ALASTAIR HIGNELL was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list and acclaim has rightly been afforded to his career as an England rugby player and radio commentator.

His sporting achievements evoke an era that goes back to the likes of MJK Smith, the last double international in major sports.

In 1975, Hignell made his debut for England at full back against Australia at Brisbane. Eight days later, he was playing cricket for Gloucestershire against Middlesex at Bristol.

Scoring 1,000 runs in three of the nine seasons he served the county is no mean achievement.

As a multi-talented sportsman and then a journalist, Hignell saw the growth of commercialism in sport from the inside.

Writing in this paper last September, his observations touched the core of how even the mightiest clubs who are currently spending vast sums on the likes of Ronaldo still need each other to flourish.

"Sport is definitely a business," wrote Hignell. "But equally definitely, there is one area where the sports business differs from most forms of commercial activity. The goal in business is often to take on the opposition and wipe them out. In sport, it pays to keep the competition healthy."

Those words account for many of the financial disasters in modern football, which has attracted businessmen to wield their might, overlooking the rules of the game that require the opposition, particularly the arch rival over the other side of the city, to keep coming back for more.

Good health has deserted Alastair Hignell, who must now devote his energy to making the most of his life amid the challenges of multiple sclerosis as he continues to work on behalf of fellow sufferers.

TIME FOR GLOUCESTER TO LOOK FORWARD

KINGSHOLM will attract a decent crowd this evening as Tom Walkinshaw meets the supporters.

Top marks to Walkinshaw and Martin St Quinton for the considered way they have approached their review of the club's affairs both on and off the pitch.

Dean Ryan made a massive contribution to Gloucester's most successful seven years. Like all but a very small minority of coaches, his downfall was that the club could not keep pace with the expectations of its investors, which includes the fans, at a time when many others were moving forward.

It is now time to look forward rather than back. Gloucester's priority must be to establish a sound financial platform on which they can build the experience for their fans who must take on trust that their season ticket subscriptions will be put to good use.

The draw for the Heineken Cup appears to have offered them the best possible opportunity of qualifying for the later stages. That is a fortuitous start which suggests a few marginal decisions could go the right way.

For the next three weekends, the focus will be on events in South Africa as the British and Irish Lions unite the four home nations. That will allow Bryan Redpath and his team to quietly go about their business in preparation for a new beginning.

RAISE A GLASS TO A WEEK OF CYCLING

DEAN RYAN was an interested observer at the first two rounds of the Leisure Lakes cycle racing series.

He was encouraging his son, Connor, around the challenging Racecourse circuit that, naturally, includes a steep ascent to the winning line.

After 40 laps, that takes some pedalling.

Cries of 'dig in' from the knowledgeable crowd, enjoying the bar and funky music, appeared to extract a positive response from the field of 50 competitors in the main race, lasting an hour plus five laps.

The name of Perry Bowater could well be about to be added the Hall of Fame alongside that of Arkle and Best Mate if the Giro CC rider can continue his winning sequence. Only third in the tight leading group at the final chicane on the second race, Bowater employed strongman tactics to power into the lead a few yards to the line.

Local mountain bike champion, Duncan Jamieson (Felt Racing) is finding the gradients to his liking with two placings and he trails Bowater by just three points at the series halfway point.

Race three of four this Friday is part of the county's support of Bike Week that runs through to Sunday. This national initiative seeks to promote all forms of cycling through hundreds of events held across the country.

Locally, there is an emphasis on encouraging families to enjoy cycling, including mountain bike rides, a cycling treasure hunt from Newent, a 10-mile tour of the Cotswold Water Park and free advice at the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Cycling Campaign.

In these troubled economic times, the opportunity to voluntarily 'get on your bike' should prove an attractive proposition, particularly with so many events including visits to pubs.