Where is sport to be found in its purest form? It could be Lords, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Augusta or Wembley.

WHERE IS sport to be found in its purest form? It could be Lords, Wimbledon, Twickenham, Augusta or Wembley. There are those who believe the soul of sport is not necessarily to be found where the elite athletes ply their trades. A fair point. I feel the spirit of it most keenly on village cricket pitches or at spectator-less football or rugby matches. School sport, apparently forever in decline, glows with meaning.

Not in PE lessons, I should add, for while they are important, there’s too much reluctance in the air. No, I mean school matches, against other schools, which were as thrilling to be involved in as anything I’ve experienced in my life.

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