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STEVE HOSSACK: Stalwart Geoff's lost interest in modern game
SEEING Doncaster Rugby League Club in administration again is nothing new to Geoff Roebuck.
Geoff, who has arguably watched more Dons games than anyone alive, has seen it all before.
But this time it's different.
For instead of being in there fighting for the club's survival as in the past, Geoff is taking more of a detached view.
Amazingly, for a man who missed just 12 of the club's games between 1960 and and 2007, Geoff has lost much of his enthusiasm for a sport which dominated his life for so many years.
Said Geoff, who once worked as club secretary: "I started to drop off last season and I've only been to two games this season.
"There is no promotion from the Championship to the Super League for the next three years and even then the team which finishes top aren't guaranteed to go up under changes introduced this season.
"There is also too much kicking in the qame these days – I might as well watch rugby union – and a lot of it is awful and more often than not the ball goes straight to a defender.
"You don't get contested scrums these days and there are too many points scored in most games – teams don't seem to be able to defend their line like they used to do – and it devalues a try.
"I'm not saying that there haven't been any improvements to the game over the years. But I do feel that some of the changes they have introduced in recent years have taken a lot of the skill out of the sport.
"It is too predictable. You know that teams are going to kick the ball on the fifth or sixth tackle.
"When you are looking at your watch and wondering how much longer is left, it isn't a good sign.
"To be honest, I used to enjoy it a lot more in the 60s even though we were getting beat every week.
"It is not just me who is losing interest in the game; I know a number of other long-serving supporters who have also stopped going – as well as other members of my family – because they don't like the modern game.
"I think that is one of the reasons why gates are down.
"I personally think that the move to summer rugby in the mid-90s has also played a part; there are a lot of counter attractions in the summer."
"The situation at the club is very serious and it could go under this time unless someone comes forward to run it in the next few weeks.
"I obviously hope that it does survive, but there is no guarantee that I will become a regular again even if they do."
DONCASTER Athletic Club's growing reputation – on and off the track – received another boost this week with the successful staging of the inaugural Sandall Beat 10k Trail Race.
The race, mainly contested in Woodland adjacent to Doncaster Knights' Castle Park complex, proved a real winner with the 200-plus runners.
The rugby club's impressive catering facilities also proved popular with runners and supporters after the race.
But it was the organisation and the cheerful way everyone went about their duty on the night which really impressed me. I am sure a lot of runners will have gone away with the same impression.
WILL there still be a County Cricket Championship in five years time?
The four-day format – which, to be honest, I lost interest in years ago – is going to look even more dated after the excitement of the World Twenty20 Championship currently being staged in England.
The game might not suit the purists, but it has certainly captured the imagination of thousands of people who wouldn't normally watch the sport.
It is excitement all the way and the duration of the games also fits in better with today's time-scarce lifestyles than even the traditional limited over knockout games.
There are certain to be big changes in the way the game is run in the future, for the authorities simply can't afford to miss out on a golden opportunity to revive interest in the sport.
BEING a member of Doncaster Lawn Tennis Club for more years than I care to remember – though anyone watching me play in the last month or so would have me down as a complete beginner – I always look forward to the Wimbledon Championships, which start on Monday.
Even more so this year with Andy Murray, seeded three, looking to have a real chance of becoming the first British player to lift the men's singles title since the 1930s.
Murray reached the last eight last year and has come on in leaps and bounds since then and was particularly impressive when winning at Queens Club last weekend.
Holder Rafa Nadal and former champion Roger Federer – arguably the best player of all time – stand in Murray's way.
But I think that the 22-year-old Scot has got enough firepower in his armoury, and the mental toughness, to at least go one better than Tim Henman and reach the final.
Got a view? Add your comment below.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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