Well, good old Headingley for landing one of the most prestigious things in the sporting calendar ... And then making a total cock-up of it.

1) Given the Torch wasn't due until around 5.47pm, why not have put the kick off back half and hour and saved the fans kicking around for an hour

2) Whilst everyone knew the torch was coming, not least the fact we were told it every 5 minutes during the game, Headingley is a big complex and to actually tell us where and where to go might have been some assistance.

3) Likewise, since we're not short of telling people to stop swearing etc. via the PA, there was a staggering lack of hype of the event actually whilst it happened. 0% announcements and basically half the cricket ground not having a clue if the flame had actually arrived or not.

4) Whilst OK, very few people actually knew what was going on, once landed a visit from the Olympic Flame, it would have been nice to have a bit of organisational effort put in like a lap of the cricket ground or even being carried from the cricket ground to the rugby ground via the tunnel rather than just a quick run down a row of kids, so that the rest of us couldn't see

5) What's the point of having the biggest video screen in the known world or something, if you can't be bothered to switch off the Athletics feed and actually show the rest of us what is going on in the cricket field, because the rest of us can't see because someone's stuck a load of kids out there as a 'guard of honour'

6) If there was a lap of the ground being done, wouldn't it have been good to see some Yorkshire cricket legends (Boycott, Close, Illingworth etc.) there and some Leeds RL legends too. It would have also been great to see the current players (perhaps of both sides) run around behind the torch too ?

Given the Twitter feeds and other comments, there are a load of people very unhappy with the way this 'once in a lifetime' event was handled and made in to a huge anti-climax.

Well done to all concerned

We were going to stay and watch but didn't fancy waiting around for 1 1/2hrs. Glad we didn't bother from some of the comments on facebook

I'd heard from a friend who's in the police that at events like that they have to leave a certain amount of time between the prior event ending and the torch arriving so as to allow those who aren't staying behind to leave.
As for your other points, I didn't stay to see it but it sounds a tad shambolic

I was in two minds. I would have liked to see it but not enough to hang around for an hour or so. Comments from people I know on facebook and twitter who did stay echo your overall dissapointment Admiral

That was my dilemma wanted to stay but not enough to wait that long. I was also driving so couldn't even kill the time with a few beers

I spoke to Gary Hetherington at the ground after the farce.
He was most unhappy with the event but took great pains to lay the blame fully at the door of YCC whose event it was.
No PA, no coverage on the big screen.
Utter rubbish

Not in a good mood ain't our Uncle Gary. His face was thunder on Saturday when he turned up to find the nice shiny new 3G pitch at Kirkstall flooded at one end

Its a gold stick with a flame on the end of it in case you missed it and wanted to know, you haven't missed much.

Its a marvellous example of how good media bullting can create an event out of a non-event, its got bugger-all to do with the Olympics at all, the idea of parading a symbolic flame around the country for several weeks is a wonderful PR concoction that is supposed to gell the population into forgetting that nearly ten billion quid has been spent on two and a half weeks of sporting events, some of which you actually wouldn't go to the end of your street to watch or would switch the TV off if they were shown individually - how many have actually sat through an archery competition on TV, no, not many, and do you know which league your local badminton club play in ?

Great PR to get so many people out onto the streets - non event though, and they'd better not delay my journey to work in the morning either.

Yup, classic YCCC by all accounts


The complete non-use of the screen was particularly bizarre - showing UK athletics trials I guess had some relevance but...

McField - you miserable old bugger!

To add my two penneth:

This was a great idea by the powers that be to get the torch to Headingley & then they made a shambles of it.

1) What was the point of allowing people on the rugby ground? The ground staff apparently weren't happy about it. I presumed it must be to watch the torch from there however 15 minutes later everyone was directed to the cricket ground?

2) Completely agree about the lack of PA in the cricket ground and the none use of the screen.

3) Biggest joke of all was the option not to do a lap of the cricket ground when a few 1000 people had stayed to see. It would have been cheered and applauded all the way round - instead it left to a chorus of boos.

Ah well, I'll see what farce Leeds City Council can come up with to compare with this when I take 12 year 6s down at 6am tomorrow!

The "traffic cops" were a joy on they way home rather than just let the fully functioning traffic lights get on with it until at least the Torch and parade etc etc were near they decided to direct it themselves whilst the torch was still in fu#*in Ilkley!!!
Completely out of sync ,no thought process to the side roads access either you couldn't f##* it up better if you let damo organise it!!
Btw i'm glad i didn't stick around now aswell sounded a great event .........not!!

I was going to stay, but 1 hour is a long time to hang around to watch a torch burn.

This is what the torch site had to say
1804: We've lost pictures here.
But our reporter tells us there are dozens of people on the pitch at Headingley and hundreds more on seats around the pitch. Young cricketers dressed in white are among those welcoming the torch.

1810: Glenn Lamont is passing the flame on to Susan Marley. He has had a strong run in the sunshine in front of big crowds here in Headingley.

I also hear some idiot let the City of Leeds down @ 1852: in Harehills
This was the moment someone failed to throw a bucket of water over the torch relay, and intercepted by the torch security team - Even more bad publicity

We were talking to the stewards and they were all briefed that the torch would do a lap of the cricket pitch so I don't know what happened there. There were some angry people around. TBF we only stuck around waiting for the England game on the big screen.

I'm with you......came within 1 mile of where we live and couldn't have been less inspired to see it.

It was bad enough when I actually thought it was [ione [/itorch making its journey from its start in Greece and flown over on a chartered airliner. Bluddy disgraceful waste of public money when so many are having to suffer pay cuts and job losses.

At least one legacy from Hitler lives on

Glad I fecked off home due to no interest

I had a personal reason to see the torch being carried, because my aunt was carrying it while it was on merseyside (insert tracksuit / theft gag here).

Other than that I'm not sure I would have gone. I probably would have, but I feel I may have been undewhelmed.

One of my friends said the other day, that just because some thing is a once in a lifetime experience, doesn't mean its good to experience it.

Thats another wonderful piece of PR spin, its not "once in a lifetime" at all, or at least no-one can guarantee it - there was an old bloke on Radio Leeds today who ran the torch relay for the 1948 Olympics (which was just an armed forces thing from Dover to London) - try telling him it was "once in a lifetime"

I am looking forward to the Olympics avidly, I love watching athletics.

As for the torch, not really bothered either way but I was prevailed upon to hang around to see it so we did the rugby pitch inspection (some of it is bit bare down the Southern touch line and the surface was a lot damper than it had looked from the North Stand )... and then we sat in the sun at the cricket side with a pint awaiting the torch.
The waiting was the best bit.
Whoever decided to hide the runners and the torches with two too-tightly-ranked rows of people thereby preventing thousands from seeing it wants their #rse kicking.
I saw a distant flicker when it went through the shade in the pavilion.

Still I don't suppose YCC are used to that many people in the stands.

I carry a torch.

Shame to hear that YCC didn't make the most of a great opportunity. It's sad also when negative comments about the London Olympics are made, in regards to minority sports and funding etc. The torch symbolises the history of the games, that's not hard to understand, I thought I was cynical!
From my point of view and experience the legacy of the games in schools is absolutely massive, giving children the opportunity to try 'minority' sports where not everyone wants to play football etc, the whole school ethos in thousands of schools accross the country are also being modeled around the Olympic Values. If people don't care to watch the sports that's fine, but surely it's not hard to understand the positive impact of the games being in our country.

I agree wholeheartedly re-Olympics and the Schools Seth unfortunately once it's all over the usual funding and facillites been pulled will rear it's ugly head becasue 1st and foremost it's the ££££££ made from it will be for the south that will be the priority hence all the regeneration down there etc etc.

It's a challenging time but speaking for our partnership of 57 schools where I work we are going from strength to strength with the belief in our programmes and the support of schools valuing our work we're confident they'll continue to buy into our services. School Games funding has been extended to 2015 which is a small fraction of the funding we've had under labour, but it shows value and as an organisation it's our intention that our services are so indispensable that schools build it into their yearly budgets in the long term.

ohh come see it, it's once in a lifetime! unless you went out today, drove a bit to where it's going to be and see it then.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Straight to pub after the game, no queuing at the bar, no ankle biters around, no traffic. As soon as it was over the hoards arrived so I went home and didn't have to suffer the footie. Good night apart from the SUBLIME rugby.........not!

Quite agree. Totally over hyped non event which is perhaps a fitting way to promote the Games themselves. It is difficult to think of a more over hyped, over budget, corruptly run event, that has lost its way and original purpose, organised for the benefit of politicians. (.....well I suppose the EU would get the 'gold medal' now I think about it!)

These same organisers use the word 'legacy' as some giant brush to sweep the wasted tax payers money under the carpet to fool the foolish.

But I may just watch the ladies beach volley ball