Kayaking chaos, the Schumachers and a naughty David Batty
1) Snow kayaking looks … fun. If you’re not into the racing version, why not hurtle down a mountain in a canoe at over 70km an hour with nothing more than a metal pole to direct or slow you down. If you like your kayaking on water that hasn’t been frozen, here’s Dane Jackson plunging 134ft down a waterfall in Chile.
2) Sarah Fuller made college football history last week: the kicker became the first woman to play in a men’s “Power 5” conference game when she featured for Vanderbilt against Missouri. Fuller is also the goalkeeper for Vandy’s women’s soccer team, who won this year’s SEC title. Here she is practicing field goals pre-game, following in the footsteps of Carli Lloyd, who can kick a mean three-pointer.
3) It was David Batty’s birthday yesterday, so why not celebrate with a comprehensive deep-dive into his naughty antics in a (pre-season) game against Sampdoria in 1992. The wink at the end as he calls out to Gary McAllister is just magic. Sampdoria, of course, had been beaten on these shores in the European Cup final just a couple of months earlier by this Ronald Koeman free-kick. Not the happiest of times for Roberto Mancini and co.
4) Mick Schumacher announced that he will be on the F1 grid for Haas for next season this week. The 21-year-old is on the brink of winning the F2 Championship – here’s his first victory last year – and is still part of the Ferrari academy, the team where his father became a legend of the sport. Here’s Michael with his young son way back in 2000, and some of the best bits of driving that made Michael a racing genius.
5) TADHAL! Finland’s women’s team just scored an amazing 95th minute winner away to Scotland to secure at least a play=off place for next year’s Euros. Amanda Rantanen took one full in face for her team … a great Finnish, etc, and so on.
TADHAL!!! ⚽️
Finland score with the last kick of the game as they hit Scotland on the counter attack! ⚽️#SCOFIN #SWNT pic.twitter.com/guQOYL3Jn6— BBC ALBA (@bbcalba) December 1, 2020
6) It’s Ireland v Scotland this weekend in the Autumn Nations Cup. Here are the highlights of when the two countries met in February in the Six Nations, while here are six of the most iconic matches down the years between the two rivals.
Our favourites from below the line last week
1) A sensational Diego Maradona goal for Napoli against Milan in 1987, plus here is the great man making Juventus look a bit silly.
2) Live is life. Maradona’s Sevilla vs. Gazza’s Lazio. And the pure joy of a grown man mucking around in the mud.
3) Dominic Thiem v Daniil Medvedev: highlights from the gripping final of this year’s ATP Finals.
4) The Lawnmower Men, a cinematic look at a quintessentially bonkers and extreme British motorsport.
Spotters’ badges: GatehouseAmi, M_T_Wallet, Crouchy1889, kisbie, Red1729, BlackCaeser.
