As a quick glance at the national press will tell you,
sport
in Britain is a serious matter, with each international defeat being taken as an index of the country's slide down the scale of world powers. Many of the crucial domestic and international fixtures of the
football
,
rugby
and
cricket
seasons take place in the capital, and London also hosts one of the world's greatest tennis tournaments, the
Wimbledon
championships.
For
up-to-the-minute details
of sporting events in London, check the
Evening Standard
or
Time Out,
or ring the London Sportsline on 020/7222 8000.
Football
English
football
(or soccer) is passionate, and if you have the slightest interest in the game, then catching a league or FA Cup fixture is a must. The season runs from mid-August to early May, when the
FA Cup Final
at Wembley...
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Cricket
In the days of the Empire, the English took
cricket
to the colonies as a means of instilling the gentlemanly values of fair play while administering a sound thrashing to the natives. These days, the former colonies - such as Australia, the...
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Rugby
Rugby
gets its name from Rugby public school, where the game mutated from football (soccer) in the nineteenth century. A rugby match may at times look like a bunch of weightlifters grappling each other in the mud - as the old joke goes, rugby is a...
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Tennis
Tennis
in England is synonymous with
Wimbledon
(tel 020/8946 2244;
www.wimbledon.com),
the only Grand Slam tournament in the world to be played on grass, and for many players the ultimate goal of their careers. The Wimbledon...
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Horse racing
There are five
horse racecourses
within easy reach of London:
Kempton Park
(tel 01932/782292;
www.kempton.co.uk),
near Sunbury-on-Thames;
Sandown Park
(tel 01372/463072;
www.sandown.co.uk),
near...
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Greyhound racing
A night out at the
dogs
is still a popular pursuit in London. It's an inexpensive, cheerful and comfortable spectacle: a grandstand seat costs less than £5 and all six London stadiums have one or more restaurants, some surprisingly good....
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Ice skating
London has just one centrally located indoor ice rink, plus the outdoor Broadgate rink - located in the heart of the City near Liverpool Street station. Session times tend to vary quite a lot, but generally last for around two to three hours.
...
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Pool and snooker
Pool
has replaced darts as the most popular pub sport in London. There are scores of pubs offering small-scale pool tables, even in the centre of the city, where space is at a premium. Real
American pool
, played on a larger table than...
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Swimming, gyms and fitness centres
Below is a selection of the best-equipped, most central of London's multipurpose
fitness centres
. We haven't given the addresses of the city's many council-run swimming pools, virtually all of which now have fitness classes and gyms. Wherever...
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