If there was a date on which the realities of how COVID-19 was about turn the life of the nation upside down, Friday 13 March 2020 has to be the best candidate. Earlier that week, Leicester City had played Aston Villa on the Monday (Villa lost 4-0), the following day the Cheltenham Festival had begun its four days of horse racing, and by the Friday, thousands of Scottish rugby supporters were heading for Cardiff to witness their country’s first win against the Wales for a decade (or so they hoped). That match was “on” even though the Italy v England game scheduled to be played in Rome had already been called off. Then at about 2.00 pm, the Welsh Rugby Union decided that the match would not be played, the announcement following hot on the heels of the decision of the Football League that there would be no more Premiership football until 4 April. And when Pipe Dream cantered home to win the last race of the day, the 5.30 pm Handicap Hurdles at Cheltenham, that was it. The country’s sport was going into lockdown. Continue reading
