Wembley Presents: Saracens v Leicester Tigers

Another weekend of travel up to London town, this time to Wembley Stadium to see the face off between Saracens & Leicester Tigers. Spikey treated his friend Jack, our pal Pazza from College & myself to this one & met under the Bobby Moore statue before kicking off the day's fun.

The 40,000 crowd witnessed not the most enthralling match, especially the first half which was a slow start for Saracens with a shameful 4 missed penalty shots & the Tigers taking an early lead. Beer o'clock chimed & after a pint with the lads & some some suspect half time entertainment, the teams returned the pitch.

The second half was much more of a contest with Saracens finally getting off the mark. They leveled the match at 9-9 & in the final few minutes gave away some crucial ground & possession leaving the Tigers with a chance to take the bout with a drop goal. Leicester worked their position before Toby Flood was given his opportunity.. hearts were in mouth as the ball was sent launching, spinning towards the posts. It looked weak from the kick & moments later it dropped agonisingly just short of the bar, much to Spikey & Jack's relief (avid Saracens fans). A share of the spoils for both teams when it could have been so much different.

After that, we took a short tube ride to Oxford Circus, & by hook or by crook I managed on my limited ticket to get through the barrier. We had a stroll up & down Carnaby Street, busy & bustling with life & lots of interesting characters as ever & then stopped in the The Shakespeare's Head for a pint with Matt's bro & his g/f who'd been to see the Wicked Matinee. Wicked! Food was then on the agenda & we decided that Burger Co just down the road was a sensible option. We had a fantastic meal, tasty burgers, sides & desserts, with great company. Really nice to catch up with everyone today, especially as it the first time I've seen some of the guys since finishing College a few months ago (time fly's & work's boring!).

All that was left for the day, carrying a weighty meal on my belly, was the inevitable dash for the train. I ran the rabbit warren that is Kings Cross tube station to the Northern Line & then after a tense ride to London Bridge, & realising running was now out of the question, I jogged the painfully long way from the underground to the main station. I emerged from the string of lonnnng escalators, finally overground, & darted towards the high viz men blurting 'Uckfield!?, Uckfield!?'. He replied, 'Over there mate, 1 minute'. And so jamming my ticket firstly the wrong way into the machine & then the right, I burst through the gates & round the corner, jumping on the train through the first doors with seconds to spare. The doors closed behind me & the train left the station. With heart attack imminent, I slumped into a chair with relief. Phew.

P.s. Oh yeah, nearly forgot, for those who have seen How Not To Live Your Life on BBC3, a fantastically funny show recently finished running, I saw Dan Clarke, the star of this hit but extremely undervalued show, at London Bridge. He was in his own world, head phones on, stylish pink bag in hand, & making his way to catch a train to Victoria (of course I followed him a little to see where he was going.. he didn't see me so it was fine). Didn't have the nerve to stop & say hello. Made my day just a little though.