Author: Darren Barnard

Darren, 24, is a graduate of the University of Exeter, where he attained a degree in Drama. Following that, he travelled through Asia and Australia for two years, encountering entirely different sporting cultures. Unable to his watch his beloved Spurs and Chicago Bears as regularly as he was accustomed to, he was encouraged to pursue other countries sporting passions. An interest in AFL and NRL was unavoidable as he became infatuated with Australia's similar passion for sport. However it was among the corruption and chaos of Asian football, where he formed a lifelong friendship with the players and supporters of Than Quảng Ninh F.C.

A look into the barbarism of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship

by Darren Barnard - 12 April 201912 April 2019 082

Combat sports are thriving in a golden area. Anthony Joshua is one of the most prominent faces in British sport and the UFC is still riding its monumental wave after signing their $1.5billion (£1.15billion) contract with ESPN earlier this year. However, since the deal has been signed, a portion of mixed-martial-arts

“My first MMA fight was five years ago, how mad is that?” — James Webb on his career ahead of his headline title fight at the O2 Arena

by Darren Barnard - 1 March 20192 March 2019 0243

For most people, Valentine's Day is spent in cosy restaurants or wrapped up in bed with their loved ones. James Webb, on the other hand, is in a cold gym in Dublin sleeping on a camp bed nearly 400 miles away from his home in Colchester. It’s a world away

Brentford 5 -1 Hull City: Benrahma’s hat-trick helps Bees to sixth consecutive home win

Football

by Darren Barnard - 23 February 201923 February 2019 0150

The Algerian’s first hat-trick in his professional career helped Thomas Frank's side recover from their 4-1 defeat to Swansea in the FA Cup fifth round last weekend. Hull have now won only once in their last 16 visits to London and any hopes of a late playoff run seem to have

Across the Pondcast: Episode 5 — Super Bowl LIII Recap with Darren Barnard & Jack Nevill

by Darren Barnard - 6 February 20196 February 2019 0229

This week, Jack and Darren recap Super Bowl LIII with a special featured length edition of fair or unfair. They cover all the key talking points from the game and discuss what's next for both franchises. Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-564791869/across-the-pondcast-episode-5-super-bowl-liii-recap-with-darren-barnard-jack-nevill Darren's bio: Darren is a 24-year-old sports journalist, currently studying

Across the Pondcast: Episode 4 — Super Bowl LIII Preview with Darren Barnard & Jack Nevill

by Darren Barnard - 31 January 201931 January 2019 0319

Jack and Darren preview Super Bowl LII with the help of some of their Sports Gazette colleagues — Rob Clayden, Rob Sutton and Thomas Kaiser. They also breakdown the NFL end of season awards ahead of the announcement of each award on Saturday night. Listen to the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/user-564791869/across-the-pondcast-superbowl-preview Darren’s Bio: Darren

Across the Pondcast: Episode 3 — Championship Weekend Preview with Darren Barnard & Jack Nevill

by Darren Barnard - 18 January 201918 January 2019 0227

This week, Jack and Darren play fair or unfair with all the coaching hires across the eight available openings in the NFL. We also recap our beer pressures from divisional weekend and see how our playoff picks are holding up. Then, of course preview the two championship games on

Across the Pondcast: Episode 2 — Divisional Weekend Preview with Darren Barnard & Jack Nevill

by Darren Barnard - 12 January 201912 January 2019 0201

This week, Jack and Darren play another round of fair or unfair - debating the picks for the All-Pro team. We recap our wagers from wildcard weekend and introduce an innovative new name for our wagers! Following that, we preview the divisional weekend match-ups and mourn the inevitable death of

Across the Pondcast: Episode 1 – Wildcard Weekend Preview with Darren Barnard & Jack Nevill

by Darren Barnard - 4 January 20194 January 2019 0333

The first of a weekly podcast covering all the latest news in American Football, based across the pond in the UK. This week, Jack and Darren explore the recent coach departures in the NFL with Black Monday passing us after Week 17. We attempt to rank the eight coaching positions

“There’s a reason why people who listen to cricket on the radio call it the soundtrack to their summer” — Adam Collins on purchasing broadcasting rights and the influence of new media

by Darren Barnard - 2 January 201924 January 2019 0403

Sydney Cricket Ground. 1999. Over 40,000 Sydney-siders are cheering on Stuart MacGill as he takes seven wickets to seal another famous Ashes series victory for the Australians. Tens of thousands in the stadium are following every ball intently on their handheld radios. Fast forward two decades and one of those spectators,

The year in sport 2018: MMA

by Darren Barnard - 30 December 201830 December 2018 0215

2018 was a year of anniversaries for mixed-martial arts. The UFC celebrated its 25th year with a commemorative event in Denver in November and finished their contract with FoxSports, signalling the start of a new chapter with ESPN in 2019. Bellator MMA also celebrated their tenth year with a heavyweight grand