Stop press: Crown Jewels stolen

We only acquired Sky Sports recently, and this was our first chance to watch the Ryder Cup on television. What can I say? Only that it was one of the most remarkable sporting events I have ever witnessed.

When the two sides finished Day 2 with the Americans leading 10-6, anyone with any arithmetic knowledge could see that of the 12 remaining singles matches to be played on the Sunday, we would have to win 2 matches to their 1 for us to secure a victory, a tall order even for this supremely talented European side. But all hope was not lost. Saturday evening witnessed Ian Poulter holing the equivalent of five consecutive birdie putts to win his foursomes match, an incredible display of skill and fortitude that at least left us the ghost of a chance.

And as Sunday wore on, almost as if in some wish-fulfilment fantasy, more and more of the leader board began to go blue, indicating European victories. How could this be? Lee Westwood, whose putting skills often desert him on the big occasions, won. Sergio Garcia, another talented player but one also who can blow up towards the close, also won. Even the new kid, Martin Kaymer, refused to be over-awed by the hugeness of the day, sank a wonderful putt to claim his victory. And then finally, a resurgent Tiger Woods, who has astonishingly clawed his way back to number 2 in the world, failed to hole a five foot putt that would at least have given the US the consolation of a halved match. His opponent, the Italian Molinari, still had a four foot putt of his own to seal the win, but Woods, in a magnanimous gesture reminiscent of Jack Nicklaus's famous concession to allow Europe to halve the match nearly thirty years before, conceded  the putt, giving outright victory to the European side.

In the event, it seems even the American's "thirteenth player", the highly partisan crowd (some of whom could be heard to shout things like "put it in the water!" as a European player teed off) were of no assistance.

All in all, an immensely satisfying piece of sporting television. But I couldn't help feeling a slight twinge of regret that the majority of  people who might have wanted to watch it themselves were denied this honour because they had not, like us, paid the Murdoch shilling. Some years ago, a list of sporting "Crown Jewels" were laid down: the FA Cup final, Wimbledon, the Grand National and I think the Boat Race. These had to be shown on terrestrial television so as to be accessible to all. What a pity they didn't extend it to this great event.