The Joy Of Six - Kevin Pietersen (The Guardian)

“Every time he was at the crease it was legitimate to think we might be about to witness something epic. And when he got going, it was impossible to contain your excitement. Nobody else made you want to text a friend or rush to the nearest public social-networking house and say excitedly to the nearest person: “Are you watching the cricket? Pietersen’s on one here.” That’s how special Pietersen was: he made you want to talk to strangers.”

— Rob Smyth

A quite brilliant piece of sports writing about the greatest English (ok England) cricketer since Ian Botham.

Paralympic Games: Inside the theatre of miracles - Telegraph

London 2012 was a celebration of new Britishness. We didn’t want the Games to stop. Let’s be honest, that’s why so many of us bought tickets for the Paralympics: to keep the good times rolling, to see the venues and take our kids, so they could say they were there.

Maybe, in our ignorance, some of us gave the impression that these tickets were a consolation prize for not being able to get in to see Bolt or Mo. But my children laughed in my face at that.

 “Dad, the Paralympics are better!” said Josh, and his sisters joined in. “Yeah, these people are amazing. Yeah, they have to be amazing even to get there in the first place, have you seen them? And then they do amazing things as well!”

At first I put this down to youthful enthusiasm and propaganda – including that jaw-dropping Channel 4 advertisement for “The Superhumans”. Paralympians had visited schools. Children had played goalball or seated volleyball. They were way ahead of their parents in understanding the Games. But then I began to watch.

Excellent article by ​Cole Moreton in today's Telegraph.

Jonnie Peacock: How it all began | Anglia - ITV News

ITV Anglia first met Jonnie back in 1999 shortly after he had to have part of his leg amputated because of meningitis. Even then as a six year old his determination to succeed was very clear. One of his teachers revealed how he took part in the school sports day perhaps even then, a shape of what was to come in 2012.

Martin Samuel - a thank you to sport

We lost mum last week. In the small hours of Thursday to be specific, but we knew for some time. She had one of those cancers. You know the type. From beginning to end, three-and-a-half years, but from January without any hope at all. And we’re not special. There will be many thousands of people living that way in Britain right now. Waiting for the inevitable.  

Maybe you know someone. And, if you do, maybe you are taking small  pleasure from whatever gets you high: the concertos of Rachmaninov, the films of Humphrey Bogart, a good play on Radio 4. But us, in our house, we like sport. We like watching it, we like  playing it, we like arguing about it. And while sport won’t save a person from metastasizing tumours, it can perhaps save those in the vicinity. It can, for a moment, occupy their minds or lift their souls.

Martin Samuel is Britain's premier sports writer. Today's article is one of his best.​

One Hell Of A Beating

Welling Up

At 1am this morning, I was a bit teary eyed at this moment.

Magnificent.