蜜芽传媒

Not by the Playbook comes from The Queen鈥檚 Club in London where Katie Smith is unboxing her pack of cards.

British para standing tennis player Nicky Maxwell has always had a sporting ace up his sleeve, including now as President of the International Para Standing Tennis Association, but his life in sport hasn鈥檛 been without its challenges. The former Harvard University sprinter shares what life was like as a para athlete in the US collegiate system and his Paralympic ambitions for para standing tennis.

The US queen of Mexico鈥檚 rodeo, Paola Pimienta tells us all about the Mexican tradition of charrer铆a and its all-female synchronised team equestrian competition, escaramuza. It鈥檚 a traditional sport which can be adrenaline-fuelled, so what鈥檚 it like to take part and how has it helped Pimienta connect with her Mexican heritage?

After former England cricketer David 鈥淪yd鈥� Lawrence was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last year, it led to a race against time to tell his story in an autobiography. It鈥檚 a life which has seen Syd become the first English-born black cricketer to represent his country in 1988, before injury brought an end to his international career at age 28. He鈥檚 now been awarded an MBE in the King鈥檚 Birthday Honours. Cricket journalist Dean Wilson helped Syd put the book together and he talks about the process and Syd鈥檚 life both on and off the cricket pitch.

Every pack of cards needs a Jack so hear the story behind Jack Nicklaus鈥� record sixth Masters win, plus there鈥檚 a spade on hand for trip to the farm which supplies strawberries to Wimbledon.

Listen to Not by the Playbook on the 蜜芽传媒 World Service every Saturday at 0900 GMT, or find it as a podcast wherever you get your 蜜芽传媒 podcasts.
Get in touch with us via email and use the hashtag #NBTP on social media.

Image: Magician Jeff Thomas, Manager of Hollywood Magic on Hollywood Boulevard does some magic with deck of playing cards, November 12, 2001 in Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)