If Success Is Measured On Looking Good - Meet The New World Champions

Following on from Upper 10's successful sponsorship of the University of York Polo Team, we are very proud to have won the contract to become the lead sponsor of the Old Amplefordian Football Club. The team are currently operating on a semi - professional basis, but are hoping to secure promotion and full time contracts.

Whilst the team's winning streak has yet to start, they have already secured a number of FIFA approved individual awards. The include 'Gallic Attitude Of The Year', 'Best Nose for Goal', 'Tightest Merkin', 'Least likely to be invited to George Clooney's Martini Party', 'Roundest Head', and the team were delighted with a guest appearence from the 'Receeder of The Year'.

Thanks must also go to The PRA (Professional Referees Association) for supplying P Kennedy.

Upper 10 is proud to be associated with such a fine Club, under the guidance of Louis 'Don't tell me weightlifting and associated drug abuse can become addictive' Robertson.

Peace,

Sluge

Chrimbo!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONE AND ALL!!

December is already marching on, and Dom and I have landed back at Upper 10 Towers for December. Many Thanks to Mum who looked after H.Q brilliantly while we were hammering the highways.

No rest for the wicked though, Retail doesn't stop (particularly at Christmas) and we are busy trying to get the diary filled up with shirt appointments for January. So those of you who need a new look for 2007 get booking!

The Slug is laying the trail in Middlesborough, Catterick and Goathland today so the mileometer isn't getting a rest. remember he's a very amenable Slug and can drop by your house or office with his tape and swatch book any time!

My Show season came to an end with 4 days in Kensington Town Hall. On leaving Yorkshire for my final sortie, i packed my bags and passport, leaving verdant, friendly Yorkshire for the concrete jungle and mean streets of the smoke. First stop Clapham, where i have a media- mogul friend who lives with another guy who works in London's equivalent of C.T.U (see jack Bauer 24). They are a lovely couple and live in a nice little studio in Clapham. The media mogul also happens to be a walking A-Z so he guided me into London flawlessly and accompanied me expertly at the events, lending his artistic eye to merchandising the stall. He had been able to put a couple of projects "on ice" to lend his support which was most welcome!

I was also able to meet up with Messrs Sparke and Marken as well as their lovely ladies- so in all it was an excellent and enjoyable trip socially as well as for greasing the wheels of Upper 10's Show based Industry.

I would like to thank all of the above for making my stay so enjoyable with the exception of Christopher Marken- for obvious reasons that it is not appropriate to go into now. Speaking of which, i heard the most hilarious tale of the year in the pub- for more details ask CJ Sparke.

Square Head and Sluge! Where Hast Thee Been?

Greetings,

So we have been busy, very busy. As you may or may not know, or care, we have been away on our Tour of the UK and Glasgow as part of the circuit of Charity Fair Association Events. In the past few weeks between us we have represented Upper 10 in (draw breath) Warwickshire, Mayfield, Monmouth, Oxfordishire, Braxted, Odiaham, Beaconsfield, Berkshire, Petergborough, Tunbridge Wells, Cirencester, Uttoxeter, Kelso, Salisury, Durham, Shaftesbuy, Gilling, Newcastle, Glasgow, Easingwold, Shrewsbury, Lincolnshire & Castle Howard!!

And between now and the 1st December we will be at Norwich, Petersfield, Dumfries,Erskine Bridge, Driffield, York, Shropshire, Alton, Wentworth GC, Kensington, Wincanton and Tollerton!!!

So that I hope goes some way to explain why it has been all quiet in Cyberspace!

There are many amusing anecdotes from our jouneys, not least when I ended up in a House of Prayer in Salisbury, purporting to be a B & B! The Third photo is my bedroom taken from the meeting room where hymns were being sung till 10.30pm.

Now the idea of us hitting the road may conjour up images of glamour and showbusiness, however the second photo shows just how glamourous live on the road is.

The Top phot is a picture I took of a couple who were 'selling' at a show next to me. This is not a good sales technique.

Thanks must also go to our hosts on our many trips, including the Wilders, The Chuffaloes, The Rt. On Terry Martino, and The Good Sherriff (apologies for the lowest consumption of Ale the Sherriff has ever seen).

Ok,
Peace out Chums,

XX

Sluge

Apprentice moves on; and moves up..........

So Kristoff is finally leaving us. Frankly the turnaround has been amazing, miraculous, phenomenal ......i could go on. When Kristoff came to us from the university of Chernobyl to experience our apprenticeship, the prospect of future gainful employment seemed slim. His unnatural affinity for yaks alone seemed to be an insurmounatble impediment. However, as with much else in Kristoff's life, we have been able to wean him off yak milk, and teach him how to survive without hourly contact with his beloved quadrupeds.

Kristoff has gone from being unruly, unkempt, unhygienic and slightly pungent; to being a true gentleman of the highest standing. All of the huge thanks for this transformation must go to UPPER 10, whose staff and apprenticeship scheme are 100% responsible for this metamorphosis.

Kristoff recently wowed interviewers (wearing an Upper 10 bespoke shirt), and secured a terriffic job with a top American Finnancial institution.

We just hope he remembers the enormous debt he owes UPPER 10 for the experience of our Apprenticeship Scheme when he is the CEO of his new Company!

Upper 10 Team Member AWOL

So Butthead is well and truly on her travels. Here is a picture of her on top of her camper at the foot of some large mound in NZ. Pretty jealous really.

Slug

The Large Feline has returned

Au Revoir mange tout,

BC has returned, avoiding the airline chaos and terrorist plotting, but before he departed he did have the time to fire over a few last photos from his pilgrimage to the US.
Much like the Catholic Pilgrims who devote weeks and months on their pilgrimage to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, taking in Burgos, Carrion de los Condes, Sahagun, Leon, Astorga and Lugo, the Big Cat's journey has taken him to Sam's Seafood, Pretzel World, KFC, McDonalds- but all of this was leading somewhere. Like the Pilgrims who receive their certificate, the 'Compostela'- from the Pilgrim's office in Santiago for walking over 200km on their journey- So too would the Big Cat be rewarded for his arduous trip.
In keeping with his homge to portions and convenience, his 'Compostela' was a value meal at Taco Bell.
The fortnight of toil had been worth it, the miles covered zig zagging the east coast of the USA, taking in Redbank, Philadelphia, Washington and finally New York culminated in a 'Big Bell 1/2 Lb Cheesy Bean Beef Combo', with a side of Nachos Bellgrande, some cheesy fiesta potatoes, a caramel apple empananda for pudding, washed down with a Big Gulp.

Good Work.

Slug

Pretzel

The Big Cat writes "So today i tackled a giant pretzel. I've always wondered what these would be like- a giant version of the brittle, crisp like ones we get - surely not! Anyway i kept up my end of the bargain perfectly when i ordered with a large diet coke (see the size of it) and a side of melted cheese 50c xtra! It was very large and not the nicest- its a very heavy, rich doughey- bready substance with a hint of the pretzel flavour i know from the minis. After a rew bites it was hard work in terms of mastication, but also because it was so heavy and the flavour rather flat and dull. At first a few dunks of the melted cheese and swigs of my coke got me through, and i thought i'll definitely finish this. But then as the going was getting tough i encountered the large salted area (you can see from the picture that the main density is in the middle part). these salt rocks, scattered on the pretzel like hundreds and thousands were each the size of meteors, or small moons. A mouthful of them set in train a gag reflex which made you want to down half your pop in a swig (approx 2 litres). This was too much, i soldiered on for another bite but i could actually imagine my arteries furring up and becoming blocked- I tapped out- there's no shame in that i don't think. Anyway an hour later i saw off a helping of lemon cajun chcken and rice without a flicker of doubt as Rachel and her dad had to leave theirs- so i'm back on track. We also sited our first Taco Bell today - the first mouthful gets nearer!!!!!!!!! "

Slug x

Day 2 and the BC finds his stride

Great news blogfans. The BigCat is back on form, demolishing all that the Hard Rock Cafe NJ had to offer. He didn't even break sweat!
Next stop Taco Bell.
Slug

Meal #1 and he is already struggling

Just a quick note to let you know that BC's eating odyssey has started slowly. I can report that he first meal was taken at a seafood restaurant where his clam chowder starter proved the undoing of him, so by the time he came to his seafood platter (with fries obv.) he could only manage half. Good to see he is not off his beer though.

X Slug X

BIG CAT STATESIDE

So, the Big Cat is currently Airborne on his way to NYC. He 'phoned me this morning quite worked up as he had just looked at a weather forecast. It is predicted to be 44degrees in New York this week, I'm not sure how he's going to cope. Cope with the heat and his culinary task, let me explain... He has basically decided that for the duration of his two week holiday he is (in Spurlock fashion) say YES to all offers of going large, adding cheese, extra meat in his burrito, syrup and ice cream on his pancakes, cheese on everything basically. He is hoping to put on two stone in the two weeks, though I'm not sure that he had taken perspiration into account, so he is going to have to work very hard.
This means that the Sluge is going to be manning the helm of the Upper 10, and fitting in shirt appointments in the evenings.

Lalex watches Hit The Shelves- But Not For Long!!

If you like to be different, then the new line of Lalex watches now in stock at Upper 10 may be just the thing for you. A Lalex watch is bound to set its wearer apart, not only for their striking designs and and fabulous originality, but because they are so new and stocked in only a smattering of outlets in the UK- so you aren't likely to see lots of others sporting them. Which is great if being up to the minute and different is your style.

Lalex do a fantastic selection of classic watch designs, but also have a hugely popular Oversized range- These are watches with huge faces- set on terriffic Italian Leather Pilot style straps- I have been wearing one myself and absolutely loving it- as well as getting plenty of compliments on it.

Lalex are brand new in the world of timepieces- but are long established as makers of fine Italian Leather products- which is why we have no qualms in stocking these watches.

However, they have been flying off the shelves- and Lalex are desperately trying to keep up with demand- so if you see one you like on the shelf or in the window- at Upper 10 snap it up before someone else does!!!!!!!!

The Tiger and the Slug

It is a well known fact that the Championship Links at Hoylake have borne witness to some of the games true heroes. It is a little known fact that it has also played host to one of our very own true golfing zeros.

As Tiger plotted a steady first nine yesterday, and then tore it up- racing to 5 under by the close of play, I wonder if he realised that the trail he was blazing was covering the tracks of a previous trail that wasn't so much "blazed" as "stickily laid". That's right, the Slug Trail has passed on its travels along the famed 18 holes of Hoylake.

And so a little explanation. On one of the few days when the Slug wasn't studying at the University of Liverpool library or locked in high-level, philosophical debate in one of the many street side bistro/cafes of Toxteth, so popular with the bohemian Liverpool intelligensia; he was invited to play at Hoylake. I believe this was by one of the Slug's university pals who was on the golf team.

Anyway, as the Slug relates it, he played to 16 in lashing rain and driving wind- none of this still sunny weather that Tiger is enjoying. If its true- not a bad knock by the Sluge- Anyone who knows any different, please let us know by posting a comment.

So, there you have it- two of the planets finest beasts, The Tiger and the Slug, united by Hoylake. I wonder who'd win a fight between a Tiger and Slug?

Not so Sluggish for the slug this week though:

The trail has led as far and wide as Durham, Sunderland, Rotherham, Sheffield, Manchetser, London and Chorley in shirt appointments and customer meetings.

Ironically the Slug moves fast on the Shirt Circuit so keep your eyes peeled for a visit to a town near you- get along to see him and refer your friends to get yourself decked out in the finest quality bespoke shirts.

Upper 10's Apprentice

Ever aware of the perils of rampant capitalism, consumerism, multinationalism leading to the homogenisation of not only our high streets but towns and cities themselves ; we at Upper 10 have decided to do our bit to highlight the positive effects small and medium sized enterprises can have not only on the economy but society itself.

We therefore decided to run our own Apprenticeship Scheme- inspired by Alan Sugar. But in an attempt to benefit the whole of humankind we decided to trawl the ex-Soviet Eastern European States so that a special person- not as privileged as ourselves may benefit from the wealth of business knowledge being accumulated at Upper 10 Towers. Our search was long and tough- through some of the harshest terrain of the Baltic states to the very borders of Russia. It was here in a makeshift Yak- ranching hut that we found our apprentice- herding Yak during his university holidays to help fund his studies.

Kristoff Johan Sparkovsky was orphaned when his parents were sent to the Gulags of Siberia. Left on his own Kris grafted a living de-lousing Yak (which is where is affinity for the animal stems from). So prodigious a de-louser was he, that he made a name for himself stretching far beyond his native land as far as the Urals. He also set up a side business breeding the lice he obtained from the Yaks to show on the Russian travelling Circus Tour. It is this kind of entreprenerial spirit that attracted us the Kris, and that we hope to nurture during his internship with us.

Eventually the Yak and Lice afforded Kris his dream- to study binary Yak farming at the university of Chernobyl. Kris is currently undertaking his Masters degree having aced his undergraduate degree, scoring a commendation in his paper on the genito- urinary system of the yak- a subject close to his heart.

Kris hopes to learn much whilst on his apprenticeship with Upper 10- and hopes to meet lots of nice English girls. Although-(as you can see from the picture) he seems to have taken quite a shine to the chairman.

We will keep you updated on Kris' progress.

TEAM U10

First Entry

So... The first ever U10 Blog. Hopefully this is going to be a useful bit of fun for all of our friends and family to keep up to speed with what me and damo are up to, we don't just stand in a shop all day, entertaining all of our mates and fielding prank 'phone calls from the U10 physician.

As i write Dam has begun his w/e off, he has pulled about 14 days straight so he's looking forward to his time off, although frankly i'd much rather be in Upper 10 Towers than in a field in North Wales, which is what awaits him on his return to Red Rose country.

I have to shoot off this afternoon to see a shirt client, so to complete the family feel Butthead is coming in to look after the shop until 5.30!!

In the coming week we are really busy with are Bespoke Shirt Making service, basically i'll be out and about whilst le big cat is at HQ hustling in the shop and filling up my calendar!

No beer for me this w/e, i'm taking it easy and going to try to enjoy some nice weather. I haven't swung in anger for about 6 months so might squeeze 9 holes in on Sunday pm.

Ok - I'm going to post this now and see what the hell happens,

I promise to keep this up and try and up the humour levels, and try and keep this an interesting insight into the running of a small, growing, family run business!!

Slug x

Mitch checks in

Mitch here in my inaugural blog on the U10 space. As I take a pause from the near impossible art of running along beaches whilst simultaneously sucking my 'pack in and doffing my proverbial cap at hotties to the left and right of me; I take a moment to reflect upon the first time I heard the now legendary Upper 10 name...

Matt & I were togging up in preparation for another shift saving the lives of the vulnerable, occasionally straying onto the more pressing debate as to what on earth possessed the casting directors to put Steph in the line up. C.J., of course, Caroline, obviously; but Steph, Steph! It just doesn't make sense....

....I digress. So, it was at some point in the privacy and intimacy that only a Lifeguards' beach hut can envelop its staff in, that I chose my moment to confide in Matt. The thing is, I had been having trouble keeping my stubble at just the right length so that I was pulling of the 5 o'clock shadow look without unleashing a whole world of schtubbley pain on the numerous hotties upon whom I need to perform CPR on a 10 times daily basis.
Matt let out a relieved sigh- he later told me he'd thought I was going to ask him to check me for testicular cancer again- 'the answer' he said 'is quite straightforward. You need to get yourself a decent razor, brush and, of course, the appropriate cream to leave your face as soft as a baby piglet's bottom.' I had expected a response like this and had in fact already resigned myself to the fact that I would have to relinquish my sponsorship deal with Bic. 'I know of just the place' Matt continued, interrupting my thoughts which had strayed onto other products I would now be free to put my name to. Perhaps GHDs? It may finally be time to say goodbye to the perm, well though it has served me over these last 30 years. 'It is an emporium of fine products for the well-groomed gent. It is a treasure trove of quintessentially British names....' He didn't have time to continue eulogising, I had vanished and was logged on making what would be the first of many orders at www.upper10.co.uk .

Ciao, Mitch.

Here is a picture of me from my recent holiday in Newquay. I am match fit at the moment thanks to my 5 a side on Mondays.

Slug