Tabla de contenidos para Winter 2024/25 en Pitch

Tea or coffee? Tea. Not only is it the superior beverage (by galaxies) but all the endless chat about coffee is possibly the most boring waffle a human being can be subjected to. Ban it. What was your earliest sporting memory? My team Wimbledon v Derby County on New Year's Day, 1988 at Plough Lane. I've got confused about the score over the years, but it was either 1-1 or 2-1. [Dons 2-1 Derby; att. 5,479] Who was your sporting hero growing up? Paul ‘Gazza’ Gascoigne. And Michael Laudrup. And Gareth Ainsworth, although sadly he was nearly always injured after he moved to us. Did you show any promise on the pitch? No, sadly. I love football, and I play it badly, but that's good enough for me. What is…

SKIING 1. Speed Mat Black CAIRN £27 A soft and comfortable pair of goggles at an affordable price in an inoffensive colourway. 2. LV Snow Mask LOUIS VUITTON £990 Ridiculous? Definitely. But in fuchsia pink you won't find anything brassier darling. 3. Flight Path L OAKLEY £208 Developed by World Champion Aleksander Kilde and more than adequate for a Sunday afternoon on the slopes. MOUNTAIN BIKING 4. Ora Clarity POC £90 Offering a sharpened visual experience to help you avoid the trees in dark environments. Or anywhere for that matter. 5. Armega 100% £126 Shatterproof lenses will protect you from heftier falls. Best in blue. 6. Rhythm SMITH £99.99 The open frame lets air travel freely behind the lens, preventing foggy build-up and sweaty foreheads. MOUNTAINEERING 7. Heron Glacier VALLON…

So what is the PDC World Darts Championship? One of five Major tournaments and known for sponsorship reasons as the Paddy Power World Darts Championship since 2023 – a £2.5 million a year deal – the multi-night event, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), it is without doubt the biggest darts festival of the year. With most of its polyester-wrapped athletes looking in the kind of shape only afforded to those who take training in the local all too seriously. Expect a wildly festive atmosphere at the People's Palace, the kind you get when the crowd is still drinking off last night's hangover and the result is not remotely important to the evening's enjoyment levels. Where did it start and how is it going? In a tale of too…

F1 If you were to tally up each word in Guenther Steiner's latest book, ‘fok’ would be one of the most used. The unique spelling, done to represent Steiner's distinctive accent and also appease book publishers, no doubt, is featured on almost every page. Steiner was not the first to coin this term in written form. After a particular episode of Drive to Survive in which he fumed about his driver Kevin Magnussen slamming a door, T-shirts soon appeared with Steiner's face printed on them – trademark aviators on – and the words ‘he does not fok smash my door’ printed in big letters. It is not the only T-shirt made with his face on it. Born in the northern Italian town of Merano, Steiner holds dual citizenship in the US…

Like Botham in 1981, it was all but impossible for Flintoff to live up to the hype after 2005. Assuming the role of England captain in early 2006 merely added to the pressure, and a string of poor results, including a whitewash in the Ashes of 2006–7, seemed to act as the catalyst for some increasingly indiscreet alcohol-fuelled behaviour. Matters came to a head after defeat by New Zealand in the opening match of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. A post-match eight-hour drinking spree ended up with the England all-rounder having to be ‘rescued’ by hotel staff from a pedalo. Although gran Elsie thought it a ‘poor do’ when a young man ‘can't go on a binge every now and then’, the selectors were inclined to agree…

Further Ravel-ations 1994 “At the Lillehammer Olympics in 1994, I used a professional digital camera for the first time. The pictures I took of Great Britain's Olympic champions, Torvill and Dean, were the quickest on the wires and made the front pages. This particular picture was taken at a gala event where they relived their Gold Medal-winning Maurice Ravel's Boléro. The picture I took is a replica of one that AP's Dave Caulkin took in a split second in Sarajevo in 1984, in black and white. Dave, bless his soul, did spare me a compliment.” Nerves All Round 1994 “I worked at the 1994 World Cup in the USA as a photographer for FIFA. When the final came to LA, I needed to be there hours before kick-off to take…

It's June 17, 2013. On some waste ground in an industrial park in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, lies the body of Odin Lloyd. The semi-professional American football player shot multiple times, execution style. As local police retrace Lloyd's final movements, the investigation quickly leads detectives to the door of Aaron Hernandez, tight end for Tom Brady's NFL Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots. All this happens in the context of Pro Bowl-er Hernandez signing a five-year $39.58m contract extension with the Patriots the previous October. Born on November 6, 1989, in Bristol, Connecticut, Aaron Josef Hernandez grew up in a gridiron family. His father, Dennis Hernandez, was a former college football player, intent on seeing his aspirations projected onto his naturally gifted son, Aaron. As Hernandez junior's talents flourished in high school,…

ANDY AFFORD The 2024 BSME Editor of the Year nominee dives into the all-action pursuit of Kabaddi. SAM COOPER Tracks down Guenther Steiner for a chat on a decade at the heart of the circuit. PHIL O'BRIEN The New York-based photojournalist resurrects frames of historical significance. SAM BOWLES The Art Director has brought the very pages you're holding together. With award-winning verve. ROSIE DEAN Newly fascinated by darts, she takes her ‘bag of nails’ to the Ally Pally on page 31. PAUL SIMPSON Pulls the strings on England's (golden) generational two-man midfield. PAUL BURBIDGE From five-a-side with Ruud Gullit to pub quizzes with Roy Keane, the lensman has footy stories to spare. KIERAN LONGWORTH Showcases 2024's defining sports images, drawing the curtain on a landmark year. NEIL SQUIRES Rugby correspondent…

DOWN GIRL by Roy Woods – Kate Kusztal ALL GOES WRONG by Tom Grennan – Charlotte Greig NEVER TOO OLD by Monrroe – Kieran Longworth CHOP SUEY by System Of A Down – Manmitha Bodimalla NETSKY by Starlight – Kamara Maya McCrory Allen WHITE MOUNTAIN SUNRISE by Daniel Herskedal – Josh Slack Search ‘Pitch Magazine Issue 10 Playlist’ on Spotify COCKY HUMBLE by Marlon Craft “Can't help it, I'm a sucker for good vibes.” – Rosie Dean I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE by The Darkness “A true feel good song… And Taylor Swift likes it too.” – Cerys Szczesny…

One Throwing the first pitch. Is a huge baseball tradition that's reserved for the famous and otherwise deemed worthy. There are so many shitshows to watch on YouTube, so it's clearly not as easy as it looks when performing in front of a crowd. Two The aim. As with any pitch, is to deliver the ball safely over the home plate, broadly between the batter's knees and chest. If accurate, and in any way untroubled, this is known as a strike. Three Don't think. First and foremost, just throw. And any idiot can throw. Four Grip it good. The safest means of propulsion is to place your index and middle fingers across the seams with your thumb underneath, in what's called a four-seam fastball grip. Five Assume the position. Stand…

Brutal Author: Iwan Thomas Cover price: £20 Review: At 23, Iwan Thomas broke the 400m British record. By 24, Injuries were already beginning to dog him. Despite European, Commonwealth and World champion success, Thomas’ story is one fringed with disappointment. Why you should read it: Injuries are something that are generally seen to be part and parcel of any sportsperson's life, but Thomas lays bare the truth about training, injuries and treatment that blighted his career. You'll like this if you liked: Paula: My Story So Far – Paula Radcliffe Star rating: How to Win the Premier League Author: Ian Graham Cover price: £22 Review: Any fans hoping for a quick fix to win them the title will sadly be left with one crushing takeaway: ‘Make sure you're not competing against…

Richie McCaw has long since left rugby union behind. He watches the odd game, relives the glory days from time to time when people twist his arm but has no desire to return as a coach or commentator. He is a commercial helicopter pilot and a father of three these days. The fearsome drive that fuelled his record-breaking career, the one that saw him lead the All Blacks to back-to-back World Cups, is still there inside though. It finds its outlet in gruelling adventure races across New Zealand like the Godzone which lasts the best part of a week and sees teams take on an intimidating 400-mile route across land and water. Then there is the Coast to Coast – a 140-mile running, biking and kayaking endurance test which he…

I was there to write about the first-ever meeting of Red Bull Salzburg and Austria Salzburg, 18 years after the schism that brought both clubs into existence. In 2005 the historic Austria Salzburg were in some trouble, but here came an international behemoth, whose roots were in the local community, to offer salvation. However, while it initially appeared that Red Bull wanted to provide sponsorship, it quickly became clear that they actually intended to not only take over the club and change everything about it but make this the first step in a global part-football-club part-rovingadvertising-board for their sickly fizzy drinks. In response, a group of Austria Salzburg fans set up a phoenix club, with their original colours, name and perhaps most importantly spirit. This was a club set up…

21 MAY 1950 Ferrari make their F1 debut at Monaco for the second race of the inaugural World Championship in a 4483.73cc single-seater 375 F1. S.F. Scuderia Ferrari translates to Ferrari Stables in plain English. IMOLA is the unofficial home of the Tifosi, its 3.05 miles of asphalt have welcomed eight Ferrari wins since the 51st Italian Grand Prix in 1980. 20 wins at Monza marks a record for any team at any circuit. 247 race wins from 251 podiums make Ferrari the most-winning team in F1 history. A valuation of $3.9 BILLION makes Ferrari the most valuable F1 team on the grid going into 2025. THE HORSE, painted on every plane that Italian Air Force pilot Francesco Baracca flew during World War I, was borrowed by Enzo Ferrari in 1923…

1880 WG Grace No cricketer has ever cut such a distinctive figure. Gloucestershire & England's Dr Grace turned the sport from a fascination to a mass obsession between 1880 and 1899. His money-making ability - from his national amateur status - proved the precursor to cricket's professional age. 1932 Harold Larwood Few fast bowlers have terrorised an opposition so completely that their fear-inducing dominance almost caused a diplomatic breakdown between Australia and the UK during the Bodyline series of 1932-33. He never played for England again. His crime? Carrying out captain Douglas Jardine's plan of intimidation to the letter. 1960 Garry Sobers Between 1954 and 1974 Sir Garfield proved to be his era's defining figure. Whether flashing the bat, bowling fast-medium swingers, left-arm orthodox, or wrist-spin, Sobers, singlehandedly took the…

Paul Simpson sets out why it's right that the pair shoulder the burden of ending what will be, at best, 60 years of hurt. “Player has no significant weaknesses” That is how football stats site WhoScored.com evaluates Jude Bellingham, the 21-year-old attacking midfielder who has already won the UEFA Champions League and la Liga with Real Madrid, been voted player of the season in Spain's top flight and is arguably the most naturally gifted footballer to don the England shirt since Paul Gascoigne. All of which makes it even more remarkable that when England fans voted for their player of the year in October, Bellingham came second to another attacking midfielder, 22-year-old Cole Palmer, who has been in spectacular form since signing for Chelsea on 1 September 2023. (Grammar school…