Great Britain -sports

The British are great lovers of completive sports. England was also the first home of many popular modern games. Among these football is the most wide spread.

Football
– one of the most popular spectator sports today
– in this collective game two teams of 11 members play with a ball on a grass playing field
– stamina is a must for this game
– the purpose is to kick the ball into the opposite goal
– teams: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal
– stars such as David Beckham and Michael Owen play for England

Taekwondo
– is increasingly popular
– together with judo is an Olympic sport
– competitors blend grace and agility with explosive power
– they wear protective helmets and body padding
– the contest lasts for three rounds, each of which lasts three minutes
– judges decide the winner according to the number of technically correct kicks or blows to the head and body

Rowing
– they contest in boats designed for two, four or eight people
– rowers can reach speeds of up to 36km/h
– each year in March, Cambridge and Oxford university’s compete on the River Thames

Cricket
– it is the second most popular team sport in England
– every year there is a big contest between England and Australia.
– two teams of eighteen players kick or punch the oval-shaped ball to each other, but they may not throw it
– when a player is running with the ball it has to touch the ground every fifteen meters or it will be given to the other team
– the idea behind this game is to hit the ball with a bat and score runs

Darts
– this is a pub game in most countries around the world, but in the UK they take it quite seriously
– the idea is to throw a small, sharp piece at a target
– each section of the target is worth a different amount of points, and the points depend on what rules are used for that particular game

Snooker
– this game is played on a table measuring six feet by twelve feet
– at the beginning of the game there are 15 red balls on the table, and one each of yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black
– a stick is used to hit a white ball which should, if your aim is good, hit one of the balls of your choice
– points are scored by hitting the correct balls and also when your opponent fouls
Horse-racing
– it is essentially for the rich
– a popular pastime is betting on the results of horse races

Golf
– it is of Scottish origin
– the game is simple: put a small white ball into a small hole in the ground
– you must hit the ball with a special stick, called a club
– the game is played on a field called a course, and usually has 18 holes

Rugby
– involves all the aspects of ball play – catching, running and kicking
– the most popular team sport in New Zealand
– there are 15 players on each team, and the game is played with an oval ball
– the aim of the game is to try to get the rugby ball across to the other side of the field, between the goalposts – players can carry the ball, kick the ball, or throw it
– you have to be strong physically for this game – there are lots of knocks and spills
– the only thing they cannot do is throw the ball forwards (throwing is legal only if the ball goes backwards or laterally)
– the game is played in two 40-minute halves