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We used to know it as 'The Rugby Ground'. Now it's Twickenham Stadium. It's a magnificent venue, and it's a thrill to be able to walk to it!
I once ran there. No, not to the ground, but on it. It was during a local school sports. I was probably about eight or nine, and I came third. Then the place didn't look quite like it does in my picture. The Rugby Football Union tries to be a good neighbour in the Whitton and Twickenham area, and an annual school sports is still held on the hallowed pitch. And it has many other local initiatives, so I have no gripe against the ground's continued development and its use for occasional concerts. What else do local residents expect from a venue which was there long before they came to Whitton or even were born? (The RFU bought the site, known as Billy Williams' Cabbage Patch, in about 1910.) Twickenham is a name known throughout the world, and I'm proud of it. (Its address used to be Whitton Road, but now they've moved the offices to a site in a road they've recently named Rugby Road.) I went to the recent England v Wales match, and it was a grand occasion. But am I building up to a grumble or two? Well, yes, unfortunately. I found out that the ground has now succumbed to those disgraceful illuminated video advertising boards. Here's a picture I took at that match:
The brightest things on the ground were the wretched boards, flashing and moving. With them in your line of sight, it is impossible to concentrate properly on the action. They should not be allowed. How dare those in charge deliberately impair my view and enjoyment of the game that I have paid highly to watch. I won't give up on this, although I know I am up against somewhat larger and more powerful organisations than I! I've moved my seat at Fulham from one side of the ground to the other in the hope that the side not seen by the TV cameras will not have these wretched flashing boards all along it. If it does, that will probably be the end for me. And will Fulham care? One of my friends I went with to the match at Twickenham said he'd nip out before half time to get some beers. It was a very hot day. He came back at the start of the second half with no drinks. He had queued for nearly fifteen minutes and had got to within six people of the bar, only to be told that they had SOLD OUT! This needs to be put into context. This is Twickenham where it is a virtual condition of entry that you consume vast amounts of beer during your visit. After all, rugby types do little else. How could a rugby organisation with 70,000 captive and thirsty customers on a very hot summer's day sell out of beer? They could have doubled their order when they learnt of the weather forecast, and anything left over would be available for a similar large-crowd match the following week. Sorry, RFU, but that's a definite thumbs-down. Local residents have some privileges in respect of tickets, and I applied for (slightly reduced price) tickets for a concert. I received a notification that I had been successful in the ballot and took the completed application form, which had my name and address on, to the RFU and paid for the tickets which I had to pick up at a later date. I kept a photocopy of the form, although that was not a requirement. I've just been to collect the tickets. On the form it says that confirmation of name and address will be required in order to collect. I'm uneasy with that sort of thing as I feel it impugns my honour. Nevertheless I can understand it. So I handed my copy of my application form and asked for my tickets. The lady asked if I had any identification. I said, yes, I've just handed it to you, it's got my name and address on. I also had the original receipt from the RFU for the money I had previously handed over. But she still required identification, so this meant that she was not able to believe what I told her, namely, that the form I had just handed over was mine. So, was she accusing me of stealing the form or of impersonating someone I was not? (And how did showing her something from my wallet prove that I was who I said I was any more than the form I had just handed her?) Am I being unreasonable? This sort of thing makes me feel that I'm not trusted, and I don't like that. If I'm being reasonable, then the lady is a jobsworth, and have you noticed how jobsworths are proliferating and becoming ever more intransigent? When I was young, we children were always told to "Use your common sense". It's not heard nowadays. Here's a story from our local paper that seems to prove that. A nine-year-old lad went fishing with his Mum in local Bushy Park. It was the first time he'd been fishing and he had long begged his Mum to take him. A nice little story. Maybe you remember the first time you were taken fishing. However, they hadn't taken into account the PCSOs. I've just looked at the Met Police website, and they state that Police Community Support Officers 'build bridges with the public'. (With who else, I wonder…) They are a reassuring presence, deterring crime, and 'focus on the needs of the community'. (Oh, and by the way, who do they support? The police? The community?) Unfortunately our young lad and his Mum had not realised that he was fishing two weeks before the start of the fishing season. So, along comes our PCSO on his bike. He is part of the Safer Parks Team (SPT). What does he do? Have a quite word with Mum and lad? Point out that fishing is not yet permitted and would they kindly stop frightening the fish? Of course not! That would be far too much like common sense. Instead, he served the boy with a Stop and Account form, as used to record an investigation of crime or when stopping a person with an offensive weapon. Local MP Vincent Cable called the action 'ridiculously disproportionate'. When the mother took the matter up with the SPT, a sergeant confirmed that the PCSO had been right to issue it. (That makes two jobsworths.) The form recording this horrendous example of anti-social behaviour in breaching park regulations will be destroyed in six years' time. And the Safer Parks Team has ensured that Bushy Park is safe once again. Common sense? Bah, humbug.
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