A Sporting Occasion

I’m not terribly sporty, but I love a spot of tennis, especially Wimbledon.  Who doesn’t?  

When I was a kid, my mum – whose interest in sport was and is practically zero – would watch Wimbledon every afternoon, and formed strong views on the players.  She still dislikes Jimmy Connors, for example, because he beat the nice Ken Rosewall in the 1974 final.  She liked Arthur Ashe because he beat Jimmy Connors.  She disliked John McEnroe for obvious reasons, so heaven knows who she was cheering for in the McEnroe-Connors final of 1984.

Anyway, that’s all by the way because today’s is a musical blog, specifically the music that accompanies the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage.  You may have noticed there are two tunes: the one that opens the programme which is a brassy, rock-based number; and the closing music which is an old-style march which calls to mind Brylcreem and Dan Maskell.  Have a listen to the whole thing:

It’s called “Music For A Sporting Occasion” and was composed by Arnold Steck, the nom-de-plume of a major in the Welsh Guards called Leslie Statham.  It’s unashamedly old-fashioned which is probably why some knucklehead at the Beeb decided a few years ago to ditch it.  Thankfully it was reinstated in 2013, although last night they played just the last four bars.