Like everyone else, we got a bit down about the football. But here at RockWealth, we’re looking forward, not back, to a glorious summer of Sussex sport. Here are some of the highlights in the coming weeks.
Ok, so it didn’t quite come home. If downing Denmark was probably the best feeling in the world, the Italian job proved anything but a dream assignment. More like a zero-hour contract with anxiety levels higher than Richard Branson on a day out in space.
Fear not, Sussex sports fans. Down here in our blessed and beautiful part of the world, we have a seasonal programme of top-class competitive action to make memories of Wembley wither on the Calabrian vine. No more paying the penalty for defeat. Time instead to shrug off the frustrations of lockdown, give confinement a cautious yellow card and embrace the cornucopia that is summer sport in Sussex by the Sea.
Goodwood is always ‘Glorious’ — by nature, as well as by name — and never more so than in 2021. It’s hard to imagine a more soothing antidote to 16 maddening months of privation – and some equally maddening minutes beneath the Wembley arch – than a day at the Qatar Goodwood Festival (July 27-31), when premium level horse racing gallops onto the Downs in an elegant cloud of history, fashion and fun. Racegoers can choose between formal and informal enclosures, sip and sup in the flower-decked Secret Garden and dress to impress in the Goodwood style: tea dress or flowing maxi-dress for women, linen suit and Panama for the chaps. There is even a dream trip to South Africa on offer for Friday’s best-dressed lady. No wonder Edward VII called Goodwood “a garden party with racing tacked on”.
Don’t be fooled though – the racing is very, very good. Forming the backbone is a trio of Group 1 contests: the Goodwood Cup (Tuesday), which dates from 1812, with ultimate stayer Stradivarius going for an extraordinary fifth win; the Sussex Stakes (Wednesday), magnet for master milers, won twice by the incomparable Frankel; and the Nassau Stakes (Thursday), guaranteed to add further dazzle to Ladies Day.
Nor is Goodwood the county’s only serving of sizzling equestrian sport. Hickstead welcomes back the crowds this month for the Royal International Horse Show (July 20-25), with Pippa Funnell, Guy Williams and various members of the Whitaker clan — British showjumping’s own royal family – among those scheduled to compete. But for something fast and furious to help you banish the viral gloom — glass of champagne firmly in hand — head for Midhurst and the Elysian polo lawns of Cowdray Park. The Gold Cup (Semi-finals July 21, Final July 25) decides the British Open Championship and is the premier polo tournament in the world at 22 goal (high goal) level. A constellation of stars from around the globe is set to illuminate the famous West Sussex estate. Make sure that you’re there shining too.
No thundering hooves are heard on the lawns of Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park. Instead, the seaside venue hosts the most prestigious grass court tennis tournament in the run-up to Wimbledon – and the action doesn’t end once the professional circus has departed. This month (July 19-23) sees the Summer County Cup (Group 1), free to spectators, with some of Britain’s leading amateurs in action. Eastbourne’s favourite tennis daughter — Johanna Konta, the current British No 1, who lives nearby — should have been 6,000 miles away, at a ghostly Olympics, trying to be big in Japan. Instead she’ll be relaxing at home, recovering from Covid-19.
Arundel requires no excuse for a visit, but if the long, secluded months have left you champing at the energetic bit, your next trip to the dramatically contoured town should be in trainers. The annual Arundel 10K Run (Aug 29), which takes in tarmac, scenic parkland and the grounds of the magnificent castle, is open to all. Oh, and every competitor receives a medal. How good is that?
More than anything, however, Sussex means cricket. It is, after all, the cradle of the sport, home to the oldest county club in the land. The heady days of the early 2000s, when trophies alighted on Hove more often than the ubiquitous gulls, have long since faded back into the fret. But a day at the County Ground in Hove is always a joy. With spectators back in, you could choose to attend either a home tie in the 50-over Royal London One-Day Cup (July 25 & 30, Aug 1 & 12) or a four-day County Championship match, once the longer format resumes in September.
If all this talk of sport has inspired you to engage in some physical exercise yourself, do check out the Brighton Yoga and Wellbeing Festival, which is happening over the weekend of 24-25th July. Yoga is a safe and effective way for people of all ages to get the blood pumping and to increase strength, flexibility and balance, so why not give it a try?
Finally, when the hot day is done, you could always pop along the coast to Shoreham, where ex-Sussex star Tony Cottey runs the Cotts&Linz Ice Cream Café, serving real Italian ice cream. (Sorry to mention Italy again.)
For further information, tickets and confirmation of dates, be sure to call or check websites in advance:
goodwood.com; hickstead.co.uk; cowdraypolo.co.uk; visiteastbourne.com; arundelscouts.org.uk; sussexcricket.co.uk