Poland were trying to hold a high line but Bellamy spun his marker brilliantly and set off downfield again, but Zewlakow did enough to force him to shoot wide from a tight angle.

BBC: Wales 0-1 Poland

It was a way of separating sentiment from success, of triaging those whose campaigns could survive a long and often brutal political battle, of betting on horses not at the starting line, but as they pass each quarter-mile marker.

FORBES: As Republicans Take Charge, a Look at How the House Was Won

This year, the 26-mile marker which would be 0.2 mile from the finish line was dedicated to the 26 victims of December's elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Conn.

WSJ: Nation's Oldest Marathon, and a Local Holiday Tradition

If he gets over the gain line consistently, makes some busts and passes out of the tackle, he'll have put down a big marker to be an England centre for years to come.

BBC: Jeremy Guscott column