The Great Outdoors: The sporting rites of spring
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Your support makes all the difference.TOMORROW is the first day of spring. The mild winter has already brought out the first lawnmowers of the season. Now it is time to open the sports cupboard and dust down the kit that will soon be gracing tennis courts and cricket pitches across the country. How does it look? Could you do with a new pair of shoes or a new bat? Do you deserve a new set of golf clubs?
The Independent has teamed up with Lillywhites to offer readers a special evening of sport. Lillywhites is the leading sports shop in Britain. Established in 1863, it has just undergone a pounds 10m refurbishment, allowing it to offer the widest range of clothing, footwear and equipment in the country, from American football to cycling, from fishing to lacrosse. As well as equipment, the store sells a wide range of general leisure clothing, from summer shirts and shorts to hiking gear and casual menswear. Its prices compare with the hottest competition in the high street.
On Thursday 15 April, Lillywhites is opening from 6.30pm to 9pm exclusively for Independent readers. You will be able to explore this Aladdin's cave of sport, a free drink in your hand, knowing that you get 10 per cent off all prices. And you will have the chance to meet many of the writers who entertain you every day on the Independent's sports pages, including Tim Glover on golf and Martin Johnson on cricket, plus the sports editors of both the daily and Sunday papers, Paul Newman and Simon O'Hagan.
All readers will have their names entered in a prize draw for a luxury 10-day winter sports holiday for two in California with Virgin Holidays. Virgin will fly the winners to Los Angeles, then take them up 8,000ft into the Sierra Nevada to the resort of Mammoth Mountain. They can either fly or hire a car free for the holiday and drive up through the desert. This is one of the top ski resorts in the US, with good snow and plenty of sun. The winners will stay in the Mammoth Mountain Inn. There is a second prize of pounds 500-worth of Lillywhites vouchers.
Throughout the evening, readers will have the chance to win a range of goods in competitions run on all six floors. The prizes range from a tennis racket to a golf bag to a Russell Athletic sweat top and trousers.
If this sounds too exhausting, you can relax with a drink of free Foster's. The Australian beer company is providing us with its premium Export lager, now in the original 'stubby' bottles. There will also be displays by the American National Football League cheerleader team.
SO WHAT can you buy? Remember, there will be a 10 per cent discount on all goods:
Footwear: the running shoe range includes the Reebok Graphlite Pump, the ASICS Nite Lite, Nike's Air Max and the Puma Disc Blaze. A good stopping-off point for runners on their way to the London Marathon.
Tennis: The tennis department at Lillywhites sells more than 120 models of tennis racket, including Nike, Head, Wilson, Prince and Dunlop. Lillywhites stocks the new Prince Vortex racket, the most technologically advanced way of getting the ball over the net.
Cricket: The original Lillywhites were a famous cricketing family in Victorian times and the store has always taken its cricket seriously. As well as a full range of more than 50 models of cricket bat and 15 brands of ball, Lillywhites carries several styles of footwear, including Reebok, Mitre and Gun & Moore. In the 'Cricket pavilion' is the new James Lillywhite Collection, featuring the modern version of classic English men's clothing.
Golf: Lillywhites has the largest range of golf shoes in the country, plus 106 models of club and an extended range of clothing. It is particularly strong in women's golf, with a vast selection of clubs as well as clothing by Pringle, One-up Golf, Braun and an exclusive range from Steinebronn.
Outdoors: The new outdoor adventure department features clothing and equipment for walking, riding, camping, mountain biking and sailing. There are clothes by Berghaus, Patagonia, Timberland, Barbour and Partridge; rucksacks from Berghaus, Karrimor, Lowe and Vango and sailing gear from Henri Lloyd and Quiksilver.
(Photograph omitted)
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