“The best thing ever to come from Number 10”, is how one person described the boot of Jonny Wilkinson, after his last minute drop goal won the rugby World Cup for England last week. ‘England has won the World Cup’. Now there’s a sentence with a nice ring to it. That would be right up there with ‘Your children are wonderful’ and ‘Here’s the money I owe you’.
Much was made of the weather in Sydney having an affect on the outcome of the game, as a lot of rain should have favoured England. There was a lot of rain, and yes it probably did. However it looks as though the great British pastime of discussing the weather may be in for a change. The news from the University of Leeds is that researchers are aiming to unlock the secrets of the weather, bringing forecasters one step closer to an ability to predict exactly where, when and how much rain is going to fall. The research team will measure the size and shape of ice crystals in the clouds from a specially equipped aircraft and using a formula based on the numbers of ice crystals, hope to more accurately determine the vagaries of our weather patterns. Apart from spoiling William Hill’s odds on sporting fixtures, where teams or an individual’s performances are affected by the weather, it could spell the end of conversation as we know it. In the meantime, just in case it can’t be said for a while, let’s say it one more time. England has won the World Cup. And no one is complaining about the weather.
