Tanni Grey-Thompson: Paralympic World Cup can help London 2012 be catalyst for greater success

The lure of 2012, and the development and legacy potential that it could bring to change the face of disability sport, still felt a long way off and it should be recognised that the World Cup as an event has delivered many positive things in the interim.

Because of the media profile and the sponsors, it continues to attract athletes like Oscar Pistorius who benefit from strong British support. And let’s face it, the media and public love him.

It has also given a number of up-and-coming athletes the chance to compete against the world’s best. Young athlete Jonny Peacock competed at the PWC as he built his career and he has been fast tracked to GB representation.

It was also the event that I chose to retire at.

In terms of audiences the event has worked hard to generate a wider base of spectators who were willing to do more than switch over on their TV remote control, but who would come out and watch the event in real life. This has become even more important as we move towards 2012 and want people to turn out and watch Paralympic events.

But after seven years, the question has to be: does the Paralympic World Cup still have any relevance to the athletes? The timing of the event has always been an acknowledged challenge for the organisers. Trying to get the best athletes in a variety of sports, who all have different competition calendars has not been easy.

Generally most athletes and sports have tried to work around it for the greater good of the movement. Athletics, whose event programme is busy at this time of the year, has found it hard though.

This year is the first time that there won’t be any wheelchair racing at the event due to a clash on the calendar. There are two major track meets and a marathon in Switzerland this week (all on lightning fast tracks) and virtually all of the world’s best have chosen to go there.

For those with 2012 at the back of their minds, they have little choice as the qualifying marks they need to achieve are tough and they can’t afford to not reach them. Although I am a little disappointed, you can't argue with athletes choosing other events.

It is also a shame that we aren’t going to see a head- to-head just yet with Pistorius and Jerome Singleton, after blistering races at the World Championships earlier this year.

But as with all sprinters, there will probably be a fair amount of avoiding each other as much as they can this year. What would be exciting is if the event could attract the likes of Jason Smith (the visually impaired Irish runner) who like Pistorius has aspirations, and not a little chance, of qualifying for the Olympics next year.

One thing that was talked about in earlier years was the possibility of the Paralympic World Cup becoming part of a world wide series.

This has not happened yet, and to be honest, in this format seems unlikely, as coordinating the calendar across a number of countries would be impossible. Far better to work on a series of integrated events on the mainstream calendar, which will do more to develop the sports around the world.

What has been great to see is the rotation of sports introducing boccia and sitting volleyball for the first time. Boccia, despite previous strong Paralympic successes, has struggled to get the media attention that it deserves. Inclusion should help provide that, giving the athletes access to wider spectators.

Sitting volleyball, as a sport, has been developed from virtually scratch in the last couple of years and this has been brought about because of 2012. While, historically, standing volleyball (for amputees) has been successful, having a games on home soil has forced this development.

It has been strongly supported by the mainstream governing body who want to build a reputable team and it also seems to have caught the imagination of the public.

One or two years ago I thought that the PWC might struggle to sustain itself through to the Paralympics. If it continues to look at putting on the best sporting competition though, then 2012 might be a catalyst for greater success.

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Barnet celebrate another final-day Football League survival success

It was a win that guaranteed this 123-year-old club at least one more season in the Football League.

Nothing against Lincoln City, the fall guys on the final day of the League Two campaign, but it was a heart-warming scene. There is something engaging about Barnet, whose idiosyncratic ground, Underhill, sounds like a hobbit’s home, and slopes so drastically that one goalkeeper’s boots are level with the other’s crossbar.

The phrase “family club” is often used for anywhere without a 30,000-seat stadium and a shady absentee owner, yet at Barnet it truly seems to apply.

In April, they suffered a managerial crisis when Martin Allen left for Notts County after only 19 days in the job. Their response was to appoint Giuliano Grazioli, their community development officer, as caretaker manager.

“I was here every Saturday afternoon, watching the boys play, keeping my face around the place,” chuckled Grazioli, a former Barnet striker who scored 62 goals in a five-year stint at Underhill. “I would give the chairman a little wink when things weren’t going well. There was a method in my madness, because this is what I want to do. And it means so much more because I am a fan of this football club.”

Allen had started the revival for Barnet, who were eight points from safety on April 1. Grazioli continued it. Coming into Saturday’s deciders, Barnet knew that if they could beat Port Vale, they had a chance.

That was not the end of the story: a win for Lincoln over Aldershot would still knock Barnet out of the Football League, no matter how many goals they scored. But Lincoln had taken just one point from the previous nine matches. The Imps were limping towards the finish line in what was now a two-horse race.

In the early stages the diminutive Mark Byrne was at the heart of everything Barnet did, running the game like a cut-price Scott Parker. He had promising outlets in a pair of speedsters: left-winger Mark Williams and striker Izale McLeod, who once earned a transfer fee of £1million on his way to Charlton Athletic.

Port Vale, who had nothing to play for, were coming second on every 50-50 ball. And yet, for all their energy, Barnet could not get the ball home.

They were fortunate that Port Vale were so disinterested, and indeed charitable: a ridiculous penalty at the start of the second half meant that Grazioli’s nervous strikers did not even have to score from open play.

Straight from the restart, Byrne slipped the ball to McLeod, who ran 40 yards into the Port Vale penalty area without being challenged. When a tackle did finally come in, from centre half Gareth Owen, it was mistimed and brought McLeod down. McLeod struck the ball home.

Soon afterwards, news began filtering through of Lincoln’s plight: Aldershot landed a penalty of their own just before the hour, and eventually romped home 3-0.

“We’re all grateful to Aldershot,” said Grazioli afterwards, “but what really gives me pleasure is that six weeks ago nobody gave us a chance in hell. I looked at the crowd and saw a lot of the kids I’ve been coaching for the last year with their families: it was great to do it for them.”

So what now? “On Monday, I’ll be back in the community development office,” he replied. “The chairman has to think about what he has to do. If I’m part of it, fantastic, if I’m not the manager, I’d still like to have a place.”

Grazioli was a folk hero at Barnet during his playing days, and after Saturday’s feat of escapology – the second time in as many seasons that they have defied the drop on the final day — he is more revered than ever.

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Paul Nicholls spruces up his chances of a first Grand National success

Paul Nicholls revealed on Thursday that he has built a couple of Aintree-style spruce-covered fences at his Somerset yard as part of his preparations for the Grand National a week on Saturday.

The champion trainer has had many runners in the famous race without success and hopes for better from this year's team of four, headed by the well-fancied What A Friend.

"That I haven't won the Grand National in 60-odd attempts is sure to get plenty of air time this week but it certainly doesn't cause me any sleepless nights," Nicholls said through his column on Betfair. "That said, I am leaving no stone unturned in my bid for victory."

It has been common for trainers of National contenders to create something that looks like an Aintree fence for the sake of practice on their home gallops but Nicholls reported he had done this only once before.

"We borrowed a lot of spruce from the local point-to-point to cover two existing fences here and they have made a nice test for the horses."

Nicholls said that Niche Market, Ornais and The Tother One had schooled well and added that Mon Parrain, who may be aimed at next week's Topham Trophy, had been "awesome".

What A Friend, cut to 10-1 from 12-1 by William Hill, will be tried over the fences on Friday.

Ryan Moore continued his fine start to the Flat season by riding a short-priced double at Leicester on Retainer and Sand Owl.

The jockey, who has been champion three times but lost his title last year after a mid-season wrist injury, also had a double at Lingfield on Wednesday and will ride next at Doncaster's Lincoln meeting on Saturday.

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