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On the margin
Page 13
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Time for an early Bath
Take a stroll with us through the little side roads of haulage, the diversions and detours, the quirky, the quixotic and the downright strange...
Despite any appearances to the contrary, On the Margin is at heart a simple son of the soil. We dream of open fields, rolling downland vistas and large pieces of agricultural machinery. In fact so keen are we to reacquaint ourselves with the delights of the West Country that you can regularly find us enjoying the simple solace of the greenery in our local park spark out in a flower-bed, empty three-litre bottle of Somerset's Old Brain Masher farmhouse cider clutched to our chest as though it were our own offspring.
And having grown up in the West Country we've always had a soft spot for the game of rugby and Bath RFC in particular. With all this in mind we were pleased to get a press release this week giving details of Bath's new sponsors step forward Chippen hambased logistics behemoth Wincanton.
Charles Carr, Wincenton's group communications director, explains: "Wincanton is very proud of its West Country heritage and this move serves to reinforce its integration with local business and the community. In Bath Rugby, one of the Guinness Premiership's leading teams, we have a partner that shares our desire for sustained excellence and to be associated with such a successful sporting brand is a great honour."
Of course, with Bath currently scrubbing along the bottom of the Premiership table (saved from propping up the table by that great Rugby Union power Leeds) and Wincanton allegedly being courted by foreign powers, we wonder how well-advised Carr's comments on "sustained excellence" are...
Speaking of a green and pleasant land, the closest On the Margin gets to enjoying the countryside is a quick wander across Epsom Downs of a morning.
Imagine our delight to spot then, on consecutive mornings no less, a Foden tipper belonging to local demolition company BL Penwarden sat in a car park, engine chugging away, diesel smoke drifting upwards, whilst the driver has a cup of tea. Outside his cab. Oh well, it may not be our countryside, but it's not our fuel bill either...