LEE PAYNE

An aspiring writer on sport, music, history and more

Author: ncfclee92

  • This is going to be a tad niche, even going by the previous things I’ve written. What follows will only be of interest to you if you’ve played the computer game FIFA. A hugely successful game, yes, and one that tops the charts every year, but I doubt something my usual readers will have had…

  • A reminder: cricket is the best sport in the world. I feel it worth reminding everyone because I’m about to spend a few minutes chewing my nails about its current state and future direction. If you’re not a dedicated follower of the game, you would be forgiven for thinking that all is well and that…

  • Norwich City 1-1 Wigan AthleticEFL ChampionshipSaturday 6th August 2022, Carrow Road It’s going to take some time for the relegation hangover to clear for this Norwich City team. The first home game of the new season, with its warm sunshine, fresh kits and sense of optimism, was met with a performance that lacked quality and…

  • England are the champions of Europe. I, and no one else who holds their national pride through the prism of sport, will ever tire of saying that. The power of sport is incredible. It brings people together, it divides them, it captures the nation’s attention and it even brings about huge changes in society. I…

  • I’ve been back from my holiday for a week now, but as these things often do, it feels like a lot longer! I usually go away around my mum’s birthday (19th July) and this year was no different. In 2021, we stayed in Salford to make it easy to get to Old Trafford for a…

  • I just looked it up. It’s 52 days until my 30th birthday. Entering my 30s feels like a big deal. It feels like I should have my life sorted by now. I look around me and everyone seems to be on the right track – my friends are all either in relationships, engaged, have bought…

  • England vs New Zealand3rd Test (of 3)Headingley, Leeds23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th June 2022Result: England (360 & 296-3) beat New Zealand (329 & 326) by 7 wicketsEngland win the series 3-0 It was only innate English pessimism that put any doubt in the ability of our re-energised Test team to knock off the 113 runs…

  • England vs New Zealand2nd Test (of 3)Trent Bridge, Nottingham10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th June 2022Result: England (539 & 299-5) beat New Zealand (553 & 284) by 5 wickets Sport is my strongest passion. My life is essentially a continuous festival of sport, and football and cricket are the headline acts. I love them both, but…

  • England vs New Zealand1st Test (of 3)Lord’s, London2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th June 2022Result: England (141 & 279-5) beat New Zealand (132 & 285) by 5 wickets I’ve looked it up. There were 281 days between England’s men completing an innings victory over India at Headingley on 28th August last year and scoring the winning runs…

  • The topic of why we invest so much of our time, money and emotions into this sport is one I’ve tried to tackle before without coming to any real conclusions. I think it’s a bit like searching for the meaning of life. If you start to think too deeply about it, you realise you have…