Tom & Freddy

A fantastic few days for armchair sports fans.

On Sunday evening, Tom Watson came within an 8 foot putt of an unlikely victory at the Open, played at Turnberry, Scotland.

Most of the romantics were desperate for the likeable American to win, only a few weeks prior to his 60th birthday. His metronomic putting had never looked like failing him over the course of the competition. He holed some truly impossible long distance efforts on Friday and Saturday, which only made his scuffed effort on the 18th to win outright more galling.

Watson went to a Play Off with Stewart Cink, who somewhat ran away with it over the extra 4 holes.

Watson looked spent.

I learned something from Cink. When he holed the winning putt for his first Major win, he removed his cap to acknowledge the crowd. As I share his shaved head 'style', he showed me that it's really easy to end up with the pale 'fish belly' colour on the top half of your head but tanned on the bottom if you wear a cap all summer.

I did feel sorry for him though.The greatest moment of his career to date and everyone wanted to talk to the bloke who came second.

And so to the cricket.

Today, Andrew 'Freddy' Flintoff inspired an Ashes test win at Lords for the first time in most of our lifetimes.

He managed to grab 5 wickets to claim the headlines but in truth it was a massive team effort. England are now odds on to regain the Ashes according to the online bookmakers I've just scanned.

C'mon England!

Charlton are on the road again tomorrow evening. You never know, I might actually get off the sofa by then!