A game with probably more players, and certainly a smaller proportion of
non-playing spectators, than any other English sport will produce a new national champion tomorrow. The finals will be decided at the perhaps inevitable Wembley, in a blaze of light and with the assistance of ten thousand onlookers, though it might better suit the traditions of the game, and perhaps the nerves of some of the competitors, could the eight finalists be smuggled off to a country inn and have it out in the quiet corner of a low-roofed taproom. The fun must have started in a great many such places, for the chosen eight have worked their way to Wembley through a total entry of 289,864 competitors, scoring their trebles and "tons" and the triumphant final double in more familiar surroundings and no doubt to a chorus of well-practised local approbation. None of them is exactly a lad at the game, for their average age is not far short of forty; they have probably worn out many a bristled board between them. Darts was never a game where age defers to youth and in many a country tavern you may see the trebles come thick and fast when the old man in the corner is brought in
to strengthen a match.
The unskilled dabbler in the art who will wager a foregone pint of mild to get into the fringes of a village game perhaps sees darts at its best. He will sometimes find it hard to credit that any townsmen's team could better the skill of the countryman he has been lucky to pick up as a partner. Perhaps the series of county and district contests which lead to Wembley
less readily attracts the village than the town. Certainly the towns are on top in this year's national tournament. Miners and ex-miners, metal workers, and a bus builder are in the list for Wembley, though two labourers, from Spalding, in Lincolnshire, and Crotton, near Wakefield, suggest that rural skill will also be seen. West Hartlepool and St. Helens will represent the North and Southall and Stroud the South; from Monmouthshire comes a Blaenavon miner.
What appears to be missing, and what will plobably keep the affair out of the headlines, is any sort of a foreign "menace." No Von Nida or Walter Hagen has yet appeared in the darts world, nor anything out of a French stable. If St Helens goes down it will only be to Gloucestershire or Durham and no cups will go irrecoverably abroad. It may be that America and Australia have not yet fallen in any big way for the double-ringed board and the subtractive joys of "301-up." If we really wanted any more competition from overseas, it might have been as well to postpone tomorrow's finals until the Olympic visitors arrive; to give them a demonstration and send them home with the new idea. Not that there is much to be made out of a game in which there would be few "pros" who could survive against all comers and where the "shamateur" is still unknown. Darts is so much more a game to play than to watch; and are not the spectators responsible for most of the hullabaloo attaching to more "organised" sports?
[The 1948 darts champion was Harry Leadbetter from the Windle Labour Club, St Helens, who triumphed over Tommy Small of the Sth Durham Steel & Iron SC, West Hartlepool]
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Surrey force way back into contention against Sussex and driving rain - The Guardian
There were just six overs of play in what felt like the middle of winter in Horsham on Thursday. But in that time Surrey forced their way back into contention by taking four Sussex wickets.
In reply to Surrey's miserable 124, Sussex are an equally unhappy 90 for six. There is less rain forecast for Friday, but strong winds. The way this match is progressing, though, there is still time enough for a result in a low-scoring encounter.
The rain was so heavy that the umpires, Peter Willey and Peter Hartley, called off play for the day a little after two o'clock. The Cricketfield ground was already a bog.
Surrey took a wicket with the first ball of the day. Stuart Meaker dug one in short and Michael Yardy played it badly, only managing to fend it to Mark Ramprakash in the gully.
The nippy and skiddy Meaker struck again with the second ball of his next over. This time he pitched it up and Joe Gatting played all round it, losing his off stump as he did so.
That left Sussex a wobbly 85 for four and suddenly their hopes of building a big lead and batting, perhaps, just once, looked in ruins.
There was worse to come. Before Luke Wright could get to the crease the players came off for 45 minutes. There had been just 2.2 overs of play.
Play resumed after that – but only for a further 15 minutes, or 3.4 overs. Surrey, though, took another two wickets.
First Wright, playing forward, was caught behind by Steven Davies. And then, in the following over, Ben Brown was lbw to Meaker, whose figures yesterday were an impressive 3-1-3-3.
The ball has swung and seamed here. But the drizzle, gusting into the players' eyes, has made batting even more difficult. In fact it's not been cricket weather for anyone.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Tesco PLC - SWOT Analysis - Just-style.com
Datamonitor's Tesco PLC - SWOT Analysis company profile is the essential source for top-level company data and information. Tesco PLC - SWOT Analysis examines the company’s key business structure and operations, history and products, and provides summary analysis of its key revenue lines and strategy.
Tesco ("the company") is one of UK’s leading food and grocery retailers. The company operates in Europe, the US and Asia. Tesco is headquartered in Hertfordshire, the UK and employs about 472,000 people. The company recorded revenues of £56,910 million ($90,445.4 million) during the financial year ended February 2010 (FY2010), an increase of 5.6% over 2009. The operating profit of the company was £3,457 million ($5,494.1 million) in FY2010, an increase of 9.1% over 2009. The net profit was £2,327 million ($3,698.2 million) in FY2010, an increase of 9.1% over 2009.
Scope of the Report- Provides all the crucial information on Tesco PLC required for business and competitor intelligence needs - Contains a study of the major internal and external factors affecting Tesco PLC in the form of a SWOT analysis as well as a breakdown and examination of leading product revenue streams of Tesco PLC -Data is supplemented with details on Tesco PLC history, key executives, business description, locations and subsidiaries as well as a list of products and services and the latest available statement from Tesco PLC
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Source: www.just-style.com
Tesco launches new online supplier portal - Retail Bulletin
You are here: Home | News | Tesco launches new online supplier portal
Supermarket giant Tesco has launched a new web portal for suppliers as it looks to give them increased visibility around customer buying habits and promotional activity.
The supermarket said the Tesco Connect portal will help suppliers to identify product trends, prepare for upcoming promotions, and assist them in responding quickly to changes in customer demand.
Tony Mitchell, Tesco’s supply chain director said: "We are always looking for new ways to improve the service for customers and the information and insight shared through Tesco Connect comes from several years of development and technical innovation."
Suppliers such as Innocent, Nestle and Unilever were involved in a pilot of the portal which Tesco said delivered measurable benefits including reducing the number of shortages by more than a third.
Mitchell added: "We’ve already had some fantastic feedback from the suppliers who have worked with us on the new portal. Many of them have told us that the forecast data has begun to change the way they work and will help re-focus their efforts."
Tagged as: tesco | supply chain | tesco connect
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