Journos are giants of footie field

Journalists succeeding at any sport is unusual. But journalists taking a caval-ier attitude to the sporting truth is so rare the Diary is obliged to record it.

Last week, publisher Gruner & Jahr invited a hand-picked team of the healthiest, sportiest (those with any hand-eye co-ordination left after lunch) media journalists to a five-a-side football competition.

Rather than have to run around they were given their own individual motorised buggies but they did have to be able to aim the buggies at a giant football before barging into opposing team members foolish enough to challenge them.

Through a combination of training, technique but, above all, carefully timed lying (claiming to have won a first round match they had in fact lost 3-1) the journalists triumphed over a motley collection of media buyers.

Having G&J sales director Vicky Scott – the woman who paid for all the drink – on the team made no difference. After all, media sales people never tell porkies about their results.