. My mother and I used to bump into him when we went shopping down the Co-op on a Friday, and he used to take an interest in how my rugby was going.
When I was invited to train with the Llanelli seconds as a teenager, Grav would give me a lift to Stradey Park. Despite the fact he was one of my heroes, getting into the car with this mad, ginger-haired man who always had Irish rebel songs blasting out of the cassette was one of the most frightening experiences of my career.
After I failed to make the grade with Llanelli I eventually joined Neath, and one of my first games was against Llanelli, so I came face to face with my idols – and Grav was among them.
In one move I cut inside him but before I could get past he caught me high with a short-arm tackle. I went down like a sack of coal. Grav picked me up and dusted me down, saying : "Sorry, sorry." Then he ran to the touchline and shouted pleadingly to my mother in the stand: "I'm sorry, Diana, I'm sorry."
That was Grav all over: a fierce competitor but courteous and caring with it. Whatever he was doing, he never held back.

Davies also said: "He did not have an easy ride through life. His father committed suicide when Grav was 14 and it was he who found the body. He lost a leg through diabetes six months ago but was dealing with that setback as cheerfully as he did every other."

In Grav's whisky cabinet there is an unopened bottle of Penderyn whisky which he had intended to open on his eldest daughter’s wedding day. He leaves wife Mari and daughters Manon, 11, and Gwenan, eight.

A good man, gone too soon.

Pic: BBC


THE LAST GAME
April 07: It was all set for a Barnstoneworth finish. Just like in Ripping Yarns' Golden Gordon, Orrell had been thrashed all season, hadn't won trophies for years, were about to play their last game on their ground and had invited their greatest players to the ground (not to play, sadly) And they were winning with about 15 minutes to go.

But they lost. A last-minute try for Morley gave them a 24-17 win. So it's goodbye Edge Hall Road after 57 years and goodbye to professional rugby, and hello (next season) to St John Rigby school playing fields and the South Lancashire and Cheshire League 2 after the club merged with Orrell Anvils. It's a drop of about five divisions and Orrell will be playing the likes of Wigan, Crewe, Oswestry and Ormskirk next season.

I was expecting the ground to be packed like when I were a lad (eeh!) for the last game but the stand was less than half-full with a smattering of supporters elsewhere - including some from Bristol who presented a cheque for £400 at half-time to help our club.

Even though it was a sad occasion, there was a jovial atmosphere and it was a good game and a sterling effort by an Orrell team fleshed out by Manchester University players - Orrell had had to pull out of their game at Darlington the previous week because they couldn't raise a team (they were thrashed 78-0 after the game was re-arranged on April 28).

Orrell were in Morley's faces in the first half, sharp in the tackle and first to the ball against a clumsy and lethargic Morley side - what a difference to the first game of the season against the same opposition (see below). There was also a memorable last day try by Fergus Owen who cut through most of the Morley side to give Orrell a 17-7 lead at half-time. Morley upped their game in the second half against a tiring Orrell side to pip them at the post.

I stood in a spot at the 22 at the scoreboard end where I'd watched John Carleton and fellow winger Barry Fishwick score length-of-the-field tries as a kid. I moved to the other side of the ground at half-time, like I used to, passing the stand where my grand-dad had a heart attack and died while he was watching a game. Good to see the firm he founded was still sponsoring the stand.

It's still a grand little ground - even the Wigan rugby league gym (formerly the clubhouse) looks similar to the clubhouse which burned down.

The biggest change for me was the number of houses crammed onto the training pitches. This is still a bone of contention with Orrell and their former owner Dave Whelan and chairman Maurice Lindsay, who ran the club for three years before three successive relgations. They blamed the club for selling the pitches for £600,000 when Whelan offered more. Lindsay said Whelan paid £1,000 each to 500 members for control of the club and said less than a third of them turned up to watch matches.

Club president Jim Lloyd said in the final programme that money was wasted in the Whelan era and claims the club is still owed money by him. He also asks about money made from the sale of the pitches and why a new clubhouse wasn't built immediately - a good point

But I think Whelan has been harshly painted as the villain in this tale - Orrell had no team and no money when they went to Whelan. Their supporters were often outnumbered in Premiership home games and the team was out of its depth in many matches. Having said that, Lindsay's promises to clear debts and build a new clubhouse for the club never happened and Whelan did leave them in the lurch when they could have reached the Premiership again.

The difficulty is how do you sustain a side which doesn't have enough support to reach the top but wants to remain competitive. Look at Otley, they have finally succumbed in the First Division this season - playing part-time, having a £100,000 cut in their playing budget and paying for travel and accommodation finally took their toll. They were relegated on April 28.

Orrell, England and British Lions legend John Carleton doesn't blame Whelan - he feels the club would have closed a long time ago without him. I don't think he was at the ground on the last day but I saw Sammy Southern and Nigel Hislop.

So I'm off to the playing fields next season - it will be nice to see Orrell win at last (hopefully)

YouTube video of Orrell's greatest hits

GOODBYE EDGE HALL ROAD:
Last game April 21
Feb 2007: Twenty-nine points adrift at the foot of the league and facing a third consecutive relegation; a 102-0 thrashing at Tynedale on Saturday after several key players left for other clubs and now the unthinkable - Orrell are leaving their ground in Edge Hall Road at the end of this season after 57 years.

If that isn't bad enough a rival Orrell team has started which will play at the bottom of the rugby union league ladder next season (probably the Up Holland and District league!).

The new team (Orrell Anvils) has the support of Orrell legends Des Seabrook and John Carleton and wants to start again with local amateurs. Both Orrell teams are scheduled to play at St John Rigby School next season but negotiations are underway about becoming one club. The choice of league is the sticking point - do Orrell drop one division to North One or start from the bottom?

How did it come to this? The club which made its name as the cup giantkiller in the 70s and almost became English champions in 1991-2 was probably ruined by professionalism. It couldn't match the big bucks wages of other clubs and it didn't have the crowds to match Gloucester and Leicester.

In desperation in 2001-2, the club turned to Dave Whelan owner of Wigan rugby league and football club. In his first season as owner, the club were promoted to National League 1, they finished fourth and then second in that league.

After three years, Whelan announced he was pulling out of the club but promises were made to clear the club's debts and pay for a new clubhouse which had been burnt down by arsonists. It's not quite clear what has happened to this deal - the local media treads warily where Mr Whelan and his learned friends are concerned and the club sometimes gives out confusing messages about what's going on.

The clubhouse is now a gym for Wigan Warriors rugby league club and Orrell RUFC cannot afford to pay the rent for use of the ground which is also used by Wigan Warriors.

Would the club have been saved if it had won planning permission for housing on its training pitches before Whelan stepped in? Was he only interested in the (rugby union) Premiership TV money? And did he bar access to the clubhouse because the club owed him a few thousand in cash? Who knows?

Since Whelan left the club seems to be scratching around for a team at the start of every season and relegation has been the result over the last two seasons.

Watching Otley this season is a stark reminder of what Orrell should be doing - forgetting about the Premiership but holding their own in Nat League 1 or 2. The lack of a clubhouse is crucial in this respect as Orrell attract the same number of spectators as Otley but miss out on booze/food revenue.

I don't care which league Orrell start playing in, I'd just like to see them win or at least be in a chance of a win.

See also: Times article on demise of Orrell (Jan 2007)
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby/article1265891.ece


HEADINGLEY - A UNION GRAVEYARD
December 2006: Leeds Tykes 30 Otley 8
I've yet to see a decent rugby union game at Headingley and the local derby with Otley was no exception.

It was a bitty, stop-start game - no decent moves in the backs and penalties given away by either side every minute.

God knows what watching rugby league legend Jimmy Lowes thought of it all. If the Salford No2 was scouting for players, he freezed his arse off for no reason.

It just goes to show that a bad union game (constant penalties and rucks) is always worse than a bad league game (five British Bulldog charges with a kick at the end).

It was also a nightmare trying to explain the rules of the game to the lovely P who was making her first visit to a rugby match.

Otley gave a good account of themselves in the first half, taking a 3-0 lead, but never looked like a scoring a try when they had loads of possession early on.

It was 8-3 to Leeds at half-time and the Tykes turned the screw when Otley were down to 14 men early in the second half. The home side at last began to string phases of possession and camped in Otley's half for most of the second half.

The game was watched by 5,310.

ORRELL? HORRIBLE!

October 2006: It's getting even more like Barnstoneworth now - Orrell have been deducted six points for using illegal players against Morley and Macclesfield, so it means they are at the bottom of the table on MINUS FIVE points, having lost all their games so far and by the beginning of this month are 14 points adrift at the bottom of the table.

September 2006: I know how Ripping Yarns' Gordon Ottershaw felt watching Barnstoneworth (8 bloody 1) after sitting through another painful thrashing for Orrell.

A new season begins and you always hope Orrell will find their feet in a division after two successive relegations.

But no - Morley crushed Orrell 47-7 at Scratcherd Lane and are bottom of the National League North 3 already after one game.

The tackling was shocking. Morley's giraffe of a flanker had a field day as Orrell missed their first tackles time and time again. On one occasion he nearly ran the length of the field through the flimsy defence.

Morley's No 14 also revelled in the space he was given - even when he was pinned against the touchline he still managed to beat his man a couple of times.

Orrell's line-out was also amateurish - they lost five in a row on their own throw in the first half and all Morley had to do was spread it wide and they scored.

Like Gordon Ottershaw I feel like tracking down the Orrell greats and getting them to play - Carleton J, Gullick D, Morris D, P Williams, Anderson F...

According to coach Chris Chudleigh, he was playing a lot of colts and second teamers due to several departures in the summer.

POLITICS

MY MOST POPULAR PHOTO ON FLICKR IS....
...Michael Foot's Donkey Jacket, with 351 views in 10 months! A quickly taken snap in a museum on my phone that appears to be popular on Google images.


This is the 'donkey jacket' that Michael Foot wore at a Remembrance Day service in the early 80s. It was bought in Harrods.

It's slightly galling that he was so villified then and has been almost universally praised since he died.

His manifesto of 1983 - dubbed the longest suicide note by Gerald Kaufman (the man who claimed £8,865 for a TV on expenses) - included policies to set up a national investment bank, the scrapping nuclear weapons and the sale of council houses, restoring the link to pensions and earnings, reversing nationalisation of British Telecom, introduction of a minimum wage and stopping hunting. Mmm..sounds reasonable now.

Michael Foot's coat is among the artefacts on show at the People's History Museum in Manchester. RIP Mr Foot.


LIB DEMS STITCHED UP IN BUDGET

At least someone warned us about the Tories' VAT rise.

Oh!

The Lib Dems have been stitched up like a kipper. Yes, a few sops around the fringes of the budget, but remember Saint Nick in the TV debates, with his Sermon on the Mount, palms-outspread, 'I'm different from the old parties' sincerity? How he emphasised how cutting now was wrong, how he wanted to spend more on schools, cut Trident and rule out a rise in VAT? (and the Tories had the cheek to hint that Labour would put up VAT)

Oh dear Nick.

Education is going to be cut by 25pc, VAT is going up (and yes it will affect the poor - if there had been a rise in fuel and booze duty by the same amount people would be whingeing a lot more), Trident is staying and cuts are happening now just as Labour's reforms are starting to put money back in the economy and cut the debt.

The debt has been exaggerated by the Tories and Lib Dems anyway. We're not Greece, we've got longer to pay and more assets. Labour had to spend more on new hospitals and schools after the austerity of the 80s and was shafted like everyone else in the global recession.

And we've always had debt - the NHS was set up in the late Forties when we were skint after the war.

Up to a million public service jobs could be lost and how will that affect the precious debt when there are so many more people on the dole?

By the time the referendum on voting reform comes around next year, the government will be so unpopular people won't vote for anything associated with it, especially not if it's anything to do the U-turn, power-hungry, no-marks in the Lib Dems.






GOODBYE GORDON
I have to confess I filled up when Gordon Brown said goodbye outside No10. A decent, principled, serious man to the end - what a tragedy this failed to come across to enough people.

He replaced shabby hospitals and schools in the boom years and saved us from depression in the bad.

But you could see why New Labour, and especially Brown, needed operators like Mandelson and Campbell to deal with the rabid right-wing press and to hone his policy and speeches. Brown could have done with them in his first year as PM.
A Lab-Lib pact just didn' t SNP.

By contrast the Lib Dems have made a huge blunder accepting cabinet posts in the new government. They may have won concessions on policy but will now be tainted by any nasty Tory policy lurking in the wings.

England seems divided now - north of Stoke, the big cities with their own identities that are more broadminded and open to change, below Stoke and around the south coast, the small towns and twee country villages have conservative ways and Conservative ways.

Cheers to Clooky for poster




VOTE LABOUR - HERE'S WHY
Here's what I look for in a Prime Minister:
Does he smile a lot?
Does he remember my name when I ask him a question?
When he answers a question, is the first thing he says: 'I agree with you'.
Does he mention words such as 'change', 'hope', 'optimism', 'little fluffy-wuffy bunnies with waggly tails'?

Cobblers.

I want someone who can stand in the sleet in Lowestoft, as Gordon Brown did on Monday, and say he's fighting hard 'every second, every minute, every hour, in the wind in the rain, and in the sun, every day and in every way' to win the election.

There's something heroic about a man who's faced so many knocks, yet who remains resolute and determined. You know he's one of those MPs who's doing the job to serve the public, not for perks.

So what is if he's awkward and miserable? We're not electing a meet-and-greeter in a supermarket and these are serious times.

But never mind the personality. Here is someone who made the right decisions on saving the banks and made the right decisions on staving off depression. Unlike the Tory recessions of the 80s and 90s, inflation, interest rates and, crucially, unemployment are lower.

His policies on dealing with the global crisis have been followed or matched around the world - only the Tories disagree. If the Tories had been in power thousands would have lost their savings in Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley.

And Dave Cameron, who bats his puppy dog eyes and says he loves our country, can't resist talking it down - warning of Greek-style debt disasters and IMF interventions. His comments no doubt affect the markets and our country.

And what of Dave's Broken Britain? When crime has gone down by a third since 1997? Look at the new schools and hospitals built under Labour.

Dave undoubtedly has the intelligence and charm to pull a big speech out of the bag at crucial times - at the Tory conference that elected him as leader, at the first Tory conference after Mr Brown was elected leader of the Labour party and at the third TV election debate.

But for all his 'I love the NHS' bluster he is using the excuse of the debt to carry out the Tories' long-cherished dream of dismantling public services.

Do-it-yourself schools? They've failed in Sweden and they'll divert resources from professional schools.

And let's not forget the NHS was set up at the end of World War 2 when the country's debts were bigger.

Dave's tax cut supporters? Sir Stuart Rose and other executives on million-pound salaries whether they succeed or fail.

As for Nick Clegg and the Liberals, it makes you wonder what impact his predecessor Charlie Kennedy would have had in the TV debates as he is someone with real personality. The Liberals' policies on tax and Trident are tempting, but Clegg's 'old parties' shtick and his hands apart gestures, like he's miming a big loaf, were looking very tired by the third TV debate.

So I say vote Labour to see us out of recession and preserve public services. Go Fourth with Harold!

Here's a barnstorming Brown speech showing what he, and the Labour Party, are all about.




DON'T LET THE FAUNTLEROYS BACK IN!
Jan 10: An amusing site has been set up spoofing David Cameron's earnest and pompous billboard ads.

SuperDave has had an easy ride so far - most of the media swallowing his line about public service cuts being the only way to reduce the 'huge debt', with scant mention of the City who got us into this mess in the first place. (Incidentally when did Britain have a small debt? We've only just paid off our WW2 loan to the Yanks!)

You get the feeling the Tories are desperate to hack away at vital public services, decentralise and leave a lot of government to private companies, forgetting it was government that saved the economy by stabilising the banks.

You also get the feeling some of the public, especially the 'not interested in politics' morons, think it's an X Factor contest and Gordon shouldn't win for being grouchy and awkward in public.

BEST BREWERIES

BEST BREWERIES
I originally wrote this in 2007 as a reaction to the lack of northern winners at the Great British Beer Festival the year before. I updated it in 2008 and 2010 as I've realised there a few regular breweries who never let you down and thanks to Locale there is more chance to regularly sample Yorks and Lancs brews. On the other hand, Springhead and Phoenix have dropped down the top 10 as I rarely see their beers in Huddersfield these days. The Locale effect? New entries to the top 10 are Saltaire, Salamander and Acorn, Leeds and York drop out.

1 MOORHOUSES: Is this the best thing to come out of Burnley since the A6114? Started brewing real ale in 1978 although the company set up as a drinks manufacturer in 1865.
Best beers: No duff ones here - Black Cat (mild), Premier Bitter, Pride of Pendle and Pendle Witches are all good.
Best places to drink: Moorhouses-owned pubs - Rising Sun, Blacko, Lancs; The Stanley, Burnley; Gerneral Scarlett, Burnley; Craven Heifer, Rawtenstall, Lancs; Pendle Witch, Atherton; Dusty Miller, Bury.
The Grove, Leeds, always has Black Cat on.
Moorhouses news

2 SALTAIRE Does anyone do flavoured beers better? I don't think so. Triple Chocoholic is a SIBA winner and Hazelnut Coffee Porter is a delight. Real chocolate in the first, ground coffee in the second. They also do cherry, elderflower, raspberry and blackberry. The brewery is based in an old tram generating hall near Saltaire.
Saltaire website

3 MARBLE: Organic and vegan beers (although you can still get a steak sandwich in their pubs), the brewery was established in 1997.
Best beers: Ginger Marble tingles on the lips and tongue and feels healthy. For those who think it tastes like medicine try Manchester Bitter. JP Best won best beer brewed in Greater Manchester at 2007 Food and Drink Festival.
Best places to drink: Where it's brewed - the Marble Arch Inn, on the outskirts of Manchester. Plus The Knott, near Deansgate Station, and Marble Beer House, in Chorlton.

4 OSSETT: Since brewing started in the west Yorkshire town of Ossett in 1998, business is booming with a chain of pubs established in west Yorkshire. It's also taken over Riverhead and Fernandes breweries but is still brewing their beers.
Best beers: Best known for Silver King and Pale Gold, the sweeter and stronger Excelsior is my favourite.
Best places to drink: Ossett-owned pubs, including Dewsbury (Shepherds Boy), Elland (Drop Inn), Halifax (Three Pigeons), Hipperholme (Travellers Inn), Liversdege (Black Bull), Marsden (Riverhead), Sowerby Bridge (Shepherds Rest), Wakefield (Fernandes Tap) but the best is the Rat and Ratchet in Huddersfield.
Ossett news

5 ACORN Barnsley Bitter and Old Moor Porter are the stars of this Barnsley brewery but their seasonal beers are always worth a punt.
Acorn website

6 LINFIT There's one place you can get Linfit Beers - in the Sair Inn, in Linthwaite, near Huddersfield (Linfit is how locals pronounce Linthwaite, just like nearby Slaithwaite is pronounced Slawit). Started brewing in 1982 although ale was brewed in the beautiful cottage-like premises in 19th century.
Best beers: Everything from light coloured bitters, through to stouts, milds and 8 per cent beer Enoch's Hammer. My favourites are Special and Old Eli.

7 ALLGATES Straight outta Wigan. Consistently excellent milds, porters and others from the folks behind the town's excellent Anvil pub.
Best beers: Mild at heart
Best place to drink: The Anvil, Wigan
Allgates

8 SALAMANDER Golden Salamander is always a treat from this Bradford brewery but they've produced hundreds of specials

9 SPRINGHEAD: Civil War names for the various beers from this Newark brewery, established in 1990.
Best beers: Manages to produce a light colured beer without a bitter aftertaste (Springhead Bitter) also Puritans Porter and Roundheads Gold.

10 PHOENIX: Another reliable range of bitters. Established in 1982. Moved to current base in Heywood, Greater Manchester, in 1991.
Best beers: Best Bitter, Monkeytown Mild. Also do Arizona.
Best places to drink: Sandbar, Manchester


OTHER BREWERIES WORTH LOOKING OUT FOR:
BANK TOP (Bolton - Dark Mild)
BAZENS (Salford - Black Pig Mild) Bazens
BRAINS (Cardiff - Dark, Bitter, SA, Rev James) Brains
COTTAGE (Lovington, Somerset) CottageGOLCAR (Golcar, Huddersfield - Dark Mild) GolcarGREAT HECK (Goole - Dave)
LEEDS (Leeds - Midnight Bell) Leeds Brewery
ORKNEY (Stromness, Orkney - Raven Ale, Dark Island)
ROOSTERS (Knaresborough, N Yorks - Hooligan, Special)
YORK (York - Centurions Ghost Ale) York Brewery


Pic: Moorhouses. Some info: Good Beer Guide