What a Bank Holiday weekend this is turning out to be! Don`t know where to begin really so I`ll start with Friday evening. We went to a wedding reception which was very nice, especially the food, but what drove us away was the noise from the `disco.` For some reason it seems obligatory to pump up the volume to such a pitch that the elderly amongst the gathering are forced out. Good plan, I guess. Worked on us anyway.

Took Barney for a long walk on Saturday afternoon after which I became seriously interested in the Test Match and Saints` progress against Bristol Rovers. First the cricket. I really enjoyed watching the world record partnership of 322 between Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad. I said to myself that this game was confirming my belief that Test Match cricket is the highest form of the game, with the way the game can swing back and forth over five days and the opportunity it presents for players like Trott and Broad to build record breaking partnerships and for bowlers to have decent spells to show the variety and strength of their talent. The feel good factor was around, only for that illusion to be shattered by the allegations of `fixing` parts, if not all, of the game.

There are so many implications here and a long way to go with this story but I`m left with two `emotions.` The first is to feel genuine sympathy for the likes of Trott, Broad and Swann for having their remarkable performances being tarnished by the allegations surrounding the game. My other emotion is genuine sorrow for the game itself, which I have played, watched and loved for six decades and the hope that, if proven, these allegations might lead to returning the game to the honest, innocent days of my youth. But, I suspect my naivety is shining through already.

And so to Southampton Football Club. A thumping 4-0 win away at Bristol Rovers on Saturday had all the hallmarks of a promotion winning team finally getting the result their play has promised in these early stages of the season. Another feel good factor arrived, only for that one also to be dispelled by the shock announcement this morning that Saints` manager, Alan Pardew, along with first team coach Wally Downes and goalkeeping coach Stuart Murdoch have been `relieved of their duties with immediate effect.` It`s way too early for knee-jerk reactions or, even worse, for idle speculation about who might replace them, but I can`t escape the feeling that this might just have been the wrong decision at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.

Small wonder then, that I feel confused, perplexed, bewildered and not a little disenchanted about events in the sports I follow with a passion. I wonder what else the Bank Holiday weekend has to offer? Just watch this space.